replacing running rigging on a sailboat

Generally, end fittings fall into a few classes: studs, eyes, forks and hooks, each of which comes in a dizzying array of sizes and configurations. If the existing is frayed and faded - then a decision should be made to contract a rigger, preferably to x) inspect and give a written report on the condition of all the running rigging; to y) provide a written quotation to supply and fit new line; to z) provide a written quotation to replace sheeves and other running rigging components with new. [1] 2. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your running rigging. So you don't want them on there. It would help if we knew what your boat was! ImproveSailing is compensated for referring traffic and business to this companies. Replacing Running Rigging on an Older Sailboat If you're thinking of buying a used sailboat it's probable that your final selection will be a boat that is a few years old - and the halyards, mainsheet, backstay, jibsheets and other running rigging will probably look a little old, dirty and frayed. This small cruiser is well built, easy to handle and relatively economical to maintain. For later reference, photograph each wire end, terminal and mast attachmentditto for the lower ends, turnbuckles, toggles and chainplatestaking careful note of the positions of the turnbuckles. But Marissa and Chris Neely on Avocet saw a weather window and jumped, making their first big offshore passage the wrong way from Santa Barbara to San Francisco and loving itmostly. . It was this mistakefailing to untie the read more, After four long months poised to spring into action at the first sign of the right weather window, Spindrift has announced that its record-breaking circumnavigation attempt wont be possible this year. Clean and lubricate them, then refasten them, and remember to mouse them with new galvanized wire and tape over the ends to avoid chafe. SailboatOwners.com, 605 NW 53rd Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32609 I used the Sta-Set solid color line to easily identify the lines. The easiest way to prevent line from chafing all the way through is to simply look at your line. Your subscription could not be saved. This produces an easy-to-handle rope that is strong and durable. This is the furling line for an in-mast furler. If you want to learn how to make your sailing dream reality within a year, leave your email and I'll send you free updates. Any line that you have to handle such as jib sheets, halyards and mainsheet should be about half inch (12mm) diameter for a good grip, and jib sheets and mainsheets should be one of the softer feel products. First, its easier to fix in remote places and on your own. Let's go over each type and break down which costs to expect exactly. Its imported and sold through distributors like Alps Wire Rope. Your first thought may be to replace this old stuff with some of the bright new high tech line you can find in your local chandlery. But you should think carefully before you go ahead and buy any high tech replacement running rigging. Swaging must be professionally done, and the result is extremely strong and generally has a long life. Exhausted In Singapore, For All the Wrong Reasons, Cruising World Takes Multiple Honors in Annual Writing and Photography Contest. The biggest problem with rigging and older sailboat with high-tech lines to control the sails is that the lines are too strong for the boat. Some have an extra light sheet for real light winds so the sheet doesnt weigh the jib down. Every five to six years, the mast should be pulled out of the boat so all fittings and wire or rod can be carefully inspected. Sasker van Heringawei 16E Did you find the answer to your specific question? 34' Bermuda Sloop rig will cost you about $3,000 - $5,000. Saltwater is a lot more corrosive, and the stress on your rigging and sails will be higher. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Every time I think Ive seen it all, my people outdo themselves and serve up the unexpected. Its good enough to get you to safety and someplace you can make a more permanent repair. Riggers say very few sailors re-rig from wire to rod or the reverse, but if switching is on your mind, have a professional make a full assessment first. The wire itself rarely fails midway along a shroud, so this makes good sense. They also would carry a piece of wire as long as the longest stay on the boat coiled and stowed, which undeniably was sometimes easier said than done as well as spare end fittings and the tools needed to replace a broken shroud or stay. The November 1969 Modern Boating magazine . Madden says that cost isnt linear, though; as you go up in size (a bigger boat needs heavier wire and larger fittings), youll spend more. The next area deserving close scrutiny is the spreaders. Tag each line with a sticker noting which line it is. The interval of longterm maintenance will increase dramatically in these conditions. The task of replacing the standing rigging on a sailing yacht may seem daunting but there is a procedure to follow that can make it a relatively straight forward process for anyone who is reasonably practical. 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. It is very flexible and easy to handle, and is still the line of choice for most applications on cruisers and club racers. Its common to choose to fit lighter swaged terminals at the top of a stay or shroud and mechanical ones at the bottom, where swaged terminals are more vulnerable to corrosion. That history will affect what kind of life you get out of your standing rigging. Some insurance companies, he says, will require a re-rig if youre purchasing a used boat that has standing rigging older than 15 years. A professional needs roughly 8 hours to get the job done. This process . Replacing the running rigging on your sailboat seems like it should be fairly simple, and a decade or two ago, it was. If you follow directions, they are fairly straightforward to install, although not especially easy. Marlow Ropes in the UK produce Marlowbraid. I'll explain how below. Would you replace this? Running rigging is the rigging of a sailing vessel that is used for raising, lowering, shaping and controlling the sails on a sailing vesselas opposed to the standing rigging, which supports the mast and bowsprit. That's why I've calculated the average maintenance costs for four different types of boat below: Your specific maintenance cost will vary depending on what type of boat you have and how you'll use it. A prudent sailor should inspect his or her standing rig at least once each season and should know when the time comes to replace most or all of it. It's the best way to protect your boat in wintertime, period. Its best to slacken them off, giving them a few turns each way and removing any clevis pins for close inspection before re-tensioning the shroud or stay and then locking it off with new split rings or cotter pins. On sailboats, however, there aren't a lot of non-essential parts. With chainplates its often not the actual hardware that fails, but the structure that supports them. A good set of rigging is of great importance in order to ensure navigation without causing any damage. Regardless of what fittings you currently have the choice for multi-stranded wire rigging is between swaged terminals or mechanical fittings. Add winches and UV rays and the wear and tear can be significant so it's important to use a quality line. With the tension off its a lot easier to waggle the terminal around and check closely for cracks, wear, distortion or corrosion. Good question. On modern boats, chainplates are fitted outboard (right) and covered with a plate that lets water drain. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Also, you'll have plenty of time doing odd jobs yourself, since you'll be living on the boat. But here are some things we could do out to save some big bucks: Winterizing your boat yourself can cost you as little as $50 for antifreeze and an oil change afterward. So youve determined your sailboats standing rigging needs work. This is a very serious problem for the average sailor. Masthead sloop, single spreader, 2 cap shrouds, 4 lowers, r/r forestay, single backstay. You should have the boat itself (the hull), the dagger board, the rudder and tiller, your mainsheet, both mast pieces, boom, boom bang and sail in one place. Most sailors choose to leave this to a professional rigger, but theres no reason why you shouldnt attempt it yourself if you know the best way to go about it. On our old boat we had the Port Aft lower shroud fail while sailing. Opti Running Rigging Sheets Halyard Line Sailboat Kit. Get all your parts together. And if your boat is in the the Seattle area, wed love to come take a look at your running rigging. The running rigging consists of all the lines, sheets, and so on that is used to haul and operate the sails. So how often should standing rigging be replaced? A Bonnier LLC Company. For a small boat (under 30 feet), you can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $2000 for standing rigging replacement. 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. Replacing your old worn out or damaged standing rigging is a crucial requirement to insure your safety and the safety of others. Sampson Ropes make a double braid dacron called XLS, New England Ropes make a similar product called Sta-Set and Yale Ropes product is called Vizzion. To be more precise, the highly tensioned stays and shrouds that support the mast are known collectively as standing rigging, whilst the rope halyards, sheets and other control lines come under the heading of running rigging. They can provide a higher percentage of nominal capacity than lead-acid batteries, without shortening their life. Now would also be a good time to change those old cotter pins and circlip rings as well. The first decision is whether to tackle the job with the mast up or down. The new Dufour 37 slots in just above the 32-foot baby of the family, and it replaces the previous Dufour 360 from three years ago. Read more about the cost of replacing risers and manifolds here. The sails, rigging, and engine will be less critical if you won't take her out very often. This one didnt. For instance, Madden says, he recently had a customer whose 46-foot cutter had a rigging failure at six years. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Die testing wont pick it up, and its rare that a wire will give you warning before breaking.. Old turning blocks, padeyes, sheaves and cam cleats as well as genoa tracks and rope clutches are just not capable of handling the loads you can exert using high tech line. I push the boat hard whenever conditions allow and am always a bit leery of its old rigging. I have broken more than my share of components in newer boats while a lot less in older boats. One advantage is that you might not need to winterize if you're a fulltime cruiser since you'll probably spend your winters in Bermuda. If you go DIY, you will be limited to mechanical end fittings unless you hire a rigger to swage your end fittings. For a 26' sailboat, that's just 500 bucks. Please try again. So youre sailing offshore and youre looking at the windward shroud thats taut, and thats not the one to worry about. Inspect any integral reefing sheaves or bearing wear or UV degradation. One of the most common areas of rig failure is where the shrouds terminateboth at the mast tang or socket fitting and the wire terminal, toggle or T-ball. sailboats with inboard engine: $5,000 - $10,000, sailboats with outboard engine: $1,000 - $1,500, most powerboats (inboard engine): $15,000 - $35,000, small outboard engines (2-5 hp): $1,000 - $1,500, large outboard engines (100+ hp): $10,000+. Chafe occurs when line rubs against a sharp or rough surface. Copyright 2023 Cruising World. I live in Friesland, The Netherlands, which is famous for its great lakes and lots of sailing opportunities. In the past, long-distance cruisers typically chose wire rigging with mechanical fittings for all of these reasons. With inboard engines, this is not something you can easily do yourself - it isn't just unscrewing a motor and screwing a new one in. A rope with a Dyneema core (SK 78 or better) with a polyester cover that can be removed from the working ends would be best. However, larger boats of 30 feet and up will cost considerably more. 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. Our sailboat ropes and lines were designed to withstand any weather condition without fraying, tearing, or catching. If you want to go for super low stretch halyards look at Spectra but the stretch isnt much more for a lot more bucks. Top manufacturers of swaged fittings are Hayn Marine Rigging Products, Alexander Roberts and C. Sherman Johnson. It has a synthetic stay with an eye splice, a toolless turnbuckle (the Handy Lock, made by C. Sherman Johnson), quick-release fast pins with an attached lanyard, several high-strength Dyneema loops, and even a heavy-duty zip tie to fish loops in and out of holes in a mast. One part of sailboats and yachts that must be inspected, maintained, or even replaced when necessary is the standing rigging. If you suspect a possible crack, try running some dye over itthe crack will become much more obvious that way. Improve Sailing 14.8K subscribers In part 3 of our series on sailboat parts, we dive into two types of rigging: standing rigging and running rigging. Place the top of the sail in the mast track and pull on the halyard. 2. Winterization is an often-overlooked cost, but it can be one of the largest expenses each year. Running the halyards Both the Jib and Main halyards are purple , high-load, Marlow Spectra line. If your standing rigging is . Deck hardware consists of the bullseyes, tiller, eye straps, cleats, and so on. They aren't even worn enough to require end-for ending yet. Of course, if you have an outboard engine the installation price will be nothing more than a few drops of sweat, swearing, and back pain for a day or two. It requires more careful consideration of condition, usage, and inspection for signs of failure. Since then I've enjoyed sailing very much - and I've never been afraid of the water again. For all of these reasons, most riggers agree that when your sailboats standing rigging approaches 15 years old, its a good time to consider replacing it. Boats used for coastal cruising, week ending or day sailing may go longer. Preparing The Boat For Rigging. Regardless of how it happened, the integrity of the line has been compromised and it needs to be replaced. Before you contemplate the task of renewing your standing rigging you need to thoroughly inspect all components at close quarters to find out exactly what needs to be replaced and what items can be safely transferred to the new rig. Theres no real way of measuring that. Most people need 2 risers + 2 exhaust manifolds. Mount the masts. Depending on the spreader joint, cap shrouds can sometimes prove troublesome as well, often requiring the spreaders to be disconnected at their roots. The masthead is a good place to start, and while youre at it, its worth looking closely at the mast as well as the rigging, to see if any corrosion, cracks or weld defects are evident. Start by digging out the bosuns chair and finding a trusted (and hopefully fit) buddy to help you. On a sailboat, a distinction is made between running rigging and standing rigging. Lets say you ripped a tang out of the mast; you can use a Dyneema loop to create another attachment point. If youre thinking of buying a used sailboat its probable that your final selection will be a boat that is a few years old and the halyards, mainsheet, backstay, jibsheets and other running rigging will probably look a little old, dirty and frayed. VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. The mast stayed up, but it sounded like a gun shot and was scary as hell. I'll agree that most of the kinks were created during stepping or prepping for storage. On the other hand, it will be very important to maintain hull health, as even small leaks will lead to condensation and mold, which is horrible for your health and living standard. Account. Sticking to the 10-year rule, Madden says, means that for the most part, any corrosion or failure points will be eliminated with a re-rig. This was seen on a brand new boat at the 2020 Seattle Boat Show. Plus, this line won't harden with age. The theory is that it can take 10 to 15 years of cycling, but this continual motion when its unloaded is what fatigues the wire, Madden says. What would be the maintenance cost if you were on a tight budget? SKIRMISH was built for Clarence Noble in Brisbane. The life span of rigging depends on how heavily a boat has been sailed and on the care taken with tuning. I won't go into detail, but I have written an in-depth article about the cost of new sails (opens in new tab). There are so many variables in the system types of end fittings, types of masts, types of attachment points that each boat will have its own specific requirements that can affect cost. When inspecting your rig you should also make an inventory of all its parts and their dimensions. It's about a days worth of work. With the forestay removed, take the opportunity to fully service your headsail furling gear as well. When rigging the sails of a sailboat, it is important to properly prepare the boat. Whether you are setting up the hardware for a trapeze or trying to create the perfect mast rake before a big race with your tension guage, we at MAURIPRO Sailing will meet your Rigging needs. In marine environments, everything can go wrong exactly one time for it to be critical. If in doubt, get a professional opinion. No signs of corrosion or stray strands anywhere. Overall, this halyard looked relatively new compared to some of the other lines on this boat, and this sheave probably caused the demise of the previous halyard. The Down Haul consists of a line attached to the mast end of the boom. Let's start by getting a good overview of the different maintenance costs. The worst-case scenario, of course, is that the chainplates pull right out of the deck, with catastrophic consequences. Then we head over to Bacon Sails and Marine Supplies for a tu. A lot of new boat owners overlook the maintenance costs of sailboats - and maintenance can get pricey quickly. ImproveSailing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Every sailboat has an Out Haul and a Down Haul. Read more on the average cost to replace a boat starter here. You cannot use a mechanical fitting on rod rigging. Keep your sailboats mast securely in place by carefully inspecting all of your spars components and replacing parts before you have a breakdown. Let them know any of your concerns before they get started. Turns out that owning a boat is pretty affordable. There is minor chafe on all sides of the line and along the entire length. The condition of this halyard is likely due to UV degradation. Technical support for boat owners and maintenance yards servicing Sabre sail and motor yachts | Sabre Yachts Technical Support Contacts in Sabre's After Sales Service Department may be reached by calling 207-655-3831 or by filling in the contact form. Generally its much better to stay with the more traditional line for the running rigging of older boats. Redoing the running rigging on a cruising sailboat involves measuring, measuring and measuring. In this article, we'll break down the average prices of different sailboats by type, age, condition, and size. The mechanical fasteners are great in that you can terminate and then look inside to be sure its formed correctly, so you do have a way of inspecting your work, Madden says. JavaScript is disabled. You want a reliable boat, which means you'll fix anything that needs fixing immediately. I'll also inquire about upgrading to one size up. If the leeward shroud flops around underway, the constant flexing will weaken the metal over time and make it more prone to fail.

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