Mariner Standing Rigging

[Chuck Hurt]

I recently bought a 1978 Mariner 2+2 and need to replace the standing rigging, which shows signs of rusting near some swage fittings. Can anyone give any advice about the size of the standing rigging wires? Also, has anyone replaced standing rigging by doing so himself with mechanical fittings? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

Rigging Questions

Chuck -Firstly, I don't know the dimmensions for your rigging, but all you have to do is dupicate what you have, so it shouldn't be too difficult. When I had my rigging replaced on each of my boats I sent the old rigging to a rigger and had them dupe it.Secondly, if you mean Norseman or Sta-Lock rigging parts, they are excellent, strong, reusable, and incredibly expensive. If your purpose is to avoid paying the cost of a rigger, you will more than exceed that cost with the cost of the fittings alone. That said, Norseman fittings are the best going. When I rig my next boat for extended cruising, I will rig it with Norseman fittings exclusively, and carry spares as well as a spool of appropriate wire. I will then be able to do my own rig repairs without being dependant on the whims of local riggers in unknown ports.If you are considering the fittings that are swaged on by a tool that is essentially a vise you turn with a wrench, I wouldn't do it. On the Mariner they may be strong enough, but they are not as strong as hydro-press swaged fittings and I would not want to press my luck.My advice would be to take your existing rigging to your local rigger, or in the absence of your a local rigger to mail it to West Marine rigging, and ask that it be duplicated. The cost of the labor strikes me as cheap insurance.Justin - O'day Owners' Web

 

[win]

replacing standing rigging

If you can see rust in the swaged fittings, it's time to seriously consider replacing them. Unless you have access to swaging machine (hydraulic) generally, you cannot do them yourself. When we got our '66 Mariner, it was a fixer-upper and I wanted to do as much of the restoration by myself as I could. I bought the centerboard, sails, rubrail from Stuart Marine. I replaced the standing rigging with wire rope and Norseman fittings from M&E Marine (out of business now). Using Norseman fittings is relatively simple. It just takes little time to get it done correctly. The fittings are reusable, but the cones should be replaced should you replace the wire rope. It's a good idea to acquire spare cones for the 'just in case.' What I used were Norseman stud terminals for 1/8" dia. 1x19 stainless wire rope for the forestay and shrouds (upper and lower), going into a standard 1/4-28 turnbuckle at deck level. Up the mast, I used Norseman fork terminals for the 1/8" wire. For the backstay, I used 1/16" wire rope and since Norseman doesn't make fittings for that size wire rope, I used Nicopress sleeves top and bottom. I haven't had any failures to date but I check the fittings periodically. At this time, I don't know who sells Norseman fittings for 1/8" wire rope.If you want to go the least expensive route, use the Nicropress sleeves. If you're worried about holding power, double the number of sleeves per connection. The Nicropress rigging kit used to cost ~$50.00 and it's a one time expense. The 1/8" sleeves used to run about 40 cents a piece and each is a one time use item. MacGregor and Hobie use them on their daysailors. I can't speak for the other boat manufacturers. Hope this gives you what you need. aloha, win