Rigging question

Wanderer138 · Mar 18, 2012

I think that will depend on how hard you plan to work the rig for the trip home and what kind of weather you expect along the way.

Ross · Mar 18, 2012

The standing rigging on my boat is thirteen years now and I am not even considering replacing it.

kappykaplan · Mar 18, 2012

See what your insurance company says. Mine refused to insure the standing rigging (solid rod, in good shape) until I unstepped the mast and had a proper inspection.

AtlanticAl · Mar 18, 2012

Dont fix what aint broke

Benny17441 · Mar 18, 2012

I would be dissapointed if your riggin guy advised otherwise. Not good for business. I would not save the current ones for spares. Storage space is precious. If I felt I needed a spare I would carry a couple of new wires. No sense in going through the trouble of installing an old one which was taken off as untrustworthy to start with. Standing riggin 10 yrs old desrves a thorough inspection and if clean every two years after that. Don't know your type of sailing but unless you are going racing or taking an offshore trip I would trust a good a good inspection and be gentle on the boat.

Philip_Oceanis 361 · Mar 19, 2012

AtlanticAl said:
Dont fix what aint broke

I think this does not really apply here. If it breaks it could bring down the mast! I would suggest a careful examination though. 10 years old is not really much if there were treated gently.

Bill Roosa · Mar 19, 2012

You do understand that the rigger does this for his living right?
I suspect you also can get an opinion that you need a new car and not a used one if you go talk to a car salesperson.
I'm thinking that as a minimum you should get a second opinion

sailcrazy · Mar 19, 2012

Bonzai said:
Hey guys, am having work done in preparation to move my newly aquired old boat closer to home. Rigging guy says standing rigging looks good, no broken strands anywhere...but..since it is 10 yrs old, even tho boat was unused for almost 8 of those yrs, the recommendation from him is to replace it. Just wondered what you guys thought.

We have been in the Asian tropics (Philippines, Thailand, etc), ie, hot, humid, saltwater exposure, for nearly 15 years. Our boat has been here it's whole life, now 23 years. We replaced our original rigging this year, also believing ..."it's about time". Well, there were no broken wires, no cracks, no corrosion....even the turnbuckles were good enough to reuse. Riggers need business...I'd give your rig a real good close-up look, and then YOU decide. Not some rigger who's out to make a fasr buck. And....while you're checking your rig, don't forget to check the chainplates(above and below the deck), and that the proper size pins for your wire size(and the holes in your chainplates) have been used.
John Crossen, s/y Rozinante, currently Phuket, Thailand

Keith13315 · Mar 19, 2012

We are in fresh water Lake Michigan our season is 5 months long. My rigging looks like new the boat is an 84. But I inspect every year.

Stargazer3 · Mar 19, 2012

I firmly believe you should thoroughly inspect your rigging at least every 5 years. That means if you're in the habit of leaving your mast up for the winter (or for continuous use) take the mast down once evry 5 years and go over the mast and rigging with a fine-tooth comb. Do this sooner if there are obvious signs of wear and corrosion. If you don't feel competent to do this inspection - by all means have a professional do it - but be aware that if he earns his pay doing rigging work - he'll be biased towards replacement. Capt Bill on STARGAZER

Superbob · Mar 19, 2012

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure....which is why I replaced the standing rigging on my '99 C-250 last year. The boat, while moored primarily in fresh water has had a fair amount of salt water exposure.

If you've ever been close to a boat that's losing its mast due to snapped rigging or seen the aftermath, you may think twice on whether or not replace the standing rigging on your boat. Replacement is a small price to pay as compared to the expense of replacing a bent mast. Besides, peace of mind is a wonderful thing.

Benny17441 · Mar 19, 2012

Peace of mind has a value but be realistic about what you may be getting. You are acting on the probability that a mishap could happen because the riggin is 10 years old and suspected of having been weakened by lightning. There is also a probability that a new riggin could fail because of flaws in untested materials or installation faults. In reality it is not valid to asume that every riggin failure will lead to a dismasting as most don't. Insurance coverage does offer some peace of mind. The riggin is not considered a maintenance item and thus a failure is usually covered under accident coverage. The insurance company has a real incentive to deny coverage to a boat with questionable riggin as surveyed by one of their approved surveyors. We had a dismast due to a structural failure on our 1985 Starwind 223 and the insurance company covered the cost of a new mast and riggin. This is just food for thought and in conclusion new riggin after a break-in period plus Insurance does bring peace of mind.

LloydB · Mar 19, 2012

Go for it because when she asks 'is it safe?' when it starts to heel, you will be certain that it is. BTW she won't be asking for your opinion

ancientmariner · Mar 19, 2012

My '79 O'Day 28 had the rigging replaced once, in the late '80s before I bought her. When I had a jib furler installed three years ago, I asked the rigger if I should replace the rigging (assuming he would jump on it). He said it looked fine, don't worry about it, but he would replace the forestay for $55 as he was working on it anyway. Perhaps I should have got that in writing, but my insurance company is unconcerned and the boat is over-insured.

If I should get into rig-threatening conditions, I will have more to fear from my wife than from Neptune breaking my mast.

BarryL · Mar 19, 2012

IMHO

Hey,

IMHO your rigging is probably fine. It's your $ so you can make any decision you like. Now, just because you change the rigging doesn't mean you won't have any problems and / or suffer a dismasting. From what I have heard, it seems that about half the time the rigging is fine but a chainplate or something else fails.

For my boat, the mast comes down in the winter and I carefully inspect the wires, turnbuckles, and fittings in the spring.

Barry

Ross · Mar 19, 2012

Re: IMHO

Working on the premice that nothing too strong ever broke, I up sized all of my standing rigging to 1/4 inch Loos 316 1-19 wire with sta-loc fittings. MY chain plates are 316L ss external, checking is very easy.