AMH supplies various styles of stanchions. Well known yachts carrying them are Sagamore and Sayonara, but there are numerous not so well known yachts cruising monohulls and catamarans. Playstation and the Magic Sailing Team open 60. We have supplied all manner of vessels from a heavy steel 50' sloop designed under survey through to a large cruising catamaran with stanchions 1.3m long. They are not a gimmick and they have some genuine advantages over metal which should be considered. The main advantage is that Fibreglass has a much lower modulus than either alloy or stainless steel, as a result a fibreglass stanchion can bend a huge way and then return straight whereas a metal stanchion permanently sets very early. The weight saved using fibreglass can be used to make a much stronger stanchion than a comparable metal one; thus safety can be improved for no increase in weight.

Firstly there is a 1" fibreglass Race stanchion which is equivalent in strength to a standard 1" hollow stainless steel stanchion swaged from tube with a 1.6mm wall tube. Weight saving is approximately half the stainless steel version. The glass version can bend a long way and is more flexible than the stainless steel version. There is a 1" heavy duty version, this is the similar in weight to the SS version but is much stronger. Thus you can take the gain in either weight or strength as it suits you.

The second stanchion is a 1.25" 32mm glass stanchion that is equivalent to an aluminium stanchion with a 3mm wall. Weight saving is approximately half, strength is equal. The glass stanchion is more flexible and can be bent further without developing a permanent set. This stanchion too has a heavy duty alternative which offer no appreciable weight difference but which is considerably stronger.

For larger vessels both 36mm and 38mm (1.5") stanchions are supplied. Please do not hesitate to enquire. For trade supply it is possible to send partly finished stanchions to be fitted out by the boatyard and finished in the topside paint colour if desired.

All stanchions are stronger than their equivalent metal counterparts, however in some cases the metal versions can be straightened after bending, whereas the composite stanchions will snap albeit at a higher load. We have tried to source a product which is better overall, but depending on how you destroy your stanchions there may be a few cases where metal is a better choice, and we would be happy to advise you if you are not sure.