The Gaff Rig Handbook

The author is an expert in the subject of the text and takes the reader through the evolution, demise and rebirth of the rig over a period of more than 300 years. the text is well written and is a must read for anyone interested in the gaff rig in particular or sailing history in general. It is and will remain one of the primary references on the subject.

I thought I understood gaff rig until I got into this incredible book. It truly is the definitive text on the subject. Be warned - this is not necessarily an easy book to read. It is dense, profound stuff, and there are many places that will stop you in your tracks as you read paragraphs over and over, trying to tease out and understand all the multilayered detail. But once it's accomplished, the lights go on, and you have a new understanding that a more "readable" treatment would never have afforded. The illustrations are marvelous, whether it's the crisp, highly detailed line drawings of rig details or the wonderful rare old photographs of the glory days of this marvelous rig. Truly a must read. And it isn't just a tribute to the racing yachts - this is a book of working sail, where men's lives and livelihoods depended on their watercraft. Also highly recommended is "Hand Reef and Steer", by Tom Cunliffe, which is a much more readable and user friendly text for the gaff rig owner/sailor

Like Tom Cunliffe's "Hand Reef and Steer," John Leather's "Gaff Rig Handbook" is an excellent resource for someone building, restoring or merely interested in gaff rigs. I go back and forth between those two as the "best source", but in reality, I think both should be in your library (they are in mine, and both are well used). On my boat building site...I reviewed "Gaff Rig Handbook":"This was suggested as the best resource out there on the gaff rig, and after a long wait while [I]obtained this book from England, I can report that it is everything people say it is. Great text, clear illustrations, and quite a bit of information not found elsewhere makes this my favorite of the books listed."The most recent edition, published by Wooden Boat Publishing in 2001, is now available. The content is much the same ... in fact, I can't find a difference ... with the prior edition, so no need to "buy again" if you have an older copy. But if you are serious about gaff rigs, and Gaff Rig Handbook isn't in your library ... it should be!

If you're only buying one book on gaff rig, this should be it. Full of useful information, supported with many practical diagrams (not all of them original,) it is a first-class resource for anyone contemplating building a gaffer, or converting from a different rig.Note that this book is described by the publisher as an "extended" 3rd edition of the book originally published in two editions under the title "Gaff Rig". I am not clear how much additional information has been included in this new edition, but the change in title indicates that there might be considerable differences between this "Handbook" and the two earlier "Gaff Rigs."

Leather's book is probably the best resource on the Gaff Rig that I have seen yet. Great text, clear illustrations, and quite a bit of information not found elsewhere makes this my favorite of the books I've reviewed. While Leather is a Brit, he does have quite a bit of info on American gaffers as well, including a chapter on the fishing schooners of New England. Each major component of the gaff rig is treated with a chapter (Mast and Spars, Running Rigging, Standing Rigging, etc.) and then adaptations for several specific types of boats (catboats, sloops, cutters, smacks, yawls, schooners, etc.)