About Us
our story
Before the 1970s & 1980s, sailmakers were also the riggers in most areas. Rick had the privilege to have worked with Paul Schreck, ‘Click’ Schreck and Alfred Schurr as mentors in both sailmaking and rigging during these years. Paul, ‘Click’ and Alfred were taught the art of sailmaking by the Schreck family patriarch, “Papa’ Schreck, a journeyman German Navy sailmaker in WWI. Many of the ‘old school’ sailmaking techniques were passed down by “Papa” Schreck. It should be noted that Schreck Sails was at the apex of the sport during these days with Click winning an Olympic Gold Medal in the Acapulco Olympics in 1968 with Buddy Fredrichs and Barton Janke. Early sailmaking and rigging techniques passed down by ‘Papa’ Schreck included hand sewn reinforcement rings in the corners of the sails, ‘hand roped’ bolt rope techniques, line and wire splicing, bee’s wax swage shank applications to prevent early corrosion & cracking and much, much more. This background in ‘old school’ sailmaking and rigging was a fantastic foundation as the sailmaking and sailing industries transitioned from cotton to polyester & nylon and then to modern day materials such as Kevlar, Technora, Vectran, Dyneema, Spectra and other new materials. It should be noted that many of these old techniques are currently in a revival as these newer materials are being implemented on modern boats.
In the early 1980s as the new materials were being utilized at all levels of the sport, Rick & Schurr Sails partnered with Randy Smyth at Smyth Sails, a two-time Olympic medalist, to produce sails for the Olympic Tornado Class through 4 Olympic quads from 1984 until 1996. We knew that we were in a Global Economy since we were importing Dimension-Polyant Dacron Square-weave sailcloth from Germany and then manufacturing US designed sails and shipping them to Olympic teams from Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Canada, Mexico and more. Schurr Sails was also very involved with the Olympic Division II Sailboard sailmaking in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics supporting Mike Gebhart (Bronze Medal in 1988/ Seoul Olympics) of Fort Walton Beach, FL and local sailboard Ace, Bert Rice that was an alternate at the Seoul Olympics.
In the early 1990s, it became obvious that a rigging company could stand on its own in this region. Zern Rigging started with two guys in a van traveling the coastal roads between New Orleans and Tallahassee providing mobile rigging services to Gulf Coast sailors. In the late 1990s, Zern Rigging opened a ‘Brick & Mortar’ facility at the Pensacola Shipyard on Bayou Chico. The company remained at this location for over 23 years and patiently grew its customer base as well as capitalizing the equipment to become one of the premier rigging fabricators in the US. In April of 2022, the Pensacola Shipyard Complex sold, and the new owners decided that they were going to concentrate on large power boats thus the business models were deemed non-compatible, and Zern Rigging moved across Bayour Chico to Pelican’s Perch Marina and Boatyard where we are presently located.
Zern Rigging now has two ‘State-of-the-Art’ Swedish built Wire-Teknik swage machines with the capability of swaging wire from 1/16” to 5/8” in diameter and three Kearney portable swage machines for mobile rigging projects and architectural rigging. A wide array of wire and terminal fittings are currently stocked at our facility and our array of top quality suppliers can provide the correct parts almost immediately. Several line diameters and line types are also stocked for immediate use. We have a machine shop with the capability to aid in the assembly of masts and rigging fabrication for dinghies cruisers, multihulls and racing monohulls.
Our Mission
At Zern Rigging, we are passionate about providing our clients with the highest quality sailboat rigging and exceptional customer service. Our mission is to help our customers experience the beauty of sailing without any worry or concern for the safety of their craft. We believe in treating all our customers with empathy, understanding, and care, regardless of their level of expertise or experience on the water. We are dedicated to crafting rigging solutions that exceed our clients’ expectations while offering honest, transparent, and fair pricing for our services. As a company, we will remain committed to maintaining our integrity and ensuring our work adheres to the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and craftsmanship. We understand that sailing can be a vulnerable experience, and that is why we strive to create a welcoming environment where our clients feel comfortable.
Zern Rigging team
Rick Zern
rick@zernrigging.comRick was fortunate enough to grow up at Fort Walton Yacht Club and sailed Flying Juniors, Flying Scots, Hobie 16s, Lasers (ILCA) and PHRF boats as a child. He worked part time as a sailmaker at Paul Schreck Sails in the 1970s when he moved to Pensacola to go to college at UWF. After college, he did a two year stint with the Environmental Protection Agency conducting static bioassays to quantify and establish water quality criteria but soon decided that his passion was in the sailing industry. After leaving Schreck Sails, he started a Horizon Sail Loft in Fort Walton Beach that was absorbed by Schurr Sails in Pensacola. While at Schurr Sails, Rick helped initiate CAD/CAM sailmaking with computer designed sails and helped implement plotting and cutting as a Beta testing facility for Carlson Design, a world leading manufacturing company for plotters and cutters for many industries. This led to Rick becoming a curriculum advisor for Pensacola State College’s manufacturing technology department in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Rick served on the Board of Directors at Pensacola and Pensacola Beach Yacht Clubs in a variety of positions ranging from Fleet Captain to Commodore and on the Gulf Yachting Association’s Offshore Council Executive Committee.
Jeff Zern
rick@zernrigging.comJeff has literally sailed all 40 years of his life; his first boat trip at age 6 weeks was aboard a Stiletto 27 Cat to see the tall Ship “El Cano” sail into Pensacola. Jeff avidly raced 420s as a child and was a graduate and then an instructor at Pensacola Yacht Club’s Junior Sailing program. He often raced aboard the family’s Tartan 10, J/35, Beneteau 35 and Beneteau 41s5 and helped in the family rigging business over the decades. After graduating from the University of Florida, Jeff decided to come home to Pensacola and work in the family business; we are glad he did!
David Johnson
rick@zernrigging.comDJ came to Zern Rigging over 25 years ago when he decided he was most satisfied working in the recreational marine business. He was most fortunate to have grown up in a boating family at Pensacola Yacht Club. He was a graduate and instructor at PYC’s sailing programs and taught in Niceville, FL and at Pensacola Beach Yacht Club’s Summer Sailing Programs for decades. DJ has transatlantic crossings ‘under his belt’, GYA Fish Class World Championships as crew and skipper and is a regular skipper aboard the Farr 40, “Pendragon” in regional and SORC races in south Florida and the Bahamas. He has extensive amount of time on multihulls including IC 20s and Corsair Trimarans. DJ’s knowledge of masts, rigging, lines, splicing & marine instrumentation is comprehensive. DJ has served on Pensacola Beach’s Board of Directors as Commodore for several years and is currently on the Board of Directors for Sail Pensacola.
Darrel Via
rick@zernrigging.comDarrell has probably ascended more masts than almost anyone else in the world! He is our ‘up-the-mast’ expert, a USCG Captain, experienced diver and electrical wiring wizard. Darrell came to us after working as a boat captain and diver with the popular television series, ‘Survivor’ and the movie “Master & Commander.” Darrell has raced catamarans, big boats and is an avid GYA Fish Class sailor having competed in the World Championships multiple times. His ability to rectify rigging problems while working aloft is amazing.
Evan Zern
rick@zernrigging.comEvan is the youngest member of the team and grew up in a sailing family. He first sailed aboard the family J/35, Soverel 33, more recently sailing Beneteau 35s5, Beneteau 41s5, Laser (ILCA) and a Hobie Getaway. Evan was elected as the IT manager and has been tasked to bring Zern Rigging into the 21st Century. First eliminating the great "lunchtime internet blackouts" Evan continues to bring advancements in the Zern Rigging business plan and innovation that excites.
Linda Baker
rick@zernrigging.comLinda is our Office Manager and came to Zern Rigging from Lake Lanier Sailing Club north of Atlanta where she began racing with her family aboard Lightnings in the 1970s & J/24s in the 80’s to present. She was invited to race in the Women’s Rolex Regatta, the apex of Women’s Sailing events in the early 2000s. She currently races aboard a J/32 and other PHRF & ORR boats and is the current women’s champion in the vintage Gulf Yachting Association’s Fish Class. She surprises and amazes many of our customers with her comprehensive knowledge of sailing related subjects.
Tom Schlosser
rick@zernrigging.comTom came to us as a customer from Chicago with a Sabre 42 that we helped get ready to sail to the Caribbean. He cruised the Caribbean from 2013 until 2021 and then landed with us here in Pensacola. He avidly raced Beneteau 36.7s on Lake Michigan, has raced the Chicago-Mac Race several times and is a current national level competitor in the Tartan 10 class. Tom currently races on a vintage 1948 Fish Class boat, “Red Fish’, ORR boats and PHRF boats offshore as well inshore buoy races. Tom is a certified American Boat & Yacht Council Certified Marine Electrician and an experienced tradesman.