Extract from Seahorse Technical Briefing, June 2026 edition.
Allen’s blocks are moving on up from Moths to Cape 31s and even Imoca 60s, with a two-tonne max working load…
From its humble 1950s beginnings by two brothers in a garden shed, Allen has always set its sights on quality and performance. Over the years, the company has built a strong reputation for small boat blocks and hardware, specialising in high-speed, high-load products that over the past decade became the go-to among top Olympic and Moth campaigners.
Now Allen is expanding its range, this time to meet the needs of the keelboat market. The coming months will see the roll-out of a range of 45mm and 60mm High Roller blocks, the first products of this type in the company’s catalogue. The range responds to demands from those seeking the edge offered by Allen’s precision-engineering approach and race-winning reputation. Its development has been at the request of boatbuilders and race teams alike.
ALLEN & XPO Partner with Matthieu Salomon’s ETF26 Campaign
Strengthening the “Allen by XPO” Performance Team
Allen and its French distributor XPO are proud to announce their technical partnership with Matthieu Salomon’s ETF26 campaign, “Entreprises du Morbihan”. This latest collaboration further strengthens the Allen by XPO team, which already supports top-level sailors including 49er crew Erwan Fisher & Clément Péquin, Moth Foil World Champion Enzo Ballanger, and the IRC yacht Stamina.
We’re excited to be exhibiting at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026, taking place on 21–22 February 2026 at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre. You’ll find us on Stand L30, sandwiched right between some of our biggest customers — Hartley Boats, Topper, and Pinnell & Bax.
This year’s show will see the launch of our all-new 15mm Dynamic Blocks, which will be on display for the first time. These blocks have been designed to be super low profile, making them ideal for small-diameter lines up to 3.5mm, particularly elastic take-up systems. With a maximum working load of 160kg, they are not intended for high-load applications but excel where compact size and minimal weight are key.
Currently, two versions are available, with further designs anticipated over the next 12 months, including a 15mm sheave cassette.
A2015WEB: designed for attachment via a 10mm webbing strap.
A2015Tii: featuring a hole to tie or splice the block directly onto the rope.
When compared side by side with our classic 20mm Dynamic Block, the size difference is remarkable. Come and see for yourself at the show.
Also on display will be Tom Gillard’s brand-new Fireball, built by Winder Boats. This is one of the very first all-carbon hull Fireballs and features a high-performance Allen fit-out, including top-spec blocks throughout and an adjustable mast raking system.
Alongside this, we’ll be showcasing Peter Wolstenholme’s Mas Marine Snipe. Although the boat is almost two years old, it is still running its complete original Allen fit-out, demonstrating just how well our hardware stands up to multiple seasons of intense racing.
We’re also pleased to say that Tom “Mozzy” Morris will be spending time on the Allen stand during the show, giving visitors the chance to meet the well-known sailing YouTuber in person.
We look forward to welcoming sailors, builders, and the wider sailing community to Stand L30 and sharing what’s new from Allen Brothers at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026.
We’re Heading to BOOT Düsseldorf 2026 with Lindemann
We’re pleased to be attending BOOT Düsseldorf 2026, taking place from 17–25 January, one of the world’s leading watersports exhibitions, where we’ll be showcasing a selection of our performance sailing hardware on the Lindemann stand.
You’ll find our products on display in Hall 10, Stand C76, giving visitors the opportunity to see the latest developments from Allen Brothers up close.
Our Sales Representative, Simon Potts will be attending the show for the first weekend, while Nic Tolhurst will be on hand during the final weekend to discuss our products, applications, and upcoming developments. Throughout the middle of the week, the knowledgeable Lindemann team will be available to answer any questions about the Allen Brothers range.
We look forward to welcoming customers, partners, and new contacts to the Lindemann stand and continuing to strengthen our presence in the European sailing market.
Welcome to The Hardware Handbook, 2025 Recap Issue. In this edition, we’re sharing a mix of product news, behind-the-scenes engineering, and updates from the wider Allen sailing community.
You’ll find highlights from recent projects, including new and specialist hardware developments, insights into boats and classes using Allen gear, and the latest news from our Team Allen sailors. We’re also showcasing some of our newest products and giving a glimpse into the processes and thinking behind them.
Whether you’re a racer, boat builder, or weekend sailor, we hope there’s something here to inform, inspire, and help you get the most out of your time on the water.
So, grab a cup of tea, sit back and find out all the highlights from an amazing 2025 season.
The Zenith is a single-person hiking dinghy made by Hartley Boats and equipped with Allen Hardware. It features a ballasted centreboard, providing the boat with stability and self-righting capabilities.
In this video, we send Ben to take a first look at the boat, rig it up and go for a sail.
Video Chapters
Unboxing: 01:00
Mast Rigging: 03:40
Hoisting Mainsail: 07:04
Fully Rigged: 11:00
Launching: 13:00
Upwind: 14:00
First Tack: 16:44
Downwind: 21:15
First Gybe: 21:30
Sail Hub – A5866 Review
Chris from Sail Hub swung by the Allen stand at METSTRADE to take a closer look at our brand-new High Performance Swivel Cleat – recently nominated for a prestigious DAME Award.
Although the cleat didn’t take home the top prize this year, we’re incredibly proud to see our engineering and design innovation recognised on the global stage. It’s a great motivator for the team and a reminder of why we continue to push the boundaries of performance sailing hardware.
Watch the video below to hear Chris’ thoughts and get an up-close look at the cleat in action.
We’re excited to return to METSTRADE 2025, the world’s leading marine equipment trade show, in Amsterdam from the 18th to the 20th of November. You’ll find us in Hall 1, Stand 516, where we’ll be showcasing our latest innovations in performance sailing hardware – all designed and manufactured in the UK.
This year, we’re introducing an exciting line of new products that highlight our continued focus on strength, efficiency, and user-friendly design for sailors and boat builders.
A Behind-the-Scenes Factory Tour with Yachts & Yachting
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming Mark Jardine from Yachts & Yachting Online to our factory here in Essex. Mark came to take a look behind the scenes at how we design, manufacture, and assemble our products — all under one roof.
During the visit, we gave Mark a full tour of our facilities, starting with our design and engineering departments, where every new product begins its journey. From there, he saw how our components are CNC-machined, assembled, and quality checked, before heading over to our spar workshop to watch our team taper and heat-treat masts.
Based on the former Olympic ‘Tornado’ class, the Hurricane 5.9 was designed by Reg & Robert White in Brightlingsea, Essex. The design aimed to make high-performance catamaran sailing accessible to a wider range of sailors. Now, almost 40 years later, the class has modernised with an asymmetric spinnaker, square-top sail and self-tacking jib, but maintains the same welcoming and accessible ethos, still providing close one-design racing and incredible value for money to a strong fleet around the UK.
Below is a full-fitting guide from Ben Harris – 2023 Hurricane 5.9SX national champion and Team Allen sailor.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
