Time for new rigging.

[Ed Schenck]

It is time for the next most expensive upgrade after the 3YM30. I am so fortunate to now have Ladylove being cared for by Ed A. and wife Lea. So while it is in his slip on Davis Island we are going to replace the standing rigging and replace the furler.

I am waiting for an estimate. The estimate will be for all 9/32” wire, replacing the ¼” shrouds. I will stay with swaged terminals since they worked so well for 30+ years. I am going to have insulators put on the new backstay for the ICOM 706 that is mounted. I was using a halyard raised temp antenna(inverted ‘V’). Removing the Streamstay furler means adding a new forestay since the Hyde is a solid rod.

Ed says that Hood is local and will probably be the best priced furler. He had the 808 on his ’84 H37C. I see on the Hood site that they are not making that one any longer. The 808 is still available but I see that Defender( http://www.defender.com/furlers.html ) does not stock them. Looks like the H235 for boats to 34’ would be right since the yankee is not a big sail.

I am going to wait on chainplate work until I can help Ed do the work. This will require more time than I have right now. See any flaws in this plan?

 

[sandpiper10471]

I once had a Hood linedrive which I loved but would not want to take offshore. I have had two HArken units which are pretty good but my favourite by far, especially for offshore, was the Profurl which handled the big 130% genny on my MAc 65. NEVER caused a moment's grief and zero maintenance. Refitting a boat I would go Profurl every time. The Harken has a more streamlined foil but that makes the initial wraps more difficult, especially in a wind.
I cannot comment on the Hyde or newer Hood as I have no experience with them. Of course your local rigger's opinion is all important if he is doing the work.

 

[Steve Dion]

Ed: Check with Seco South. They have most of the specs for the Hunters. You can probably do the job for a lot less with them as your source for materials.

I would also check out the Spin-tec furlers.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll pass these on to Ed A. He knows everyone in the Tampa/St. Pete area and I trust his judgement. He's cheaper then I am and does more research before spending money, even my money. But that was the reason for the post, to get everything out on the table. I like the Spin-Tec, you have recommended that before Steve. And I have read good things about the Profurl, especially the simplicity and low weight aloft.

 

[sandpiper10471]

Just another thought - since my middle name is Frugal: Buy new uppers and forestay. Use the old uppers to make new lowers. Shrouds almost always degrade at the swages so most of the material is still good. Use the old forestay for a new baby stay (cutter or inner stay). That way you are re-using, recycling, taking less out of the ground and minimizing carbon footprint. Unless of course you decide to go all PBO!. And the isolated backstay for the SSB is the best idea yet!

 

[Blaise]

I changed to 9/32 rod and have been very happy.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Blaise, why rod? And how does it compare in cost? I assume you mean for all shrouds and stays.

I was not going to replace the mid-stay because I have this idea of using the old Hyde furler for the staysail. It is a rod furler and replaces the wire. While I do like the idea of using some of the old uppers it would mean staying with 1/4". I am wanting to have 9/32" all around.

You guys are sure giving the two Eds a lot to think about.

 

[Blaise]

Ed,
Rod is about twice as strong as wire for the same diameter. I have rod on my uppers only. My loweres are still 1/4 wire. My backstay and headstay are 9/32 wire. I changed to rod after I looked up one day while flying my 1400 square foot chute and saw the mast falling off two feet. As you know, I am a huge proponet of sailing the boat as a sloop. You will not believe the difference in performance. I also added intermediates from the spreader tips to the old attachment location for the baby stay.

 

[SamLust]

There's no particular reason to use rod rigging on a cruising boat unless you just like to spend money. 1/4" wire, if that's what was used as original is fine. Easiest reasonable way to get greater strength at moderate cost is Dyform. They form the strands so there is more steel per dimension. More costly than standard but nowhere near the cost of rod.

Mechanical fittinmgs have become the preferred means on cruising boats. when you're done only a bit more than swage. The accepted compromise is to use mechanical at the bottom and swage at the top. Sages at the bottom can hold water, promoting corrosion. If the opening faces down, as it wold at the top it won't hold water. The mechanical at the bottom is final assembled with sealer inside which excludes water.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Sound advice Sam and I have considered mechanicals. In fact if I could be down there working with Ed I would opt for buying the wire and, using Hi-Mods probably, do it myslf. But that can't happen plus the originals still look good. We can ask the estimator to give us both numbers. Is salt water so much harsher that I need to worry about it lying inside a swaged terminal?

Ed's finding other things to spend my money on. Just ordered for delivery to his house a new A/C waterpump kit and three new deck fills, two water and one waste.

 

[SamLust]

I replaced the standing rigging on my 33 back in 1998. All I see is slight discoloration on the wire itself and it did that from new. The down facing swages look fine from the outside. The catch here is that my boat is docked in brackish water and has been it's whole life, certainly since the rigging was done. You will be amazed at how tough salt water is on just about everything compared to fresh water. As I understand it when you add a bit of sub-tropical heat it gets worse.

My 33 is on it's trailer with it's mast down in my yard in Forked River. This for me will be the summer of the trailer sailor so I will have plenty of opportunity to inspect or replace the rigging.