I’m replacing my backstay and an upper shroud due to broken wires. I went with swageless fittings so I could do it myself. In my research I determined that I liked Hi-mod the best, followed by Sta-lok, then Norseman, then Suncor’s Quick Connect. Price seems to follow that line as well.
My reasoning for liking Hi-mod the best is that they are 100% re-usable, whereas Sta-lok, Norsemen, and Suncor are reusable only if the cone is replaced (a minor expense but required if the fitting is opened). I place the popular Norseman below (the even more popular) Sta-lok because I saw some test results that indicated that Norseman fittings failed under less than wire BL.
Suncor Quick Attach fittings seem historically to be used for lifelines, but in the last decade they have been marketed as suitable for standing rigging also. Test results on their website indicate the wire will fail before the fitting is even deformed, and they are supposedly approved by Lloyds. They are also less expensive than the other bands. Quick Attach fittings use a barbed cone that requires no un-laying of the wire, making them very easy to attach (hence Quick Attach, I suppose).
The main concern I’ve found voiced about the Suncor Quick Attach fittings is they have no track record when it comes to standing rigging. Because the wire in a Quick Attach fitting does not ‘wrap around’ the cone, the cone’s barbs are responsible for gripping the wire. This has led some to conjecture that over time, with stress and corrosion the barbs would lose their grip. Test results for newly made Quick Attach fittings are good, but there seems to be no long term tests (10+ years) from which to base a conclusion.
This causes me some concern because if Suncor wanted to make a name for themselves in the standing rigging market and they had favorable long term results to report I think I would have found them. So they either have a good damage control department or a bad PR department.
As it turns out I learned much of the above after I already purchased some Quick Attach fittings at what I thought was a good (for the genera) price, then later found a site (riggingonly.com) that sold Hi-mod fittings at an only slightly higher price <sigh>. Had I shopped longer I could have gotten the Suncor fittings for even less.
The working loads on my boat are comparatively small so I’m not too worried about the suitability of the fittings in the near term. My standing rigging is 1/8 inch, WWL is 360lbs. I don’t get any saltwater spray even though my lake is considered brackish (the salt content is around 4ppt or less, sea water is at least 30ppt). The fittings and wire are 316 stainless, and I’m confident about the initial quality of the fittings and the wire to fitting bond.
So depending on how much longer I keep this boat I’ll soon begin the long-term durability test of the Suncor Quick Attach fittings.
My reasoning for liking Hi-mod the best is that they are 100% re-usable, whereas Sta-lok, Norsemen, and Suncor are reusable only if the cone is replaced (a minor expense but required if the fitting is opened). I place the popular Norseman below (the even more popular) Sta-lok because I saw some test results that indicated that Norseman fittings failed under less than wire BL.
Suncor Quick Attach fittings seem historically to be used for lifelines, but in the last decade they have been marketed as suitable for standing rigging also. Test results on their website indicate the wire will fail before the fitting is even deformed, and they are supposedly approved by Lloyds. They are also less expensive than the other bands. Quick Attach fittings use a barbed cone that requires no un-laying of the wire, making them very easy to attach (hence Quick Attach, I suppose).
The main concern I’ve found voiced about the Suncor Quick Attach fittings is they have no track record when it comes to standing rigging. Because the wire in a Quick Attach fitting does not ‘wrap around’ the cone, the cone’s barbs are responsible for gripping the wire. This has led some to conjecture that over time, with stress and corrosion the barbs would lose their grip. Test results for newly made Quick Attach fittings are good, but there seems to be no long term tests (10+ years) from which to base a conclusion.
This causes me some concern because if Suncor wanted to make a name for themselves in the standing rigging market and they had favorable long term results to report I think I would have found them. So they either have a good damage control department or a bad PR department.
As it turns out I learned much of the above after I already purchased some Quick Attach fittings at what I thought was a good (for the genera) price, then later found a site (riggingonly.com) that sold Hi-mod fittings at an only slightly higher price <sigh>. Had I shopped longer I could have gotten the Suncor fittings for even less.
The working loads on my boat are comparatively small so I’m not too worried about the suitability of the fittings in the near term. My standing rigging is 1/8 inch, WWL is 360lbs. I don’t get any saltwater spray even though my lake is considered brackish (the salt content is around 4ppt or less, sea water is at least 30ppt). The fittings and wire are 316 stainless, and I’m confident about the initial quality of the fittings and the wire to fitting bond.
So depending on how much longer I keep this boat I’ll soon begin the long-term durability test of the Suncor Quick Attach fittings.