I've read that standing rigging should be replaced anywhere from 10 all the way up to 20 years and also simply based on condition. My boat has been in fresh water all its life. To the best of my knowledge it hasn't had a trailer until last year so the mast was up through the winter. Most recent receipt was for lower stays 10 years ago. Overall condition is good with some kinks here and there. No signs of corrosion or stray strands anywhere. Would you replace this?
When should standing rigging be replaced?
- Thread starter Project_Mayhem
- Start date
If you have (reasonable) evidence that the PO replaced only the worst sections, it's safe to assume that the rest of the rig is getting ancient and failure prone.
20 years is what we go by for fresh water usage, for a max time.... and matter of fact we are now replacing our 2004 complete rig.
Be sure to replace the turn buckles also -- not much more $, and it's great to be sure of the integrity of the entire rig.
20 years is what we go by for fresh water usage, for a max time.... and matter of fact we are now replacing our 2004 complete rig.
Be sure to replace the turn buckles also -- not much more $, and it's great to be sure of the integrity of the entire rig.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,208
Standing rigging replacement.
Just got home from my first sail with my 7 year grandson on my 47 year old boat. One of his first observations “Granddad that’s a pretty big pole. Is it going to fall down, cause that would hurt.”
When and why do you change standing rigging. Easy answer “before it can fall down.”
There is sailors knowledge based on observations and experiences that have formed the rules of thumb. 6-10 years for salt water exposed rigging and 15-25 years for fresh water rigging. Rough guides that depend on location of the boats sailing experience, how the boat has been used, and how the boat will be used.
On a new to me boat I want to know the condition by inspection of the rigging and all the connections to the mast and hull. If I’m a day sailor with close proximity to repairs and my mast is easily fixed/taken down that is different than if I am planning an extended cruise isolated from repair resources and skilled help.
Racing and heavy weather sailing tests the strength of the rigging. Replacement of the rigging components is more frequent and based on inspection. Kinks in wire is like chafe on a line. It requires more careful consideration of condition, usage, and inspection for signs of failure.
Proper size and material components for the rig are further consideration. When I refitted my mast and rigging I had the help of a seasoned rigger. He advised that with the size of my mast, the manufacturer was known to have undersized the rigging. Based on my sailing plans he suggested we increase the wire and components one size. I base my decisions on my planned usage and condition of rig more than on a number of years.
The reactive answer to your question is a probable Yes it is time.
The resulting knowledge of “The Rigging” was new in 2021, is peace of mind and will serve a little should you decide to sell at a future date. Also there is a sense of confidence when that thunderstorm approachs that the rigging is new and solid. It should be one less worry about will we weather the storm.
Now those 20 year old sails might be the next issue.
Good luck.
Just got home from my first sail with my 7 year grandson on my 47 year old boat. One of his first observations “Granddad that’s a pretty big pole. Is it going to fall down, cause that would hurt.”
When and why do you change standing rigging. Easy answer “before it can fall down.”
There is sailors knowledge based on observations and experiences that have formed the rules of thumb. 6-10 years for salt water exposed rigging and 15-25 years for fresh water rigging. Rough guides that depend on location of the boats sailing experience, how the boat has been used, and how the boat will be used.
On a new to me boat I want to know the condition by inspection of the rigging and all the connections to the mast and hull. If I’m a day sailor with close proximity to repairs and my mast is easily fixed/taken down that is different than if I am planning an extended cruise isolated from repair resources and skilled help.
Racing and heavy weather sailing tests the strength of the rigging. Replacement of the rigging components is more frequent and based on inspection. Kinks in wire is like chafe on a line. It requires more careful consideration of condition, usage, and inspection for signs of failure.
Proper size and material components for the rig are further consideration. When I refitted my mast and rigging I had the help of a seasoned rigger. He advised that with the size of my mast, the manufacturer was known to have undersized the rigging. Based on my sailing plans he suggested we increase the wire and components one size. I base my decisions on my planned usage and condition of rig more than on a number of years.
The reactive answer to your question is a probable Yes it is time.
The resulting knowledge of “The Rigging” was new in 2021, is peace of mind and will serve a little should you decide to sell at a future date. Also there is a sense of confidence when that thunderstorm approachs that the rigging is new and solid. It should be one less worry about will we weather the storm.
Now those 20 year old sails might be the next issue.
Good luck.
This is your answer. Rigging should not have kinks. Kinks will weaken the wire strands, one strand breaks, and the big pole falls down.
The second season l had Second Star, just as we were about to pick up the mast and step it, a yard hand walked the rigging and found a single broken strand in the cap shroud.
The mast didn't go up. The shroud came off and I drove the 150 miles to the nearest rigger only to find he didn't have the terminal. It was July 2nd. Because of the holiday it took about 5 days to get the shroud. if you want to soften the financial blow. Replace the wires with kinks first and each year for the next couple of years replace another set. Always replace the shrouds in pairs.
And, yet the only time I was actually sailing on a boat when a stay failed (No collision), it was the lower as we punched into a wave. It may be rare. But not impossible. Predictability it was the lower swage/wire area that parted.
On our old boat we had the Port Aft lower shroud fail while sailing. The mast stayed up, but it sounded like a gun shot and was scary as hell.
On our new boat the PO could not remember when or provide receipts to how old the standing rigging was. When applying for insurance they either wanted proof that the rigging was under 10 years old or to have a rigger inspect it and report its condition. I ended up just replacing all of the standing rigging through rigginonly.com in Fairhaven Ma. They were awesome to deal with and the price was very reasonable. To be honest I feel much more comfortable knowing the age and condition of the rigging especially when the wind picks up. And realistically all of the rigging on a 25' boat should not be expensive at all.
On our new boat the PO could not remember when or provide receipts to how old the standing rigging was. When applying for insurance they either wanted proof that the rigging was under 10 years old or to have a rigger inspect it and report its condition. I ended up just replacing all of the standing rigging through rigginonly.com in Fairhaven Ma. They were awesome to deal with and the price was very reasonable. To be honest I feel much more comfortable knowing the age and condition of the rigging especially when the wind picks up. And realistically all of the rigging on a 25' boat should not be expensive at all.
For Rigging Only. If you don't live nearby, call them and then send them the old rigging, they will duplicate it. Good service, good quality, nice people.
When I called them they gave me a rough quote for just replacing the wires, which was much less than I was expecting.
I asked him what about other hardware like the connection points on the mast, the flat u-bolts inside the furler (not sure what they are called) and so on.... He said just put anything you want replaced in the box and if there is a part he can't get he'll just send back the old one. I went a bit nuts and replaced everything I could so my final price was significantly higher, but their service was awesome with no surprises.
I think another factor to consider is how much of the "life time" of the rigging was spent with the boat in the water and the mast up. A boat in the water is in constant motion and the rigging experiences constant micro shock loads even when sitting in the slip. A boat spending most of the last 10 years on a trailer with the mast in a cradle has only corrosion to consider. It will always be a judgment call. You can't eliminate all risk on a sailboat and how to make that call will be different bassed on an individual's risk tollerance.
Step 1 - Hire a professional rigger with a good reputation to do a thorough survey of your standing AND running rigging. Let them know any of your concerns before they get started.
Step 2 - Evaluate their recommendations and decide for yourself.
I just had a full rigging inspection done and the evaluation split the recommendations into:
- "Good" (inspected and no action required)
- "Watch" (no immediate action required but inspect regularly and plan to replace in the near future). In one case my VHF antenna's protective cover had UV degraded to the point of compromise and at some point the rigger felt the freezing and thawing of moisture entering the antenna would cause it to fail. I opted to replace now.
- "Action now" (potential for failure soon). One example here was my mainsail halyard whose splice had UV degraded to the point the strength was compromised. I opted to replace now.
Two other side benefits - if I have a rig failure I have a half leg to stand on with insurance that I did my best to maintain my rigging, having had a recent full inspection by a rigging company and rectified all known problems. Also, piece of mind that I'm not ASSUMING my rig is fine, but I have photographic evidence and expert advice of that (they took 141 photos during the inspection). I bought the 2009 boat in 2018 with no record of any rigging inspection or maintenance, so I figured the time was right at 11 years in salt water for a beefy B&R rig.
They also discovered during the inspection that all my bolts on my radar were backing out - some nearly ready to fall to the deck (they fixed on the spot) and found my radar wire seal had popped out of the mast (fixed that on the spot). Worth EVERY BIT of the $150 I spent on it.
Step 2 - Evaluate their recommendations and decide for yourself.
I just had a full rigging inspection done and the evaluation split the recommendations into:
- "Good" (inspected and no action required)
- "Watch" (no immediate action required but inspect regularly and plan to replace in the near future). In one case my VHF antenna's protective cover had UV degraded to the point of compromise and at some point the rigger felt the freezing and thawing of moisture entering the antenna would cause it to fail. I opted to replace now.
- "Action now" (potential for failure soon). One example here was my mainsail halyard whose splice had UV degraded to the point the strength was compromised. I opted to replace now.
Two other side benefits - if I have a rig failure I have a half leg to stand on with insurance that I did my best to maintain my rigging, having had a recent full inspection by a rigging company and rectified all known problems. Also, piece of mind that I'm not ASSUMING my rig is fine, but I have photographic evidence and expert advice of that (they took 141 photos during the inspection). I bought the 2009 boat in 2018 with no record of any rigging inspection or maintenance, so I figured the time was right at 11 years in salt water for a beefy B&R rig.
They also discovered during the inspection that all my bolts on my radar were backing out - some nearly ready to fall to the deck (they fixed on the spot) and found my radar wire seal had popped out of the mast (fixed that on the spot). Worth EVERY BIT of the $150 I spent on it.
I would think at the first notice of a few broken strands in more than two of the wires. When the rig is tuned the wires are stretched. Before re-tuning the rig the mast base, turnbuckles and stay fixtures should be inspect. A boat with sound supports should not require re-tuning in less than 5 years. Any requirement to re-tune the rig more often than that would point to wires been stretched beyond their tensile strength minimums. The most important determinant would be the boat's use; a boat used for racing or offshore cruising would require the wires to be inspected and replace more often. Boats used for coastal cruising, week ending or day sailing may go longer. I personally take stock of a pleasure boat's components and their age and will not load an older boat's rigging as much as I would a newer one. I have broken more than my share of components in newer boats while a lot less in older boats. I agree with a general average of 20 years for replacing the standing rigging.
This is some excellent information! I'm on Lake Michigan. I push the boat hard whenever conditions allow and am always a bit leery of its old rigging. I'll pull the standing rigging and as much hardware as reasonably possible (tangs, bolts, pins, turnbuckles, etc) and drop it off to a local rigger. I found some tests that some SBO folks had done many years ago on the O'Day 25's standing rigging. Their solidworks simulations revealed the rigging was on the lighter side. I'll also inquire about upgrading to one size up.
That would be too late. Once one strand is compromised the loads on the other strands increase, increasing the chance of failure. The loads also become unbalanced with the wire, especially were it bends over the spreaders.
When we brought our Oday 25 home ,I knew judging from the lack of care the previous owner shown the rigging might also be suspect.
Every spring I replaced a set of shrouds . It was about $200 each spring. If there is a kink from a shroud or a stay ,it usually happens from stepping the mast .I've learned to not be in a hurry .
Every spring I replaced a set of shrouds . It was about $200 each spring. If there is a kink from a shroud or a stay ,it usually happens from stepping the mast .I've learned to not be in a hurry .
I'll agree that most of the kinks were created during stepping or prepping for storage
The reason it is a scheduled item is that a visual inspection prolly won't detect defects. Maybe dying or some other high tech test would. But you can't really detect corrosion down into the swage. I recently sailed on a boat that had rust around the wire/swage on all the shrouds. I think the owner needs to replace those but there's a Covid problem.
The good news is that after a spirited sail, which was pretty physical, my hip didn't hurt. Every other muscle did but the hip was fine and I think I'm good to go.
The good news is that after a spirited sail, which was pretty physical, my hip didn't hurt. Every other muscle did but the hip was fine and I think I'm good to go.
It sounds to me that the question is when, not if you will go for new rigging. When I thought about it this way, it seemed easy to give ourselves 20 years of confidence for our Lake Erie boat, rather than take the risk of waiting. We are cruisers who sail around 500 nm per year, and are able to avoid frequent encounters with heavy weather by laying over if storms are in the offing.
You are correct and hearing you say it like that eases the sting on the wallet a bit. It's going to happen. Might as well get it over with and feel confident when I'm rolling in six footers!