I noticed some discoloration on a shroud collar, and am wondering if it might indicate internal rusting. I don’t know how to best check the rigging overall. Is this something I can adequately inspect myself? We purchased the boat last year and I’d rest easier knowing my rigging is solid.
Checking Rigging
- Thread starter skunther
- Start date
They look OK to my eye, but then again, I'm looking at photo and I'm not a rigger. How old is the rigging?
Why not hire a rigger to inspect the rig and give recommendations. It will cost a few hundred dollars, but will give you peace of mind that the rigging is in decent shape or it will assure you that replacement is necessary.
Why not hire a rigger to inspect the rig and give recommendations. It will cost a few hundred dollars, but will give you peace of mind that the rigging is in decent shape or it will assure you that replacement is necessary.
I like to put a drop or two of oil on the wire strands, and let the oil settle into the fitting. This will displace any moisture inside the fitting. I do this a couple of times every season to the rigging and the lifelines. They are all still good after 18 years of use.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,360
We are favored here in the north west with weather that gives our rigging a long life. That said, it is also easy to ignore rigging.
The image (as @dlochner identifies) is inconclusive. You are looking at one element, the bottom of a shroud. There is a little color. Since water runs down hill (mostly), the color (stain) you see comes from above the spot you show in the image.
An inspection would encompass all of the rig. Not only the wires but the way the wires are connected to the mast and the deck. It is the sum of the fixtures and wires that give your rig the strength to sustain the stresses of sailing and surviving the winds of the Northwest.
If you can reach him, Robert Doyle is in Everett most days. I believe he is a master rigger. I have trusted my rig and life to his professional skills.
There are others. The Brian Toss shop in Port Townsend has some fine graduates of Brian's training. They are operating out of the shop which looks out onto the Port Hudson marina. A call to them could set up an inspection.
The image (as @dlochner identifies) is inconclusive. You are looking at one element, the bottom of a shroud. There is a little color. Since water runs down hill (mostly), the color (stain) you see comes from above the spot you show in the image.
An inspection would encompass all of the rig. Not only the wires but the way the wires are connected to the mast and the deck. It is the sum of the fixtures and wires that give your rig the strength to sustain the stresses of sailing and surviving the winds of the Northwest.
If you can reach him, Robert Doyle is in Everett most days. I believe he is a master rigger. I have trusted my rig and life to his professional skills.
There are others. The Brian Toss shop in Port Townsend has some fine graduates of Brian's training. They are operating out of the shop which looks out onto the Port Hudson marina. A call to them could set up an inspection.
Tom, wouldn't the oil float over the water and not sink down?
I used a heat gun and evaporated any potential water inside, then placed some lanocoat where the cable enters the connection, then heated the area to melt the lanocoat and drop down into the cable crevices. This prevents water going inside.
I used a heat gun and evaporated any potential water inside, then placed some lanocoat where the cable enters the connection, then heated the area to melt the lanocoat and drop down into the cable crevices. This prevents water going inside.
Yours sounds like a good system. I usually use a penetrant like Boeing Shield, which I think would penetrate and displace any moisture. In any case, I think neglecting the system is probably the biggest cause of rigging failure.
Water evaporates. Oil and lanocote may not. Read up on SS crevice corrosion first. Please. You could also read Brian's book, too.