How worried should I be?

[nto1221]

I have a Bayfield 29 sailboat. Today it was supposed to go in the water from its winter storage. Unfortunately, the lift operator at my marina backed the lift into my forestay causing the stainless steel cabling to snap.

I’m concerned whether this caused damage beyond just the standing rigging. It’s a keel-stepped mast. When I went below I noticed the shims lying on the sole that had been between the mast and the hole where the mast comes through the deck. So there was some significant movement in the mast before the forestay snapped. Aside from the mast becoming bent, I’m worried that the pressure from the mast could have damaged the deck or the chainplates—especially on the backstay as there would have been a lot of pressure on it. I’m also worried about the potential for damage to the keel.

At this point I think I need to get a survey done to assess the safety of the vessel. Am I being paranoid?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts what I should do now.

 

[dlochner]

Sorry to hear about the accident.

The first thing you should do is use the jib halyard as a temporary forestay, this will help stabilize the mast.

Next call your insurance company, follow their advice.

I doubt the keel was damaged. Other parts of the rigging might have suffered from the incident, which is why your insurance company should get involved. When the tension on the forestay was released, the mast probably bounced around in the partners causing one wedge to fall out, which allowed more movement and more wedges to fall out. In and of itself this may not be a big deal, but it does point to the amount pressure that was exerted on the mast and forestay.

Good luck.

 

[shemandr]

Thanks, again, to that expert marina staff! I'll add that to a pretty long list of F***Ups by untrained workers. It wouldn't be as irritating if the yard wasn't charging fully trained rates.

 

[Sailor Sue]

Aside from the mast becoming bent....

Is the mast actually bent, or are you concerned that it might be? You should be able to check by feeling for any dents by the mast collar, or by placing a known straight edge along all our sides of the mast at deck level.

Good luck with a prompt, satisfactory outcome - that's a terrible way to start your season.

 

[brockfromwa]

I also agree with calling your insurance company.

I would be very surprised if your mast is bent or damaged from that accident. I've had one of my inner-lower stays break at sea and my mast was swaying at least 4' off center until I was able to tie a line to tension it back up. Once I made it to land, rigger and myself didn't notice any permanent damage.

I would have a knowledgeable rigger look over your whole rig when you hire them to make you a new forestay. If your rigging is around 10 years old or older, just replace it all and save the headache of inspecting and worrying about every fitting. Take a close look around your chain plates to ensure no stress fractures were created. You may have some gel coat cracks around the chain plates, that is expected given your rig was bouncing around for a bit.

Best of luck on fixing the rigging!

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

No, you're not being paranoid in the least. Don't sail the boat until you get it surveyed and notify your insurance company. With an accident like that, the marina is just waiting for you to sail the boat once and once only and then deny being responsible for any damage. At that point, there's no going back.

Might not be a bad idea to photo everything involved in the accident showing damage from every possible angle.

Best of luck with this and yes, one hell of a way to stat the season.

 

[Blitz]

What is the Marina saying at this point?

Agree with the above.

I would think contacting your insurance and following their advice would put you on the right path. I would however be a bit worried they will want to write the whole thing off when they should rather be settling with your Marina's insurance.

A full rig survey will be needed including chain plates. I would think that the back stay & chain plate might have received the worse damage. Of greater that 10 years old some of this cost may be on you. The mast will need to be pulled for a proper rig survey in this case.

Sorry that the start of your season has been derailed.

 

[dlochner]

I would however be a bit worried they will want to write the whole thing off when they should rather be settling with your Marina's insurance.

A few years ago I had a claim when my boat blew off its jack stands. My insurance company paid me for the repair. I was told at the time that insurance companies just collect all the claims they have with each other and periodically sit down and settle up. It is not unusual to have multiple claims against each other and rather paying them one by one, it is done in a group. It is faster, cheaper, and easier to do it this way.

 

[Crusty Ol Salt]

Might not be a bad idea to photo everything involved in the accident showing damage from every possible angle.

The best reason to own a cell phone.

 

[jssailem]

At this point I think I need to get a survey done to assess the safety of the vessel. Am I being paranoid?

YES YOU ARE THINKING CORRECTLY! GET A Rigging survey and a boat survey done. Use an independent surveyor.
YES talk to your Insurance company. They will deal directly with the Marina.
There are several types of damage.. The obvious - what you can see like the damaged forestay. And the damage that resulted from the forestay failure - All the things you mentioned and then wondering if you are paranoid. No you are not paranoid. Get help from professionals.

As @Ralph Johnstone shares... do not just hop aboard and go sailing. I'm afraid there will be a bit of lost time. This is on the marina not you. And YES... a camera even today would be a great thing to use. The more images the better.

What steps has the marina taken to mitigate any further damage? Without the forestay, have they secured the mast?

Be safe. This is the beginning but it too will pass.

 

[thinwater]

The other thing to consider is that the season in Green Bay is short. Get too many people involved, and you might as well set your sights on 2025.

I would mention it to the insurance, but not necessarily get them "involved." If you can get a rigger to look at it, and press the marina to replace the standing rigging (at least the backstay was stressed to near the breaking point, but not so much the shrouds), that might be a good resolution.

If there is a furler, is the extrusion bent? I would think it would be. That will need replaced, which could lead to a new furler. That will be the money.

You will need to be thinking about do I do all of the this the "proper way," full of red tape, or do you want to sail in 2024. And if it cost you a full season, what does the marina feel about this loss of use that is 100% their fault? I would threaten them sith that, which might lead to getting the rigging replaced fast and move on.

 

[higgs]

If the forestay was healthy then breaking it had to put tremendous pressure on every part of the rig. Get a surveyor.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I'd take off whatever fitting the forestay attaches to to look for any hairline cracks and inspect the mast for any elongated holes from said fitting attachment. Chainplates and their attachment points should also be considered. Just trying to think of items that havent been mentioned before

 

[jssailem]

Hopeful that @nto1221 will come back and say hi again.

We had a boat in the Marina that a was being moved by a marina worker near Ballard WA. He misjudged the bridge lift near the locks. Upper portion of the forestay/furler ran into the bridge cross beam. Claim was the boat came to a stop before the bridge. The evidence upon delivery inspection was different. The boat and rigging showed extensive damage upon survey.

You have to know what to look for in such cases.