Cutting rigging in an emergency

ghostlymoron

ghostlymoron

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I've heard that I should have a means of getting rid of standing rigging after a dismasting (heaven forefend). What do you recommend for this? Bolt croppers, hacksaw or cordless angle grinder.
 
One of the magazines did a group test recently. A normal hacksaw did surprisingly well, which is a relief as that's what I tend to have aboard.
 
And pliers to remove split pins and something to punch out clevis pins.
Cordless grinder will be great until the first wave gets to it. If it's well charged when needed...
We don't have one, but I'm thinking they are now cheap enough to be worth carrying.
 
A friend of mine having been dismasted set too and removed the pins, It was a tri so a more stable base to work on, still the rigging remained intact to rig up a jury rig......
 
lw395 said:
And pliers to remove split pins and something to punch out clevis pins.
Cordless grinder will be great until the first wave gets to it. If it's well charged when needed...
We don't have one, but I'm thinking they are now cheap enough to be worth carrying.
Click to expand...

+1 to all of this. There was a thread on this recently and I think an angle grinder is advisable, certainly for wires above 10mm. But as you say waves will stop these fairly quickly and the battery capacity of the cheap and cheerful DIY variety is usually fairly hopeless.
 
I had a pair of the Felco C16 cable cutters on board and assumed they would get through the 10mm rigging wire.
http://www.felco.com/felco/pages/product.page?name=FELCO%20C16

We tested them on spare 10mm rigging wire and they didn't really make an impression. Athough the specification mentions the ability to cut 14mm wire, when you check out the 'non-oxidable steel' specification it suggests a 7mm maximum - and that's for £260 wire cutters!
Now we have the Baudat KS13 cutters in the 'rig cutting' bag. Bought from Seateach in Emsworth for about £200 and we've made half a dozen 'demo' cuts on the 10mm rigging wire with ease (i.e. holding them single handedly and not having to nearly sit on them!)
http://www.seateach.com/baudat-ratchetting-rope-wire-cutters.html
To be honest - the spec does say <8mm 1x19 wire but at the time we bought them, the spec in German stated <10mm 1x19 wire and we are happy they work.

Our 'rig cutting' bag does also have a couple of hacksaws (with a couple of packets of spare blades) and a hammer, punches, adjustable spanner, mole wrench and gloves in it... But the Baudats are what impress us most.
 
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I also looked at the Shootit... but £499 and limited use.. At least with the Baudat you could cut away any wiring or shrouds with the same hand tool.. and for £499 you could get a couple of them.

(Just looking again at the Seateach specs. for the Baudat ratchet cutters. Suggestion is that that KS13 is good for 10mm 1x19 and the larger SCSZ20 at £359 good for 16mm 1x19. )
 
.. although as SavageSeaDog says.. pulling the pins is probably the easiest option..

But - ISAF rules (for racing) required us to prove we could cut the rigging... so I assume they had reasons to ask this.

To the OP... Good for you for looking and investigating.. Perhaps an idea for a Christmas present :)
 
Handheld hydraulic cutters are another option - small, manageable and easily used. It takes less than ten pumps of the small lever to cut 10mm 1*19 and a ten year-old would have the strength to use them The 'original' ones are made by Enerpac and cost >£1k new but do pop up on ebay - think I paid sub £150 for mine but that was donkeys ago. Some riggers use them too. There was a brand (Holmotro?) who started re-branding them for the boaty market at a boaty premium price. However, Chinese copies are available new for sub £200, which, if they work anywhere close to as effectively as the Enerpac, could well be worth considering.

BTW: I've been on board during a dismasting on a race boat. We used bolt cutters but only one person on the crew had the strength to use them. And that was on sub 10mm wire.
 
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I used a hacksaw to cut guard rail wire when I replaced them a year or so ago. Works well if you bind the wire and clamp in a voice. Wouldn't have thought that this would be possible in a demasting. However, YM tests (viewable on YouTube) proved that a hacksaw could be used. Wire cutters of normal quality are probably unsuitable, although I do carry a pair. Undoing the bottle screws seems the easiest approach.
 
We were dis-masted 193nm NE of Barbados - we had a deck stepped mast - we used hacksaws, bolt cutters and pulled the pins - the most effective, for us, was the hacksaw. The mast, with main and genoa up, went over the port side - naturally it was just getting dark!

The bolt cutters needed the person using them to twist them on a regular basis while squeezing, but this took time and strength, but they did work. Pulling the pins worked, but unscrewing the turn-buckles took a lot of time. The hacksaw, about 15 cm's in length and with numerous spare blades, was the quickest overall.

3 of us cut away 6 shrouds, a backstay and a forestay - thankfully only sustained some minor bruising - we have no idea how long it took to cut away the rig, but it wasn't quick. The guardrails suffered as did a lot of the gel coat, but there was no major damage to the boat. Replacing the rig is another story.

We don't ever want to do this again!
 
Affordable wire rope cutter: http://cradleychain.co.uk/chain-masters/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=17

I've bought one of those and keep it on the boat (oiled, wrapped and labeled with thick black marker pen). I've cut 10mm with it, which is the largest I have on the boat (the cutter goes to 12mm), and it's doable but requires a hefty amount of force and something to rest one handle against (floor). Doing it on a wet deck on a bucking boat would be tricky (I'd probably jam a handle under the toerail and lean on the other). Also have a hacksaw, although the problem there is holding the wire rope in place. Hope I'll never have to use either in anger!
 
When I did the Sea Safety course we were advised that 32 pt hack saw was the most efficient and cost effective, although you need two hands and in a big sea may be exposed to being washed off the deck while undertaking the removal. Its dangerous work, and not for the faint hearted.
 
I also carry several pairs of good quality mole grips with different jaws, as sometimes you aren't going to be able to grip a twisted pin.
I have Felco 16 cutters, a portable vice and 2 hacksaws, Junior and Normal full frame. Carry lots of spare blades for both, and not cheap ebay quality blades.
Add to this a Snap On Pri Bar and a 3ft length of scaffold pole for a bit of mechanical assistance on bar or cutters also for generally welting stuff with.
 
npf1 said:
Handheld hydraulic cutters are another option - small, manageable and easily used. It takes less than ten pumps of the small lever to cut 10mm 1*19 and a ten year-old would have the strength to use them The 'original' ones are made by Enerpac and cost >£1k new but do pop up on ebay - think I paid sub £150 for mine but that was donkeys ago. Some riggers use them too. There was a brand (Holmotro?) who started re-branding them for the boaty market at a boaty premium price. However, Chinese copies are available new for sub £200, which, if they work anywhere close to as effectively as the Enerpac, could well be worth considering.

BTW: I've been on board during a dismasting on a race boat. We used bolt cutters but only one person on the crew had the strength to use them. And that was on sub 10mm wire.
Click to expand...


I wonder if these cheap hydraulic ones are any good? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16-mm-Hyd...044853?hash=item1ea7314cb5:g:fcMAAOxyTMhR~6J5
 
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