Low Friction Rings

What are low friction rings ?

Essentially, low friction rings, also known as High Load Eyes or lash thimbles, are highly polished round thimbles which have revolutionised tweaking methods on yacht running rigging by offering an alternative solution to the plain bearing block.

Low Friction Ring Design and Manufacture:

• No moving parts
• Hard, polished anodised aluminium
• Large inner radius for low friction passage through the eye
• Outer slot for rope or shock cord attachment to e.g. the deck, mast or another fitting
• Wide range of sizes to suit all applications

Low Friction Ring Plus Factors:

• Versatile
• Simple to install
• Lighter, less clunkier alternative to a plain bearing block
• High Working Load compared with blocks generally
• Maintenance free

Low Friction Rings have a multitude of different uses on board:

• Lazy Jacks
• Barber haulers
• Backstay Cascades
• Mast base tidies
• Stanchion lead eyes
• Emergency blocks
• Toe rail blocks
• Kicker purchase systems
• Boom Preventers
• In fact, anywhere that a line needs re-routing under static load

Jimmy Green Marine stock Low Friction Rings from Barton, Selden, Technical Marine Supplies and Wichard

All low friction rings are available, finished with a dyneema loop, in house, by the Jimmy Green Rigging Team.

The dyneema loop allows the ring to be easily 'cow-hitched' into place.

These pictures show Jimmy Green Low Friction Rings, attached via a cow hitch to the deck fittings. In this case, they are used on a long boom preventer, led to the bow cleat and back aft via the mid cleat:

The distance from the ring to the cleat can be reduced by wrapping twice before passing the ring back through the loop.