Kit Guides

From a first glance, you may not notice too much difference between our Aquafleece® Robe and the Aquafleece® Rigging Jacket. And that’s totally understandable, after all they’re made from the same iconic Aquafleece® material, are available in the same colourways and just look like two long coats. But we’ve been listening to our customers as we’ve been meeting them at shows in the UK this year, and we feel as though they deserve a comparison spotlight so you can make the right choice. Similar they may seem, but let’s take a closer look at what makes these two coats completely different, and find out which one is the best match for you and your lifestyle. We’ll compare the fit, the price and the technical features and function of the two to help you decide. Size Getting the right size for your equipment and gear is essential for experiencing the ultimate enjoyment from your day. Learning the difference between the sizing options of our Aquafleece® Robe and Aquafleece® Rigging Jacket could be the difference between why you purchase one from the other. Robe: One size fits all (Junior available). This gives everyone room to have the option to use the robe as a changing tool. Wear the robe over your wetsuit, zip yourself in and remove your arms to comfortably get changed wherever you need. Adjust the cuffs to suit your arm length when worn as normal. Rigging Jacket: Comes in sizes; Junior, XS/S, M/L, XL/XXL and XXXL/XXXXL and is designed to be ever so slightly oversized, so you can fit your buoyancy aid under when transitioning from rigging to sailing. If you’re looking for more of a day-to-day style, this one might be a better option for you. The Rigging Jacket should come to your mid-thigh and the adjustable cuffs allow you to tailor the wrists to your arm length. Length & Shape We’ve thought very carefully into the shapes of our Aquafleece® Robe and our Aquafleece® Rigging Jacket. Their unique functions and uses mean the lengths are slightly different and here’s why. Robe: The ‘one-size for all’ fit means the robe is much longer in the body than the Rigging Jacket. The robe will come to your mid-calf, or your ankle at the very most. The length is designed to allow you to feel comfortable getting changed, and for keeping the elements off from your whole body after you have been fully submerged in the water. The Aquafleece® outer shell will keep the wind off you whilst getting changed too. Rigging Jacket: The coat should come to your mid-thigh at the front, and it has been designed with a lower tiered back to protect you and your clothing from wet surfaces when you sit down or lean. The longer back also allows for rain and spray to run away from your core, keeping you warm and dry for the rest of the day. Lining It’s the inside that counts the most, and that is certainly true if you’re comparing these two garments. It’s the lining of these coats that truly set them apart in design and purpose, and ultimately complete preference to the customer. Robe: The robe includes a fleece terry lining, which is fully removable. The lining is extremely warm and cosy in very cold weather and exposed elements, but acts double as a soft towelling material to dry you as you change. The lining can be removed completely, including the arms and hood, to allow you to wash the inside of your jacket, so you can freshen up your robe for your next adventure. This is the first changing robe on the market to have this ability. Rigging Jacket: Like our other Aquafleece® range, the Rigging Jacket has a soft and smooth ‘short’ fleece lining throughout, including the pockets. This makes the jacket more lightweight, but with the Aquafleece® windproof shell, this is still a great option for you if you’re prone to feeling the cold, but manoeuvrability is required.  Hoods Not the most obvious comparison to make on coats, especially when made by the same manufacturer, but the hood could be the reason you pick one coat over the other if you’re looking at costs and technicality. Robe: The robe has a spacious hood. Just like the rest of the robe lining, the inside of the hood has a terry lining to aid drying your head and hair. The hood has a soft Aquafleece® shell which keeps the wind off your head. Rigging Jacket: The hood of the rigging jacket is much more structured than the robe, and includes a peaked cap to protect your face from elements such as rain and spray or as a block shield from the sun.* The Rigging Jacket also has a reflective patch on the top of the hood, which is visible when you wear it down, a great safety feature for off-shore sailing and walking in low visibility.  Cost Comparing the cost between the two is an important part of piecing together the aesthetically set apart differences. The features listed indicate that the Rigging Jacket is in fact a more technical product and this is reflected fairly in the price point. Robe: £165 A competitive price for a high tech changing robe, the first on the market with the ability to remove the lining for the purpose of keeping your robe hygienic. The Aquafleece® material has a Polyurethane coating on the outside for water resistance, durability and flexibility. The Aquafleece® Robe being our largest Aquafleece® product, you would assume that it would be the most expensive in the range.  Rigging Jacket: £172.50 The Rigging Jacket price attracts plenty of questions when we compare the two coats. If the Rigging Jacket is smaller in size and length, then why does it cost more over the heavier and larger Robe? The Rigging Jacket may have lighter properties at first glance, but when we take a closer look at the structured hood, this explains the slight price increase as the hood is much more technical than the Aquafleece® Robe’s.  Use Depending on what it is you’re most likely to be doing, taking a closer look at how these coats were designed to serve the customer, the ergonomics that have gone into the process are fit for purpose. But depending on what that purpose is will be the decider.  Robe: Primarily designed for the on-the-go, quick changing, watersports mad individual, the concept of the changing robe has stretched beyond the boat park in the UK. Customers are tending to use them for day-to-day errands such as commuting, walking the dog and even going to the shops. It’s hardly a surprise whilst our winters seem to get colder every year. The robe was created to give the option to change in the most convenient way, and giving the ability to wash this after use, but you can use it how you wish! Rigging Jacket: Rigging by name, rigging by nature. The rigging jacket was created to keep you warm and dry whilst you get ready for your day out on the water. It's also perfect for coaches out on the rib all day long. But like the robe it has transferring powers taking you from the boat park and beyond into everyday activities due to its lightweight feel but weather battling qualities.   photo credit: AASailing We hope that looking into more detail, we've have helped you understand the differences between the two, and have given you food for thought when choosing which one is better suited to you. If you’re still struggling to decide, then please feel free to get in touch with our friendly customer service team if you’re still not sure. *Please don’t use the peak of the Rigging Jacket to protect your eyes from the sun alone, we advise you use proper UVA/UVB protection sunglasses

POST VIDEO NOTE: Please use a separate piece of short grey line in the Rooster kit to attach the two blocks to the traveller eye. see image below: This is to stop any chance of the two blocks and their 3mm elastic from tensioning the traveller in any way. This was required by measurement at the 2018 World Championships. The story: During the recent RS Aero World Championships, it became apparent that if I wanted to release the controls downwind efficiently that I would need to change the control lines to over deck take up style. The old style tended to get a little tangled downwind: I was inspired by Steve Norbury's version that I had seen at the Aero Southern Championships which I knew was class legal. Obviously, I have put some of my splicing experience into the kit to fasten the two Ronstan Shock Blocks in place and used Rooster's EasySplice™ Continuous Control Line as it's just so easy! I used the Ronstan Shock Blocks as they can be colour co-ordinated and are very light - which I guess is nice as the boat is so nice and light. I also used Selden 30mm Loop Top Blocks for the take ups. They are also lighter and more than man enough for the job. Rooster has produced a kit with most of the splicing done, all you will have to do is 'cow splice' the Ronstan Shock Blocks onto a pre-made double loop 180mm line under the deck. But if you are feeling brave, take a look at the related Rooster Videos on Splicing (Reverse Brummell Hitch, Spectwelve and Rooster EasySplice™ Continuous Control Line). We suggest you use 2mm Spectwelve (an SK78 12 braided Dynema) for the take-up tidies and Rooster 4mm Spectwelve (an SK78 12 braided Dynema) for the traveller. You will also notice that I have adopted the Rooster colours which have been used extensively in singlehanded sailing with blue for downhaul/ Cunningham, grey for outhaul and red for kicker or vang. Feel free to take the parts and ropes in the colours you are used to. I used 5m of EasySplice™ for the outhaul system, although I did not have much line to spare so perhaps it's worth taking 6m and losing a bit. Our kit is now 5.5m so you will need to first ensure your outhaul is maximum off. Then join the outhaul when it can just go in front of the centreboard case with a little movement. For the downhaul, I used 8m of EasySplice™, plus 1m of 2mm Spectwelve for the two side deck tidy's and 1m of 4mm Spectwelve for the traveller. Tools: I like my tools so I tend to try and use them all. But if you are keen to do the whole thing yourself then you will need: Serrated Scissors 2/3mm Pull Fid 4mm Push fid Rooster EasySplice™ Needle Fid (I use the super thin needle for the EasySplice™ Control Line splice). Needles and Waxed Whipping Twine (available on the Rooster website to finish off the joins in the control line.) If you purchase the kit, then you will only need the EasySplice™ Needle Fid, twine and needle, although I am sure you would still find the Serrated Scissors useful. Splicing Tip When you cut the centre core out of easy splice, leave it as loose as possible. This will enable the other line to pass into it easier. Do not try and milk it to make it smaller as this will make it harder to pull the other end through it. RS Sailing is the most forward-looking company I have ever been close to. I understand that they will be stocking these 'Rooster' upgrade kits in due course. I think it will make a significant difference to your Aero sailing enjoyment - if it could get any better! Save Save

Here is a neat little trick to make your Aero Halyard work a little more smoothly. Take 1m of Rooster Easysplice and take 600mm of the inner core, but remember to tie a knot in the other end to ensure you keep the inner core where the rope stopper is. It will be hard to take out the 600mm - but give it your best shot. Then you can make a Brummel hitch loop in the easy splice (you will have to unknot the other end to pass it back through the tail. ). Examples of a Brummel hitch video can be found here. I folded the 600mm of uncored rope in half and made a 40mm long loop, ensuring the tail went back into the line over the maximum distance to fill the space that the inner core left. This gives the Easysplice the right thickness to jamb in your cleat. To ensure the boggle does not fall off the other end, you might like to back splice some of the EasySplice into the end (make it thicker). Check and adjust the length of your new EasySplice halyard to ensure the double thickness easy splice sits neatly on the cleat area. I keep using the stretchy 2mm polyester line as my pull up or uncleat line because its stretch allows the mast bend to vary lots with vang tension, ensuring that it will not pull the halyard out of the mast cleat. If you have lost the original - you can use this replacement (approx. 11m length is required) 2mm Polyester Halyard Line, sold per m.

Malachy's come up with an awesome way to re-use the packaging that your kit was sent in!