Contessa 26 Standing Rigging Please Help

[forrestmichael]

Hi, im really new to sailing but have just purchased a contessa 26 which i'm told needs the standing rigging replacing. The yacht is in Cowes IOM so I was thinking of using Spencer rigging to supply the rigging cables, the yacht currently has no roller furler which i'd like to add, i assume I do this at the same time the rest of the rigging is replaced. I also need to fit a windvane and VHF arial to the mast so think its best to get the mast down and get all this done at once.
Is this too much work for a novice? I'm thinking i'd like to have a go but as i'm away from the boat all week it might just be easier to get someone to do it?

Does the boat need to be out of the water for all of this to be done? Can you please help me out with some recommendations?

Sorry if my answers seem ignorantly ill informed, i've today orederd lots of DIY books which will hopefully help a lot.

I feel confident with the electrical and internal stuff but anything else is still a bit alien.

Thanks a lot in advance

Michael

 

[CPD]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Did you get a survey done ?. If yes then she probably came out the water and you took the chance to have a good look at her underneath and really get to know her. If you didnt, then I would get her out, get the mast down and do everything at once, inc getting to know the underneath.

Apart from the roller furler (and presuming you are having rigging lines of the correct length made up with the correct fittings etc for you) there is nothing you mention that I personally wouldnt avoid doing myself. Any specifics problems / questions can be answered usually on here. If you are reasonably handy (diy etc) and spanners and hand tools dont scare you off then you should be ok. I was .......... so far /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

As far as I know, you need to have the boat out before getting the mast down, but that is just my experience and I am sure others will share theirs too. Once the mast is down, and if you are happy with the DIY stuff and are confident with electrics, then you shuld be ok.

Good luck with it.

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

One of our forumites, MikeMonty, might be able to offer advice as he has one of these boats.

 

[Loginname]

You could do the work without taking the boat out of the water. It may be a little difficult reaching the ends of the mast whilst you are bobbing around on the water, but not impossible. If you are in a Marina they may not want a boat to have its mast down across the decks and pontoons.
Alternatively, you may be able to get the mast put on dry land and the boat left in the water; that would certainly make the work easier and cheaper than a full lift out and relaunch. Talk to the yard or marina; they should be able to sort something out for you.

If you are putting a new aerial on it's worth considering replace the cable at the same time. Don't forget to check the lights also.

I have no idea about Spencer's, but it's worth getting alternative quotes for the rigging. Prices vary enormously and if Spencer's think you are a captive customer...........

If you are fitting a furler on your forestay then don't forget that you will need to get the sail altered (I'm assuming its hanked on at present)

Having said all that unless you HAVE to get the rigging replaced immediately it may be worth playing with the boat for a few weeks. Things will then be quieter in the yard and riggers and you'll probably get better/cheaper service. If the work is being done following recommendations in a survey you may well find that your insurance company will be happy to go along with this. It will also help you to find out if you want any other work done at the same time.

Yes, the work is perfectly possible DIY. The harder job is to get yards, riggers and sail lofts sorted out and co-ordinated so that you don't have the boat of commission for too long.

Nice boats Contessas.

 

[VicS]

Nice boat to sail, but a bit wet I'm told! Lousy accommodation by modern standards though!

Only you can judge if your DIY skills are up to it. Nothing I would not attempt.

Not really necessary to have the boat out of the water. Just get the mast lifted off. get the new rigging made fit it then re-step the mast. The yard where I am based do small masts ashore and big ones afloat or aground alongside but that's because the derrick in the yard won't handle big masts but the one by the slipway will.

But if its ashore and you drop anything it's not lost!

Yes combine fitting the reefing gear with fitting the new rigging and get it all made to fit together. More satisfactory than retrofitting and will give you a good choice of gear. I am sure there must be others but its Plastimo that everyone seems to use if retro fitting to an existing forestay.

 

[KenMcCulloch]

Hi Michael
Congratulations on your choice of boat. I think I would be a little cautious given what you say about your experience and knowledge of boats and rigging. If you are replacing all the rigging you will need the mast down, a crane will probably be required and while it's down you can make sure everything at the top of the mast and all the wiring etc. is OK. Once you have your new rigging made up I would suggest getting a professional rigger to show you how to set the mast up. As another poster said, you don't necessarily need to do this straight away unless you are planning on a long voyage in the near future. Good luck.

 

[mikemonty]

Hi Michael,
Welcome to the forum.
I have a Contessa as ClydeWanderer says.
He well knows, as he spent a happy hour on Friday passing me various bits and pieces to try and mouse a jib halyard at the top of the mast (still on the boat and in the water) BUT, I was literally hanging from the jib of a crane.

I'm assuming your boat is on a mooring - this is not a job to undertake on an exposed mooring! you don't want to be swinging around at the top of the mast in a chop or have the loads on your rig that you might get while you have a rigging wire off.

It is feasible to replace all the standing rigging, a wire at a time, while the mast is in place. (I've done this before, on a smaller boat on a mooring).
Up the mast, take a shroud off and have a replacement made, Back up the mast, rig the new and remove the next etc. The only caveat is the forestay where you would have to rely on a halyard or spare stay to stop the mast from falling backwards. (the backstays are twinned, so should be OK one at a time)

But I've been to the top of the mast once in a bosuns chair and would pay money not to do it again!

Taking into consideration roller furling fitting and new masthead stuff, I suggest that mast down is a better route.(depends on the charges of the marina/riggers whether less expensive to lift out or do this alongside or even motor to the crane site, crane the rig off and motor back to your mooring/pontoon)

As I recall the total bill for replacing all standing rigging on mine was about £900 a few years ago. (I split the cost with the seller as part of the deal)
Great boat incidentally, I'm very happy with ours, sails well, feels safe and looks the business (It IS the business!)
You often hear "Its a bit wet", I'm not sure exactly what that means, I occasionally get to taste salt water, but I sure know I'm sailing!

Added: If you only get to the boat at weekends, it's going to take you at least 9 weeks to complete the job. I doubt you will get a rigger to make up wires on a weekend and/or at short notice - so one week = one wire.

 

[Spuddy]

Just my twopennorth - for encouragement really. My boat is very similar to yours and I did the standing rigging last season. Yard lifted mast out - very straightforward. I labelled up all the wires and took them to riggers who duplicated it all in new. Back to me to reattach and yard hoiked the mast in again with me hooking up the bottom ends. I put in a new VHF ariel while mast was down and also did some fiddling with the spreaders. I considered using Norseman or similar fittings and buying the wire myself to make up all the stays but decided not. It really isn't a big deal doing what I did. Get a few quotes; you might find that firms who do industrial slings and architectural rigging will be competitive.

 

[roly_voya]

Great boat, ignor the comment about room it has very good accomodation for a sailing boat which it is, rather than a floating holiday cottage that may more modern boats are. My advice, don't do anything to th rig now, nothing, zilch, don't touch it. Even if the insurence make a fuss tell them its been sailinh happily and you need to evaluate it before scheduling the replacement. Sail it for all this season then get her out onto the hard with the mast down at the end of the season and sort out all the work you want to do over the winter. It will probably be a bit of a list first winter and you may well have things you feel are more urgent than the roller gear by then. One of the things to watch for is how she balences, which on a contessa should be perfectly. You also need to check the rig will tune up OK. If these are fine you can just take the old rig into a shop and get straight replacements but you do often find you need slight adjustments, you wont know without though sailing trials in a range of conditions. Dont forget bottle screws, tangs etc also have a finite life and check carfully for any corrosion behind the mast fittings. Ideally if the rig is being replaced you should compleatly stip and refit the mast at the same time. It would be a shame to replace all the wire only to have the rig fail due to a sheared rivit! Back to the roller gear, this stuff was invented because modern cano bodied lightweight boats are so badly hehaved for fordeck is almost uninhabitable as the slam into a chop. On a Contessa saunter forward and change the sail, you may get a little damp but ts quick and easy with practice and you will be rewarded by far better performace. It is suprising how rarly you will need to change the sail as the boat is very forgiving. You want a nice light full cut genoa for up to F4, a heavier flat and high cut working jib for F5/6 and a storm jib. The complete set will be less than a good furling gear. Just remember you will never see furling gear on a race boat. Have fun

 

[Malabar]

Congratulations on buying a proper boat. You have been advised that the standing rigging needs replacing. Cowes is just the right place to sort all that out. Alongside RHP; whip mast out; Spencers and Ratseys on the doorstep. Standing rigging is something that you cannot afford to get wrong. Loosing your rig in mid channel will definitely cloud your cruise. First step: talk to Spencers and see what they say. Second step; there is a rigging firm over at Kingston Yard (facilities for lifting out etc) so see what they say as well. Get the job done professionally first time and pick the brains of the riggers so next time you drop the rig you know what to look for.

 

[Tranona]

You might also consider talking to Rotostay in Gosport for both the rigging and furling gear.

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

Possibly buy a new chart for it .... last time I was there Cowes wasn't in the IOM ... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[mikemonty]

It's an easy mistake - he just had the chart flipped
IOM...
IOW... See!

 

[mortehoe]

Short reply

Hi, I'm Mortehoe, CO26 #176

My rigging was over 22 years old last year when I replaced it on the hard having devised a subtle timber framework to lift and drop the mast. The rigging tension was going 'elastic' ie time to REALLY change it.

Insurance companies insist that you replace the standing rigging every 10 years. So I went 3rd Party + Wreck Recovery insurance and sailed on and on and on.

If you know when your rigging was last replaced and say its age is less than say 12 years .... and if you know that the boat has not been hard raced then you might just consider a 20 year life better .... Check your tensions on the water say over the summer using a Loos Meter and see if they change. If the percentage/poundage drops weekly then you need an immediate rigging change .... but if they stay the same then have a good summer's sailing followed by a winter's think about you next step.

ie: Check you tensions: Monitor them over the next few weeks [I'm being precocious in saying that as a 'Newbie' you'll be doing local day fair weather sailing to start with]

Roller Furler - Essential. I bought one of the first of the Schaefer Snapfurls in 1998 - I had a Plastimo which disintegrated. The Snapfurl is not only cheap and cheerful but rugged. It has never failed me in 10 years.

Windvane: ???? Why? Forget it for now unless you intend to sail the Atlantic this winter. Ther are better alternatives that you can use ie an Autopilot.

Masthead VHF aerial .... IMO essential, providing that you have a VHF ... [NB: The aerial must come complete with the correct cable an correct length ~ 15m for your VHF .... and you'll have to mouse it down inside the mast - That will be fun /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif ]

As most of the above need to be done on the hard with the mast unstepped, I'd say go day sailing with what you have for this summer and spend not too many pennies on the hard this winter: My DIY standing rigging cost complete with new bottle screws; swaged terminals and everything else inc VAT a bit less than £380

NB: Buy a 'SureRig' (cheaper but just as good as) or a proper posh 'Loos' Meter and check your rigging tensions on the water: 5mm Forestay 10% UBL; 4mm Lower Shrouds ~10-12% UBL (depending on mast prebend); 4mm Capping Shrouds 15% UBL; 4mm twin backstays 10% UBL.

Welcome to the magic world of the CO26's /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

M

 

[bryantee]

Re: Short reply

I second moretoe , roly et al.that boat will look after you.a proper yacht.used to sail irish sea out of hesketh bank,summer and most of winter,never had to put a reef in the main and only changed foresail down to working jib above f6. once you get her set up and balanced she will sail herself.a small autohelm will suffice, especialy helpful if you single hand.
good luck

 

[Loginname]

Re: Short reply

[ QUOTE ]

Windvane: ???? Why? Forget it for now unless you intend to sail the Atlantic this winter. Ther are better alternatives that you can use ie an Autopilot.


[/ QUOTE ]

As he was talking about putting it on the mast, I think he was talking about a Windex.

 

[theoldplucker]

Re: Short reply

No need for crane. Couple of long timbers and make up sheerlegs. Mast will be down in half an hour with 2/3 persons. Take old rigging along for quotes. Did mine about 5 years ago. Cost about £230

 

[srp]

Re: Short reply

Others have already said it above, but just want to add my vote for Spencers - really helpful, and not all that expensive for the rigging on my Corribee. I may be easily pleased but a trip upstairs to their rigging loft is a real treat.

 

[forrestmichael]

Re:

Wow, thanks for all the advice, i've emailed a few of the suggested rigging suppliers, having paid for it to be lifted out for the survey and still unsure of a permanant berth location i've decided to keep it out of the water at the yard where i'll spend the summer doing maintenance work. I did mean IOW not IOM :-!

I'm sure i'll be back with more questions but thanks for all the great advice so far.

Michael

 

[mortehoe]

Vindvane = Windex?

You could be right.

I don't use Windex's anymore - the seagulls have knocked too many off = too expensive.

I now use strips of Tesco checkout cheapo plastic bags cut horizontally to form a 1/2" wide loop which are attached to each capping shroud at the average height of CofE of the main and genoa as real wind tell-tails.

Nuff said /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif