Vega 3179

[papasbackhoeinc]

Hello All,

Has anyone used Sta Lok or Norseman cable fittings? I have used them on aircraft in battle damage aircraft in the past. I don't know why they wouldn't work on sailboats. We are currently doing a complete rebuild of 3179 and I'm thinking of rerigging using these fittings. How about changing out the large window ports for opening ports for ventilation. Looks like it would be easy to do. Pro's and Con's? The tropics is where we are headed first. Looking forward to your ideas.

Thank You Andi

 

[capt_sail]

Hi Andi,

I can answer the first part of your question... both Sta-Lok and Norseman terminals are commonly used on sailboat rigging. They're probably the best terminals for Do-It-Yourself rigging as they're both reliable and easy to work with (although they aren't cheap...). They can also be reused as long as you replace the inner cones.

On the trimaran I used to own, I had all my shrouds & stays made up with a swage on the upper end and I used Norseman fittings on the lower end. (I didn't mind the swages on the upper ends as they don't collect salt water and have the corrosion issues like lower swages can do at the top of the fitting). I also carried a single spare wire with a swage on one end that was long enough to replace anything on board, and spare fittings so I could make up the other end to whatever length I needed.

Funny, I never knew Norseman terminals were used on planes!

Regards,
Bill
#1390

 

[papasbackhoeinc]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for giving me your view on the fittings. I used them in the military to put aircraft cables back together. If the airplane had to be launched to fight again thats what we used. Quick and very reliable. Your idea about the swaged fittings on the uppers makes sense to me and also I like the idea of having spares. Thank You Andi

Bill Burke CaptSail@... wrote:
Hi Andi,

I can answer the first part of your question... both Sta-Lok and Norseman terminals are commonly used on sailboat rigging. They're probably the best terminals for Do-It-Yourself rigging as they're both reliable and easy to work with (although they aren't cheap...). They can also be reused as long as you replace the inner cones.

On the trimaran I used to own, I had all my shrouds & stays made up with a swage on the upper end and I used Norseman fittings on the lower end. (I didn't mind the swages on the upper ends as they don't collect salt water and have the corrosion issues like lower swages can do at the top of the fitting). I also carried a single spare wire with a swage on one end that was long enough to replace anything on board, and spare fittings so I could make up the other end to whatever length I needed.

Funny, I never knew Norseman terminals were used on planes!

Regards,
Bill
#1390

 

[papasbackhoeinc]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for giving me your view on the fittings. I used them in the military to put aircraft cables back together. If the airplane had to be launched to fight again thats what we used. Quick and very reliable. Your idea about the swaged fittings on the uppers makes sense to me and also I like the idea of having spares. Thank You Andi

Bill Burke CaptSail@... wrote:
Hi Andi,

I can answer the first part of your question... both Sta-Lok and Norseman terminals are commonly used on sailboat rigging. They're probably the best terminals for Do-It-Yourself rigging as they're both reliable and easy to work with (although they aren't cheap...). They can also be reused as long as you replace the inner cones.

On the trimaran I used to own, I had all my shrouds & stays made up with a swage on the upper end and I used Norseman fittings on the lower end. (I didn't mind the swages on the upper ends as they don't collect salt water and have the corrosion issues like lower swages can do at the top of the fitting). I also carried a single spare wire with a swage on one end that was long enough to replace anything on board, and spare fittings so I could make up the other end to whatever length I needed.

Funny, I never knew Norseman terminals were used on planes!

Regards,
Bill
#1390

 

[pelagicasd]

Hi Andi, We used Sta-loks on Lyric. Easy enough to do. Fill the fitting with silicone prior to assemblu to minimize standing water in it. Buy extra cones and use a piece of scrap wire to make one up. Then try and get it apart. It isn't easy. We found the best way for us was to cut the wire flush with the fitting with a hacksaw. Heat the fitting and use a punch to drive out the old wire and forming cone.
We also carried a section of wire longer than our longest stay for repairs. Sta-lok als make a double ended fitting to repair a broken stay. It's tempting to go up a wire size but not neccesary. I can't recall the exact fromula but when I knew it the 3/16" (which is what was on the boat) wqs already a size up.
We put opening ports forward. Kind of hard to get them looking quite right. If you put a level on the top of them they are true but looking at them from the dock they look a bit off. You could put opening ports in the cabin. We reduced the size of our main ports by scarfing in some fiber glass that I laid up to divide the opening into two openings. We used 1/4" Lexan to make new ports. Alot of work but not very hard. They're held in place by flanges also made out of fiberglass and they don't leak. Don't try through bolting Lexan to the cabin sides as the lexan and fiberglass expand at different rates. For those of us who don't know, our boats are bigger on a warm day than they are on a cold day. the fiberglass expands and contracts.
Walt, Lyric S/V 120 To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.comFrom: papasbackhoeinc@...: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 04:55:39 -0800Subject: [AlbinVega] Vega 3179

Hello All,Has anyone used Sta Lok or Norseman cable fittings? I have used them on aircraft in battle damage aircraft in the past. I don't know why they wouldn't work on sailboats. We are currently doing a complete rebuild of 3179 and I'm thinking of rerigging using these fittings. How about changing out the large window ports for opening ports for ventilation. Looks like it would be easy to do. Pro's and Con's? The tropics is where we are headed first. Looking forward to your ideas. Thank You Andi