Webbing is sometimes called the most overlooked material available to boaters (mostly by those who make and sell it, of course). But it does have its place. On a powerboat, webbing is ideal for fastening dinghies, liferafts, surfboards and coolers to an open deck.

Who makes it? There are literally hundreds of web mills turning out everything from 12" slings to pick up construction equipment being helicoptered to the top of skyscrapers to puny little straps on kids' backpacks. Most manufacturers, fled from New England, are in the South. One of the biggest is Tapecraft in Anniston, Alabama. It's owned by YKK, the big Japanese zipper company. …