The cables (stays and halyards) have "meathooks". Are they companies that will coat the existing cables or is the only way to replace the cables?
Thanks
Thanks
vinyl coating of stays
- Thread starter jedavidson77584
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Yes. Check the cost of new spars, new sails or major repair, lifeline replacement, deck and rail repair, towing, possible medical bills, bulding and wiring a new mast, etc. and compare with coating of the wire if you need convincing.
Do not sail your boat again except in light winds if you have meathooks. Really.
I'm doing a complete standing rigging job on my 32 footer this winter and it will be the best part of two grand but it is an absolute must do when the rigging reaches a certain age.
"Do not sail your boat again except in light winds if you have meathooks. Really."
Good advice! I run my hands over the rigging every time I trailer my Mac to the lake. If it don't bite, we are good to go. I had a wire come loose this year, but it was only a cotter pin that failed. Gave me a scare, but I dropped all sails and motored to the nearest dock to check and repair.
Good advice! I run my hands over the rigging every time I trailer my Mac to the lake. If it don't bite, we are good to go. I had a wire come loose this year, but it was only a cotter pin that failed. Gave me a scare, but I dropped all sails and motored to the nearest dock to check and repair.
Plastic covers
Plastic covers for your standing rigging are a bad idea:
1. They accelerate corrosion.
2. They collect grunge.
3. They hide the meathooks that are telling you it is time to replace your standing rigging!
Plastic covers for your standing rigging are a bad idea:
1. They accelerate corrosion.
2. They collect grunge.
3. They hide the meathooks that are telling you it is time to replace your standing rigging!
Not really that expensive for a small simply rigged boat.
Contact Seco South in Florida for a quote. The best way to do this is to send them your existing rigging and they can duplicate it for you.
Your other options are to have a rigger do it for you or take your stuff to a local rigging shop. I think you will find Seco to be a much less expensive option.
Contact Seco South in Florida for a quote. The best way to do this is to send them your existing rigging and they can duplicate it for you.
Your other options are to have a rigger do it for you or take your stuff to a local rigging shop. I think you will find Seco to be a much less expensive option.
I just wanted to re-enforce what others have said. The rigging with meat hooks needs to be replaced. You may also want to replace the rest. don't bother with plastic sheaves on your new rigging either. It just hides problems as well as provides a place for water, dirt, and salt to collect and accelerate corrosion. Seriously if your cable is showing meat hooks it is in the process of failing. If you have a 20 foot boat you should be able to replace these easily yourself. Good luck.
The cable needs replacing soon. About $60 at the local WM. But, since you are a trailer sailor, like me, please note that most of those responding pay more in yearly hauling fees than your boat is worth. I'm not downing either of our boats, simply saying that replacing every stitch of standing rigging to the tune of thousands of dollars is unreasonable, nigh unto ludicrous.
Pull the most offending pair and head to WM or your favorite rigger and have them rebuilt for you. Probably less than $100. Since the boat is probably less than 100 feet from your door yard, this is easy. Then select the next two in the spring and spread the cost out. Now, if you DID have a 35 footer, I wouldn't even think of it. Something that big needs real pro and you'd probably have the income to pay for the job anyway.
If you do have to replace the backstay and you do step the mast every time you sail, may I suggest installing a "Johnson Lever"? You step the mast with all the rigging attached except for one stay. With the lever open, you attach the last stay then close the lever to tension the rig. About $35
Pull the most offending pair and head to WM or your favorite rigger and have them rebuilt for you. Probably less than $100. Since the boat is probably less than 100 feet from your door yard, this is easy. Then select the next two in the spring and spread the cost out. Now, if you DID have a 35 footer, I wouldn't even think of it. Something that big needs real pro and you'd probably have the income to pay for the job anyway.
If you do have to replace the backstay and you do step the mast every time you sail, may I suggest installing a "Johnson Lever"? You step the mast with all the rigging attached except for one stay. With the lever open, you attach the last stay then close the lever to tension the rig. About $35
Meathooks in a wire halyard are not uncommon. The individual strands in a halyard are much finer and some will develop hooks from time to time. A good way to get rid of them is to use the back edge of a knife blade and rub it quickly back and forth over the hook, quickly breaking the offending end of the offending strand.
Shrouds and stays with meathooks need replacing: they damage the sails that come in contact with them, as well as indicating weakening support for the mast. You do not want one of them to break under load and take the mast down with it. Halyards with meathooks are another matter. The quickest fix is to replace them with line. Modern line actually stretches less than the wire it is strong enough to replace. Some people fuss that the sheaves need to be replaced if you change from wire to line, but we've had no problem in the ten years since we swictched. With line, the halyard shackles can be tied on, too, so you don't even need a splice.
Meathooks in halyards does not mean they need replacing. Additionally, we are talking about a 20 footer here that probably has external halyards. Even if one breaks (unlikely from the meathooks) replacing it is not difficult. On the halyards, get rid of the meathooks as I described earlier and enjoy your boat.
Having identified that problem you will likely replace the offending cable well before a catastrophic failure occurs, don't worry about it. you probably will get the auto-replace notification shortly after the next strand breaks. You may find that the costs of stitching up a hand would have put a big dent in replacing them in first place. btw worse than a paper cut
Absolutely "Plus One" on this reply. Broken strands in your shrouds and/or halyards is a sign that you are overdue for new ones.
LB
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