Armor for your
hands, Gill’s Regatta Deckhand Gloves
(continued)

The
first thing you will notice when putting them on is that the wrist closure is
inside facing versus the traditional top strap found on most gloves. Like Gill’s
other products the deckhand gloves are designed with sailing in mind and the
reason that the strap is on the inner wrist is to prevent accidental starting of
watches when racing. When I first put on the gloves I felt like they were
comfortable but stiffer than I was used to, especially when I made a fist in
fact I could feel my knuckles pressing against the stretch fabric on the back of
the glove. After a short while the gloves did get a little looser and I started
to feel more comfortable.

The short finger design allows for
full use of your fingertips
I found I was able to fish
with baitcasting gear quite easily with the Regatta Deckhand gloves and the
reels didn’t feel slippery in hand. The gloves contour well to the shape of
reels and the extra cushion provides protection when palming and ripping lures.
But when fishing spinning reels I felt like the stiffness of the glove was
fighting me a little, this glove feels most at home when in a semi-open to open
configuration. The open finger ends do allow for precision work such as tying
knots and modifying lures.

The Amara surface provides a good
grip on baitcasters
The Amara fabric looks and
feels like leather and offers a solid grip on most surfaces, I was able to hold
tools securely on the boat just as easily as I was able to grip the steering
wheel on the boat. The Amara is also surprisingly puncture resistant and unlike
many other gloves where hooks quite easily get through the cloth or rubber
material it is actually very difficult to get a hook to puncture the Amara. It
didn’t matter if it was a worm hook or a treble hook I found I could easily hold
them in my hand without concern and this protection extends all the way up to
the end of the short fingers. The stretch fabric on the other side of the glove
doesn’t offer the same protection and hooks can get through just as easily as
traditional materials but Gill extends the Amara up between the inner thumb for
extra protection, most likely this was originally done to shield sailors from
rope burns.

When making a fist or grasping
spinning rods the glove does feel tighter
These gloves are not
waterproof and while breathable I did find these gloves were best suited for
cooler days and they do keep your hands warm when running the boat 50 plus miles
per hour. Though not their primary feature the gloves do provide sun protection
as well and the stretch fabric on the back does allow moisture to escape.

Hooks have a very hard time
penetrating the Amara fabric...
Durability:
The same Amara material that protects anglers from sharp objects also makes the
gloves excellent for lipping fish. While you still will get a little bass-thumb
with these gloves your palm is completely protected from the sharp teeth of big
bass when lipping. Unfortunately we did find that these gloves take longer to
dry than some of the other gloves we have tested and if you dip your hand to
land or release a fish you’re going to have to deal with a soggy glove for a few
hours.

...even treble hook will not bury
easily
The Gill Regatta Deckhand
gloves are extremely robust, we didn’t experience any tearing or even observe
any threads coming loose during tests. Each of the different fabrics come
together with double reinforced stitching and unlike many other gloves this pair
can handle being around even the sharpest hooks without getting stuck.

The gloves provide a decent grip
on tools
Price and Applications:
If anglers stateside wanted Gill garments in the past they would have to order
from overseas or various sailing e-tailers. No longer, Gill North America has
been working with many of the top tackle shops and the garments are now becoming
more readily available from familiar shops like Tackle Warehouse, which is
actually where I purchased these very gloves from.

A closer look at the double
reinforced stitching, the attention to detail is excellent on these gloves
The Gill Regatta Deckhand
gloves retail for $22.99 which is a reasonable price for gloves of this
excellent quality. At this price point they are around the same price as
offerings from Glacier Glove and 12 dollars cheaper than the popular Under
Armour Hurlock gloves. The Gill Regatta Deckhand gloves are great for cooler
days and fishing for everything from largemouth bass to inshore species. These
gloves are built tough and can handle coming into contact with sharp objects and
sharp teeth, but if your fly fishing or tossing spinning gear all day you are
probably going to want a thinner glove that offers a bit more dexterity.
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
Gill
Regatta
Deckhand
Gloves
(Short
Finger)
Ratings
(?/10)
|
Construction/Quality |
A solid
construction
that is
extremely
durable.
Makes
use of
excellent
materials
including
Amara
reinforcement.
Plenty
of
double
stitching
to
ensure
long
lasting
durability |
9 |
Performance |
Good for
heavier
applications
like
baitcasting
and
fishing
round
reels in
freshwater
and
inshore.
Not as
good for
finesse
fishing
or fly
fishing
as there
is a
dexterity
tradeoff
for
protection |
8 |
Price |
A very
reasonable
price
for such
a high
quality
glove,
actually
cheaper
than
many
competitors |
8.5 |
Features |
Many
features
that
were
originally
designed
for
sailors
like an
inside
facing
strap
and
extra
rope
protection,
these do
translate
into
benefits
for
anglers
though
and the
inside
strap
doesn't
come
open
easily
and the
Amara
offers
great
protection
against
hooks |
8 |
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Good
ergonomics
overall,
a little
stiff
for
finesse
fishing
but
offers
great
protection
while
running
the boat
and
lipping
fish |
7 |
Application |
Good for
heavier
applications
and days
where
wind
protection
is
necessary.
Can be
used for
both
freshwater
and
inshore
applications |
8 |
Total
Score
|
8.08 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
Plus
Minus
|
J
Top
notch
construction
and
clean
and
elegant
look |
L
Palms
are a
little
stiff
for
finesse
and fly
fishing |
J
Amara
material
provides
a solid
grip and
protection
from
hooks |
L
Takes a
while to
dry when
wet |
J
Good
wind
protection
for
colder
days |
|
J
Breathable
material |
|
J
Reasonable
price |
|