Why flat webbing is the sleeper upgrade for small sailboats

Drew Frye made a concise, practical case for using flat webbing across deck and safety systems on small and cruising sailboats. The piece focused on common, often-overlooked uses—jacklines, harness tethers, dodger and bimini tensioning, and hiking straps—and explained why webbing often outperforms rope for these tasks.

The top advantage is simple: webbing lies flat underfoot and across surfaces, removing trips and reducing bulk in high-traffic areas. It also accepts hardware and buckles more readily than round line, and can be sewn into reinforced loops that are straightforward to fabricate on board. For owners who like to tailor gear, that combination of low profile, hardware compatibility, and sewability makes webbing an economical, adaptable material for custom deck and safety fittings.

Design and material choices matter. Frye walked through the trade-offs between nylon, polyester, and low-stretch high-strength webbing. Nylon brings stretch and shock absorption; polyester is lower stretch and more UV resistant; and modern low-stretch high-strength webbing is the go-to for jacklines and harness points where minimal elongation is critical. He emphasized chafe protection at entry points and load paths, and recommended sizing attachment geometries so loads spread across webbing rather than concentrating at a single stitch.

On the workbench and at sea, Frye offered practical DIY tips for making durable stitched eyes and small fittings. Reinforce stitch areas with extra layers, use broad stitching patterns that distribute load, and favor machine stitching where available for consistent strength. When working aboard, plan attachment geometry so the webbing runs cleanly through buckles and over spreaders or chafe gear; avoid tight bends that concentrate stress. Small fittings like toerail tie-downs, padeye loops, and short jackline segments are all readily fabricated from off-the-shelf webbing and standard marine hardware.

The payoff is immediate: cleaner decks, more secure attachment points, and hardware that clips and unclips without wrestling with bights of rope. Webbing also lowers the learning curve for DIYers who can sew reinforced eyes with basic tools and a little practice.

Our two cents? Try swapping a short section of webbing into a noncritical spot first—an old toerail tie or a dodger tensioner—so you can see how it behaves under load. Check stitching and chafe points regularly, and pick the webbing type that matches whether you want stretch or a stiff, low-stretch jackline. Small changes like this make boats safer and tidier without breaking the bank.