Rutgerson clutches now available in Canada, with advantages
June 11, 2020
Rutgerson is a world leading hardware manufacturer specialized in yacht equipment such as sail and deck fittings, blocks, clutches, tracks, hatches and portlights.
Their products are manufactured in Scandinavia’s sailing metropolis Marstrand, where the local engineer and sailing professional Göran Rutgerson established the company in 1976. The are available online from Canadian retailer Dada Marine https://dadamarine.com
Martin Dalbec, founder of Dada, explains the features of the Rutgerson clutch and why he feels it delivers and engineering advantage.
“ Beside the fact that they can carry much higher loads compared to equivalent brands, their clever construction allows for easy installation and maintenance. Why is that? The clutches have a sliding base that remains on the cabin top. It’s also particularly convenient when inserting and removing endless lines. On top, you can fix the plate in three different manners. You pass the bolts trough the clutch, or you slide out the plate and fix it with countersunk bolts from above, or with hexagonal head bold from the side.
“Something that irritates me is the cleaning clutches. As the line gets worn, it leaves microfibers along with dust and other debris. I do not know for others, but it is pretty tedious to remove the cabin roof liners to take off the nuts from the through bolts. This clever design definitely makes a difference!
Recently I changed my old polyester halyard for a Spectra/Dynema™ type. In doing so, I could reduce the line diameter, but I did not want to have to change my clutch. The RX75 Series comes with either a cam for 8 to 12mm lines and Rutgerson also offers a cam to deal with the 4 to 8mm lines.
When you operate the clutches, you will also notice that line handling is much easier. The main reason is the integrated low-friction sheave that allows your lines to run smoothly and to protect them. Lines don’t wear against a fix bushing.”
