Gaff jaws and the yardarms of lugsails require
some means of being held close to the mast. The answer is
to use a short line with parrel beads.
So finally, partly out of frustration, I decided
to buy 10,000 beads and sort them for shape and color and
figure out later what to do with the ones that don't sell.
I am pricing them according to how I think they will suit
the job and will adjust that according to popularity. Pick
your shape and size. Here is what you have to choose from:
| Cylinder |
 |
This is a good shape for a parrel, not
traditional, but I can't see why it would not work just
fine. |
| Cube |
 |
Obviously this bead will NOT work! But it may have
other uses. Let me know if you come up with a use for
this bead. |
| Sphere |
 |
Here is the traditional shape - Ok, they should be
wooden, but these will last longer and will look fairly
salty. |
| Double Cone |
 |
I don't see a place for this bead on a boat but you
may. Perhaps as some sort of stand off or you might
braid some into your beard. |
| Tall Oval |
 |
This bead shold work fine. Note that Gary Blankenship
used these alternating with round ones on his Frolic2
(see above) |
| Short Oval |
 |
I think this may be the best shape of all. They will
have more for the same size mast which means less friction?
At least there will be a smaller angle between beads. |
Plastic
beads work great and I searched for years to find a source
of suitable beads for parrels. I found the Hygloss large
plastic beads right away. They are the right size (about
an inch around with a 1/4" hole), but they come in
a box of 100 for 10 or 12 bucks and each box is a mixture
of shapes and colors. I thought this was unacceptable as
two of the shapes are not usable (for parrels, anyhow) and who wants rainbow parrels?
Ok, Gary Blankenship (see photo at right) may be secure
enough in his manhood to sport multicolored parrels on his
