Bolt Cutters?

[Mirelle]

The toolkit thread reminded me of this.

Has anyone here used a set of bolt cutters to cut away a mast, in earnest?

I strongly suspect that the advice to carry bolt cutters gets handed down from "seamanship for yotties" textbook to "seamanship for yotties" textbook, just as the drivel about streaming a sea anchor from a ship's lifeboat with an endless whip to carry an oilbag out to it used to be,* without anyone actually trying it.

When I did lose a mast, I found the pliers on a Leatherman tool were what I actually needed to cut the mast away, by pulling out the clevis pins. Quicker, easier and safer.

Many years ago, as a schoolboy, I was sent into Harrods Food Hall to buy a raised game pie to be photographed, as an illustration to a cookery book, by a well known female writer of cookery books .

I have had doubts about "How To..." books ever since.

* Try it. A sea anchor spins like a top, as soon as the load comes on the warp, so an endless whip would be twisted up in seconds. This advice appeared in Merchant navy seamanship books for about fifty years.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

This'll be an interesting debate...

I too don't bother, and won't bother, carrying bolt croppers after being told by a friend who was dismasted that they couldn't cut the rigging with the bolt croppers they carried, as the blades kept springing apart either side of the wire, and instead ended up using a good old fashioned hacksaw... so this is what I now carry... darned site easier to stow, many other useful functions, albeit perhaps a bit slower!

 

[forestay]

True, but bolt cutters work a treat on rusted padlocks.

 

[claymore]

Fanny

Craddock?

 

[tcm]

hm, not me - i haven't got any rigging - but nonetheless it's a legal requirement for french registered boats above a certain size (for sailing boats certainly, not sure with mobos) to have them on board.

I sort of feeel that there oughta be a bit more guidance if not acttual legal rigidity about the basic tools to have on board. It's very nice that rnli do their seacheck but seeing as they get called out to a disaster when someone has no kit to rectify a problem makes one wonder if they ought not to be able to carry out an inspection anytime, uninvited.

 

[BrendanS]

One of these would be pretty quick. Explosive cutter
http://www.safety-marine.com/sm/product.asp?dept%5Fid=16&pf%5Fid=SM08018

 

[Mirelle]

No.

A tad younger.

I am only 53!

 

[dmayes]

Re: No.

Some years ago, I drifted under Hammersmith bridge while on a Shearwater catamaran. The top of the mast hit the bridge and the tide started to push the hulls under the bridge. When water started to flow over the hull onto the platform, I suddenly remembered that I had a standard pair of pliers in one of the hull open lockers, the type with a cable cutter section near the hinge. I grabbed these and cut the 4mm stranded stainless wire with one hand, plus of course mixed with a bit of panic. The mast came down and we popped out the other side of the bridge, limping back on a small outboard after tying up the loose cables. Later I tried to cut the wire in my garage using a vice and cutters. I then realised how difficult it really was to cut without the adrenalin from an emergency situation. So any cutting device plus a fair share of panic is better than nothing.

 

[Peppermint]

Re: I do carry Bolt Cutters

But when I've lost a mast it's as easy to disassemble the rig.

My boats not very big so bolt croppers will see off the bottlescrews if necessary. For wire you need wire cutters not bolt croppers.

I buy mine from a fencing company. They work as well as the pricey ones but cost £6.

 

[Spacewaist]

I used standard 10mm or maybe 1/2inch bolt croppers to remove the mast of a Sigma 33 as it collapsed in the East bound shipping lane just north of the Alderney Race.

It's a few years ago now, but I recall the frst thing I did was to put out an all points Securite broadcast on the VHF and then sat wondering why no-one (including all the fish who must have heard it) acknowledged it.

Didnt occur to me to try to remove the shroud terminals. They were cased in a thick shrinkwrapped pvc type material but the croppers worked a treat.

I wanted to save the sails and therefore tried to detach the sail from the mast before we cut it free. The mast gradually sawed its way through the toe rail and so once we eventually got the boom free, we let the mast and mainsail go over the side, leaving the genoa attached to the stem.

I had just deployed a very effective sea anchor which took about 30 mins to drop clear.

Finally - the most difficult part of all of this was keeping the crew calm and reassured - it was a starlit night - 20-25kts of wind and the crew wre scared stiff.

 

[claymore]

Re: No.

Mirelle me old fruitbat
that would make you around 7 when you ventured forth with my old mate Eric's good friend William?

 

[FullCircle]

Smug, smug. Always carry Leatherman, Hacksaw(Junior and 10 inch) and Bolt Croppers. Also chisels, wedges, hammers, pri bar, G Clamps and other oddities. All form the basis of some short term long lasting bodges. I await the new boat coming out of warranty to use all my old friends again.


Jim

 

[LadyInBed]

I had always suspected that that was the case, but I carry both /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[webcraft]

Bolt cutters are usually pretty grim for cutting wire. Cable cutters are the thing. You can get a decent 24" pair for up to 10mm wire for about £20.

(Try HERE )

- Nick

 

[Chris_Robb]

Angle Grinder (240 Volt)

One boat I sail on (47 footer), the owner thinks he will use his angle grinder run from the generator. I hope that it is flat calm when he has to cut the rigging, as I fear the spray my cause a little frying noise.

I am too embarrased to tell him how dangerous this method would be!

 

[cliff]

[ QUOTE ]
Bolt cutters are usually pretty grim for cutting wire. Cable cutters are the thing. You can get a decent 24" pair for up to 10mm wire for about £20.

(Try HERE )

- Nick

[/ QUOTE ]I think you will find those are for copper or aluminium ELECTRICAL cable and NOT for (high tensile) stainless steel rigging wire. I have a pair of 24" double acting, compound lever cutters and while cutting Cu and Al cable is effortless, cutting MS stranded wire requires a lot more effort and cutting 10mm SS wire is "gut busting" - I cannot see single acting single lever cutters coping with 10mm SS wire never mind solid rod.
Personally I like the explosive cutters - no messing about clip them round the wire and fire.
---------

“Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity”
Skype id:cliffillupo

 

[Mirelle]

Re: No.

I don't know how you make that out!

I was 21, and became 22 at sea.

The episode with the photograph of the raised game pie from Harrods took place a year or two earlier, when I was about 18. My lips are sealed, but it is absolutely true.