Standing Rigging Replacement Tutorial

[oreana123]

I placed an order for new standing rigging parts yesterday. I will be fabricating 5 pieces of wire, forestay, uppers and lowers sidestays. If there is interest here, I will keep a photo record and post same. My boat, a 26d, is fractionally rigged, but the techniques will apply to masthead sailboats as well.

I will be using turnbuckles at the base of the upper sidestays which have toggles and will be nicopressed. I have a set of micro-adjusting turnbuckles I will install on the lowers, they will be machine swaged. The forestay will include a cam-over Johnson lever with turnbuckle below at the stem fitting.

I replaced my standing rigging about 8 years ago when I bought my boat. Basically the new rigging was a duplicate of the previous rig, and as I learned more about fractional rigging, I realized that the upper sidestay lengths were too long, as the funky stock adjuster was fully retracted and proper sidestay tension was not attainable. I'll get it right this time.

I miss sailing my boat. I have been crewing in races on a Corsair trimaran, but it is not as satisfying as controlling my own sailboat. My departure into Dyneema standing rigging did not pan out for me for various reasons, and so I am starting over with SS wire.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

Sooooooo, what are you doing with your old rigging? (wire)?

AFAIK mine is still original....

 

[Doc_holiday]

Sooooooo, what are you doing with your old rigging? (wire)?

AFAIK mine is still original....

I have original shrouds (both uppers and lowers with spreaders) and a rear stay if you need some cheap. The problem is I cut the adjusters half off to make chain plate extenders when I installed the clipper's mast and rigging on the Mac. I don't know the lengths but they are from my 1990 26S. I wish I didn't cut those but I needed them and didn't think much about saving them for someone else.

By the way, I also have if anyone is interested...
The slider catch that the pop top clips onto the mast. I can use it but i have a half of a deck cleat serving that purpose now.
The bracket that goes on the masthead (maybe this is what people call the chicken head?).
I have a mac boom and I think the part the boom connects to.
I have a tabernacle too but it's not mac but the mast was the same size.

 

[oreana123]

Sooooooo, what are you doing with your old rigging? (wire)?

AFAIK mine is still original....

Mr Bill I cut my sidestays off of the bracket tangs on the mast where they bolt on. If you are interested, the wires could be reswaged but the length will end up about 6 inches short of the original length. The stock adjusters will not accomodate this much shortening of length, unless you plan to have a great deal of rake.

 

[Cpt. Creekbed]

Mr Bill I cut my sidestays off of the bracket tangs on the mast where they bolt on. If you are interested, the wires could be reswaged but the length will end up about 6 inches short of the original length. The stock adjusters will not accomodate this much shortening of length, unless you plan to have a great deal of rake.

Hello, I need a complete Mast w/ spreaders, stays(shrouds) and all hardware. Mast was being stored in a barn and the barn burnt to the ground. If any one can help, please let me know. Thanks!

 

[MrBill_FLL]

Ok John, thanks anyway, that's not going to work for me...

and thanks for the offer doc, but if your wires are original, there about where mine are. (well over due for replacement).

 

[Hollyweirdos]

Hey Bill, west marine has the swaging tools ready to use free and all the parts needed for a clean DIY redo. My brother and I went one afternoon and replaced ours. The rigging people will check your swages for free too. We were there for hours without any issues. Just take your originals and a tape measure and go to town. I will help if you need. K

 

[oreana123]

If you duplicate your old wires, it will definitely be the simplest way to accomplish a standing rigging change. However, you may be duplicating what could be incorrect lengths. Also. you may wish to wade into forestay length, affecting rake. Too much rake and forestay length, may make it difficult to take up slack on the upper sidestays. You only have the travel of the vernier adjuster to accomodate the different forestay lengths. Also, wire rope will stretch when new.

I have just created my new forestay. As unscientific as it sounds, I made up a temporary forestay that "looks right"as far as rake is concerned and duplicated that length in my new forestay. There is no consensus as to what surface the mast is raked to on our boats, I am more concerned about rig tension, and swaging wires that allow the turnbuckles enough travel to tighten the rig.

Today, I'll get the uppers swaged. I have temporary lines attached to the spreader brackets, that allow me to set up the mast and take measurements.

 

[oreana123]

Just put up the mast. I have 3 wires up: forestay and upper sidestays. Forestay incorporates a Johnson lever. Sidestays have nice turnbuckles. Took the opportunity to replace spreader bars and all hardware. Looks good and is strong.

 

[Mic Jones]

I assume you are going to use an aircraft hammer machine crimp with go/nogo gauges. I miss those perks. I'd be cautious using the stretch test part.

PO kinked the forestay. I got a partly assembled one from BWY. The top eye, mast raising plate with both eye parts and lower extra length cable swaged onto the plate. The parts for the lower end were supplied.unswaged. I had bought a Johnson fitting to attach to the lower end. The hand swaging tool I bought from them worked fine.

The stretching loads on the forestay are at 90º.along the length of the cable as against control lines which are parallel to the length of cable loaded at each end.
BWY wanted me to send them the old cable for a pattern with allowance for streaching.


Have fun.

 

[Cruiser1]

I placed an order for new standing rigging parts yesterday. I will be fabricating 5 pieces of wire, forestay, uppers and lowers sidestays. If there is interest here, I will keep a photo record and post same. My boat, a 26d, is fractionally rigged, but the techniques will apply to masthead sailboats as well...........................

Yes Oreana, it would be great to have a tutorial thread on replacing the rigging. Mine really needs to be replaced but I am still very unsure about doing it until I have tried the boat out a few more times with the, as yet, unused 150 genoa. Think I will go the way of a Johnson lever on the forestay also but realise it takes some thinking through.

When I purchased my boat there where some old turnbuckles, in with a heap of other stuff, in a plastic bag. They are very bent up so I am not sure if the POs had problems with them or something.

 

[oreana123]

Wow Cruiser 1

I am almost done. 2 small wires to swage (lower sidestays). Did not think there was much interest......

The great part about nicopress swaging is that it is easy and the eye formed by this technique has 100% of the wire strength. I have to say that forming 1X19 wire around a thimble so that it lies in the thimble groove is a challenge. I used larger thimbles to increase the bend radius.

Also, my forstay length is 23 feet 8 inches LOA if anyone cares. (stem to hounds pin). This makes for a pretty upright looking mast, in relation to the overall hull shape. I also used adhesive lined heat shrink to cover the swaged areas, I used a double swage, one for strength and one butted up against it to cover the cut end of the wire. Since this boat is a fresh water only boat, and because the swages were done under my personal supervision, and because I have never seen a proper swage fail, I don't feel bad about the anti-chafe covering. I can always remove it.

I have almost maximum turnbuckle travel at the stays and at the stem fitting. I can tell that overall rig tension will be attainable to the degree I wish with the adjustment left.

 

[Cruiser1]

Also, my forstay length is 23 feet 8 inches LOA if anyone cares. (stem to hounds pin).............
................I also used adhesive lined heat shrink to cover the swaged areas, I used a double swage, one for strength and one butted up against it to cover the cut end of the wire..................

Looks like I put my bid in a bit late Oreana .

When you say your forestay length was measured from hound pin to stem I assume by stem you are referring to one of the 2 holes in the forestay tang at the bow as in the 1st photo below?

Do you have a preference for heat shrinking the swages instead of using the factory system of the covering tubes as in the 2nd photo below?

 

[oreana123]

Yes that tang of metal sticking up through the foredeck is the stem fitting. It is anchored to the hull with one bolt which can be seen on the right side of the bow below the rub rail. It is not accessible unless you cut away the liner, usually in the vee berth area.

The plastic used as rollers on the sidestays helps to reduce chafe on the headsails and jib sheets. They are a good thing I have been placing heat shrink over my nicopresses to make them smoother.

The upper headstay fitting is formed with two pieces of metal that come together on the face of the mast and are connected with a single bolt. This is the point of connection of the upper end of the headstay.

 

[Cpt. Creekbed]

I placed an order for new standing rigging parts yesterday. I will be fabricating 5 pieces of wire, forestay, uppers and lowers sidestays. If there is interest here, I will keep a photo record and post same. My boat, a 26d, is fractionally rigged, but the techniques will apply to masthead sailboats as well.

I will be using turnbuckles at the base of the upper sidestays which have toggles and will be nicopressed. I have a set of micro-adjusting turnbuckles I will install on the lowers, they will be machine swaged. The forestay will include a cam-over Johnson lever with turnbuckle below at the stem fitting.

I replaced my standing rigging about 8 years ago when I bought my boat. Basically the new rigging was a duplicate of the previous rig, and as I learned more about fractional rigging, I realized that the upper sidestay lengths were too long, as the funky stock adjuster was fully retracted and proper sidestay tension was not attainable. I'll get it right this time.

I miss sailing my boat. I have been crewing in races on a Corsair trimaran, but it is not as satisfying as controlling my own sailboat. My departure into Dyneema standing rigging did not pan out for me for various reasons, and so I am starting over with SS wire.

Hello Oreana,

A tutorial would be AWESOME!

I am now in possession of a 1988 MacGregor 26D. Unfortunately the mast (28') was lost in a barn fire (po had no Ins.). So, I am in need of a mast, all the hardware for the mast and all rigging. In addition I need the schematics, diagram, measurements or photos of where to place said hardware on the mast. Seems to me that the through bolted mast bails used on the X & M would work for the 26D instead of doing all the riveting and inside the mast bolting, what are your thoughts? I have contacted BWY but they’re not going to help unless I purchase a new mast from them ($$$$). I am also having trouble finding info on the backstay. Is the second hole in the stern chainplate just for adjustment or is there something else that attaches there? I am seeing 3-1 blocks being sold that attach to the backstay then to the stern chainplate. Why would one do this? Do you need that much adjustment on a MacGregor? It seems that the slight bend in the mast above the forestay is always the case. I am beginning to wonder if this is by design, jk, or an inherent problem with a fractionally rigged mast? Any reason one could not add an additional forestay to the masthead? My thought being, one could still use stock jib and genoa on the fractional forestay and give added support to the masthead with the masthead forestay. Thank you again for this post! I look forward to your tutorial. Any and all replies, info or feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[oreana123]

Hello Oreana,

A tutorial would be AWESOME!

I am now in possession of a 1988 MacGregor 26D. Unfortunately the mast (28') was lost in a barn fire (po had no Ins.). So, I am in need of a mast, all the hardware for the mast and all rigging. In addition I need the schematics, diagram, measurements or photos of where to place said hardware on the mast. Seems to me that the through bolted mast bails used on the X & M would work for the 26D instead of doing all the riveting and inside the mast bolting, what are your thoughts? I have contacted BWY but they’re not going to help unless I purchase a new mast from them ($$$$). I am also having trouble finding info on the backstay. Is the second hole in the stern chainplate just for adjustment or is there something else that attaches there? I am seeing 3-1 blocks being sold that attach to the backstay then to the stern chainplate. Why would one do this? Do you need that much adjustment on a MacGregor? It seems that the slight bend in the mast above the forestay is always the case. I am beginning to wonder if this is by design, jk, or an inherent problem with a fractionally rigged mast? Any reason one could not add an additional forestay to the masthead? My thought being, one could still use stock jib and genoa on the fractional forestay and give added support to the masthead with the masthead forestay. Thank you again for this post! I look forward to your tutorial. Any and all replies, info or feedback is greatly appreciated.

The aft hole on the stem fitting is to connect the tack of the sail. The forward bottom grommet on your headsail attaches to this point.

The reason the backstay is mentioned with a 3-1 block and tackle, is because some boats are rigged with an adjustable (tension-wise) backstay. I have one. The backstay on the fractional rig that Roger M. designed for our boat, does not support the mast. As I look outside at my own 26D, I have the mast standing up with no backstay and no lower sidestays at this time.

I think you would be best served by restoring your standing rigging to a stock boat. I have myself installed a masthead forestay for different reasons than you are considering, but I have always retained my original forestay (stem fitting to hounds).

For my own new rig, I cut my wires to fit around a selected forestay length. I arrived at this length of forestay purely by what looks right. Perhaps I should explain my reasoning. While many have an opinion of what constitutes rake of the mast and its effect on weather and lee helm, there is no simple surface to set the mast angle to: waterline? boot stripe? some deck surface? And the position of the mast is determined by forestay length, the first wire I cut and fabricate.

I decided to install turnbuckles on all of my standing rigging wires. Because of the extra turnbuckle length over the stock adjusters, my custom rigging will not fit another Mac that does not use similar turnbuckles.

I am finished with my standing rigging. I did not take any pictures. I would be glad to help you with my experiences as you create a new rig for your boat. I would even consider measuring my rig and explaining where I purchased my parts from. You really should try to find a stock rig and mast for your boat. I can offer you a set of well-used spreader bars, if you pay postage. Good luck John S

 

[Doc_holiday]

I think the question was about the aft chain plate and as to why it has two holes. I would reckon that they just use the same plates as they did on the sides to reduce exclusive parts. FWIW, my rear stay is on the upper hole but mine is "Frankenrigged" anyway.

 

[Cruiser1]

..............While many have an opinion of what constitutes rake of the mast and its effect on weather and lee helm, there is no simple surface to set the mast angle to: waterline? boot stripe? some deck surface? And the position of the mast is determined by forestay length, the first wire I cut and fabricate.............

I am not at all expert in this topic but I have always understood/assumed that mast rake is relative to the waterline. When the boat is sitting in the water a plumbline should hang 0-4" back from the mast depending on all sorts of personal and technical preference - and debate . Using the waterline overcomes all sorts of variation due to boat loading and modification. Mind you this would not be the first incorrect assumption I have made .

Thanks for the feedback on forestay measurment Oreana.

 

[oreana123]

Hey Cruiser 1

All the way from Australia, great!

I know it is getting picky, but the waterline may not be on the bootstripe, and the waterline may change by the way the boat is loaded.

I had to put the mast somewhere, so I used an adjustable line to set the mast rake, and walked off to the side to view the boat from the side. There is the effect of raking the mast that causes the boom to slope down aft, by the way.

I am happy with my mast position. The length I chose is pretty close to the lengths I've seen posted. With my new turnbuckles, I can really tighten the rig. I have a Loos gauge, but again, rig tension figures are varied.

 

[Cruiser1]

.... All the way from Australia, great!..... .

Yes but with many good memories of Boise with those summer twillight nights and warm pavements at 9pm at night - nice place Oreana!

.........I know it is getting picky, but the waterline may not be on the bootstripe, and the waterline may change by the way the boat is loaded.....

Yes, I guess I was referring more to the actual surface of the water which is always level - if you start to begin to think it is not then best to turn around quickly as you are about to go over the edge of a waterfall :naughty:.

It seems to me you have taken lots of care and measurments and I am sure you have ended up with a result that will work pretty good - can't beat the secure feeling of new rigging.