frayed stay

[winddarra]

Recently when I lowered my mast I noticed my headstay (forestay) has frayed cable at the top.

Is there a repair for this or must I buy a new stay?

Don't want to sail in any heavy wind until repaired.

Thanks ahead?

Bob

 

[Ross]

It is time for a new headstay and may be time to call a rigger.

 

[Tim R.]

Recently when I lowered my mast I noticed my headstay (forestay) has frayed cable at the top.

Is there a repair for this or must I buy a new stay?

Don't want to sail in any heavy wind until repaired.

Thanks ahead?

Bob

It is possible to repair but not prudent. This probably indicates the condition of the rest of your rigging unless your headstay is seeing some abnormal wear which you will need to address first.

 

[Brian M H23]

Do you use a roller furler? these can put abnormal wear on the headstay

 

[dscribner]

A pound of prevention is worth . . .

I have one meat hook that I know of and I'm planning on replacement. Does anybody have experience with swageless fitting?

 

[Prime Time]

Mechanical Fittings

I've used both Norseman and sta-lok fittings. They are about the same in complexity. Fairly simple to do. If you found 1 broken wire, I'd check all your stays very carefully. I think that the Suncor fittings are easier to use from what I've read.

I've priced out doing my own rigging vs. having it made up by a rigger.
The wire is cheap. The fittings are expensive. The swage fittings are much cheaper than the mechanical fittings.

Check out Seco South, cheapest prices I've seen. They make a lot of rigging for manufacturers but will do retail. Defender uses them to make up their rigging.

 

[Steve Dion]

No question. Just replace it.

Take it to a rigging shop and they can make one up for you in just a few minutes.

 

[sailingdog]

I would recommend Hayn HiMod fittings over Norseman or StaLock, since Hayn is usually far less money and IMHO a better fitting. I wouldn't recommend using the Suncor fittings for standing rigging.

A good compromise on cost versus repairability is to go with swaged fittings at the mast side of the cables and mechanical fittings at the deck end. The mast end doesn't really require mechanical fittings, since they're not really exposed to salt water often and don't have the water running down into them, like the deck fittings do.

I've used both Norseman and sta-lok fittings. They are about the same in complexity. Fairly simple to do. If you found 1 broken wire, I'd check all your stays very carefully. I think that the Suncor fittings are easier to use from what I've read.

I've priced out doing my own rigging vs. having it made up by a rigger.
The wire is cheap. The fittings are expensive. The swage fittings are much cheaper than the mechanical fittings.

Check out Seco South, cheapest prices I've seen. They make a lot of rigging for manufacturers but will do retail. Defender uses them to make up their rigging.

 

[Prime Time]

Why Negative on Suncor?

Take a look at this link. I'd be interested in hearing why so negative on Suncor? Independent test showed the Suncor was as strong as Sta-lok, stonger than Norseman and easier to use.

http://bosunsupplies.com/GoodOldBoatQuickAttach.CFM

 

[dscribner]

Thanks,

I'll price the assembled swages stay and the components. I'm a hardcore do-it-yourselfer so we'll see what happens. I looked up Sta-Lok installation instructions. It seems decpetively simple. The holdin power must come from compression on the core augmented by the wrapped wires that are bent over the insert. I'll bet that if the outer wires didn't bend over like that, it would come off faster than a new bride's nightgown. I'm a trailer sailor so I'm going to put in a backstay lever at the same time. It'll make stepping the mast easier and I won't have to detach or readjust anything.

 

[Steve Dion]

You may be a d-i-y'er but where are you going to get a press and dies to do this.

You are going to spend a lot less by having a rigging shop make up one for you with swedged fittings. The Norsemen, Suncor, Hayn etc are going to cost more than the entire forestay made at a local shop.

 

[BobM]

Even riggers

You may be a d-i-y'er but where are you going to get a press and dies to do this.

You are going to spend a lot less by having a rigging shop make up one for you with swedged fittings. The Norsemen, Suncor, Hayn etc are going to cost more than the entire forestay made at a local shop.

Even the pros are using mechanicals on the lower fittings because they are safer, especially in northern climates where freeze / thaw is an issue (lower swages can collect water). They are also reusable, although you may need to buy a new cone in some cases. A common DIY approach is the one I took...have the uppers swaged on the wire...order the wire long...then cut to fit on site.

I used Sta-lok and as long as you follow the instructions it is no sweat. Building a jib to ensure you get a nice square end with the hacksaw is worth the effort. It took me ten minutes to build mine out of scrap wood. I nailed two piece of 1x1 to a 1x6 about an eighth of an inch apart then drilled through the two to make a little custom miter box. A dremel is also a good option.

 

[Prime Time]

Longevity of Swages???

I don't think anyone really knows how long a swage will last! My dad changed his standing rigging for the first time this winter on his 1972 Bristol 40. He is the original owner. I certainly don't advocate going 38 yrs! Maybe it was better metal! Boat was never raced, he was never one for very tight rigging, and he left the mast up most years. The boat was always covered in the winter so minimized exposure to the lower swages. On changing it, no broken wires or obvious cracks were present. (god knows what it would have looked like under a microscope)

In contrast, the boat I race on Weds nights, had rigging failures on 3-4 yr old swaged shrouds. On inspecting the lowers before raising the stick, I noted broken strands. The shrouds were made up by a local reputable rigger. The other side had same problem last yr.

I think with a trailer sailor it is very important to spend a lot of time avoiding bends in the rigging.

 

[Brian M H23]

I had a hard time finding mechanical "T-ball" connectors, but I finally got it from pyacht.com. I don't regret spending the extra money - as the boat gets smaller, the price of the mechanical fittings go down, while the labor to have someone run a swage stays constant.

 

[bffatcat]

Swage standing rigging

I have a 1975 boat that had original swage standing rigging until I replaced it 2 seasons ago
There was nothing wrong with the rigging that I could see and the boat has always been in New England. I figured after 33 years in salt water it was time for a change. If I have need
of replacement rigging again I would stick with the tried and true, swage.

 

[Steve Dion]

http://www.bosunsupplies.com/goodoldboatquickattach.cfm

This is not an end all test, but it gives some good insite on these different types of hardware. It is also dated (10 years old).

 

[Hermit Scott]

I ordered Hayne HiMod fittings because I like how the individual wires are precisely aligned before the fitting is tightened. They are also cheaper. From what I can see there isn't a better fitting.
I wouldn't have anything swaged anymore. Two years after I installed my headstay, I was able to dissasemble the headstay install a furler and reassemble with out buying any replacement parts. Also I know for sure the condition of the wire because I can take it apart, not so with swaged fittings.
I had a norseman fitting. I bought the replacement cone, which you have to do everytime you dissasemble it, but decided against using it in favor of the HiMod.