Dismasting - and cutting the mast away fast

We have 10mm 1x19 rigging.
We have the largest Felco cutters at a cost of about £300. Meant to cut up to 12mm.
There is absolutely no way the Felco cutters can be used to cut 10mm rigging on board. I had some of the rigging replaced where the rigger used the same Felco cutter. He had to use all of his weight and energy to cut through the stuff. In his workshop he was knackered having only cut 2 lengths.
Meanwhile on board I use a rechargeable angle grinder with 1mm thick blade. Cuts through in seconds. (By having Lithium batteries you don't have to worry about finding the batteries discharged when you come to use it. They hold their charge.)
We also have on board the 'Shoot-It' device which uses blank .22 cartridges to shoot a bolt that shears the wire.
The Felco cutter is now left at home.
 
Talulah said:
We have 10mm 1x19 rigging.
We have the largest Felco cutters at a cost of about £300. Meant to cut up to 12mm.
There is absolutely no way the Felco cutters can be used to cut 10mm rigging on board. I had some of the rigging replaced where the rigger used the same Felco cutter. He had to use all of his weight and energy to cut through the stuff. In his workshop he was knackered having only cut 2 lengths.
Meanwhile on board I use a rechargeable angle grinder with 1mm thick blade. Cuts through in seconds. (By having Lithium batteries you don't have to worry about finding the batteries discharged when you come to use it. They hold their charge.)
We also have on board the 'Shoot-It' device which uses blank .22 cartridges to shoot a bolt that shears the wire.
The Felco cutter is now left at home.
Click to expand...

Are you sure? The C112 cuts up to 12mm with ease and costs more than £300. Close to double.

My 12 year old pair that is used daily still cuts 12mm easily. Anyone in Woodbridge area is welcome to come in and try.

The hydraulic cutters take way to long with multiple pumps reqired and the shroud shooters need two shots to severe wire.

Moral of the story is spend the money on the biggest felcos. You might never use them but if you need to it will be money well spent.
 
Atlantic Rigging said:
Are you sure? The C112 cuts up to 12mm with ease and costs more than £300. Close to double.

My 12 year old pair that is used daily still cuts 12mm easily. Anyone in Woodbridge area is welcome to come in and try.

The hydraulic cutters take way to long with multiple pumps reqired and the shroud shooters need two shots to severe wire.

Moral of the story is spend the money on the biggest felcos. You might never use them but if you need to it will be money well spent.
Click to expand...

The C112 can be bought online at £332 (http://www.tooled-up.com/ManProduct.asp?PID=141295)
And yes there is no way I could cut the 10mm on board. This may be technique and my lack of strength. If I was nearer I would love to come and see how you do it. Would be good to post a clip on YouTube.
I have used the shroud shooters numerous times for demonstration. I've never once failed to cut 10mm with a single shot.

(I've no experience of hydraulic cutters. Hacksaw takes too long.)
 
Talulah said:
The C112 can be bought online at £332 (http://www.tooled-up.com/ManProduct.asp?PID=141295)
And yes there is no way I could cut the 10mm on board. This may be technique and my lack of strength. If I was nearer I would love to come and see how you do it. Would be good to post a clip on YouTube.
I have used the shroud shooters numerous times for demonstration. I've never once failed to cut 10mm with a single shot.

(I've no experience of hydraulic cutters. Hacksaw takes too long.)
Click to expand...

You tube is stretching things technology wise but could investigate.

The felco cutters are out of stock until the 13th. Be interested to see price when in stock again but everyone should by a pair at that price. That is very cheap.

Whenever I have used shroud shooter there have always been one or two strands that are not cut.
 
Just one other thing that worries me about cutters.
Are you able to cut the rigging with the cutters using two hands i.e. as per garden shears or do you have to have one arm of the cutters against a hard service with both hands pushing on the other arm.
I've never been dis-masted but if you are relying on a hard service to work the cutters against you may find there isn't one where you need to cut the rigging.
 
Talulah said:
Just one other thing that worries me about cutters.
Are you able to cut the rigging with the cutters using two hands i.e. as per garden shears or do you have to have one arm of the cutters against a hard service with both hands pushing on the other arm.
I've never been dis-masted but if you are relying on a hard service to work the cutters against you may find there isn't one where you need to cut the rigging.
Click to expand...

The hard surface method for the larger diameters.
 
This is a fascinating thread! It's great to get insight from people's different perspectives.

I wonder how many sailors keep cutters (or some other device) aboard, that wouldn't actually work at that crucial moment, but think they have it covered.
 
All The Gear said:
This is a fascinating thread! It's great to get insight from people's different perspectives.

I wonder how many sailors keep cutters (or some other device) aboard, that wouldn't actually work at that crucial moment, but think they have it covered.
Click to expand...

That's a good point. I carried 18 inch cutters for a long time but didn't test them until a thread here many years ago suggested it. I then found that they would not cut either of my rigging sizes, which was when I took a length of it to the stall selling longer ones and tested them before buying.
 
Atlantic Rigging said:
Whenever I have used shroud shooter there have always been one or two strands that are not cut.
Click to expand...

I wonder if this is because of the cartridge used.
If I understand correctly (and I may be wrong) the cartridges are the same as used in the Hilti nail gun products.
The Hilti Shot cartridges come in different strengths.
Black - Heaviest
Red - Very Heavy
Blue - Heavy
Yellow - Medium
Green - Weak

Could it be you're not using the black. (I'm pretty sure mine came with black.)

Perhaps someone has a definitive answer if the Black Hilti shot cartridges are the one to use.
 
Talulah said:
I wonder if this is because of the cartridge used.
If I understand correctly (and I may be wrong) the cartridges are the same as used in the Hilti nail gun products.
The Hilti Shot cartridges come in different strengths.
Black - Heaviest
Red - Very Heavy
Blue - Heavy
Yellow - Medium
Green - Weak

Could it be you're not using the black. (I'm pretty sure mine came with black.)

Perhaps someone has a definitive answer if the Black Hilti shot cartridges are the one to use.
Click to expand...

Never took any note of the colour but they were originally supplied with shooter.
 
All The Gear said:
This is a fascinating thread! It's great to get insight from people's different perspectives.

I wonder how many sailors keep cutters (or some other device) aboard, that wouldn't actually work at that crucial moment, but think they have it covered.
Click to expand...

I agree entirely! And I think lots of people have ineffective means of getting shot of the mast - I certainly had! It's a bit like having life jackets with no inflation cylinders.
What mystifies me though is that there was only one positive mention of the Baudat cutters and that was from someone who hadn't used them. Yet these seem to be operable with none of the leverage problems associated with nearly all the others (hydraulic tools apart). They are light, ratchet-operated and usable by someone with limited physical strength. The ratchet means you don't need to build up and AND SUSTAIN huge pressure - the cutter does it for you.. You do not need to position one handle on the deck and use gorilla-like body mass to push down the other handle. Thus an all female crew could use them, for example. You can see it at www.s3i.co.uk/baudat-riggingcutter-KS10.php
Also, they should easily be used on a boat which is pitching about a bit (as ours was when we lost the mast).
BTW I have no connection with Baudat or its importers.
I'm thinking of asking my rigger what he thinks when I go to pick up the boat next week. I'm CERTAINLY going to get a couple of metres of spare 8 mm rigging wire to play around with different solutions before I am 100% convinced that I have a foolproof answer. And even then I'll probably have something as a back up.
I never want to feel that helpless again!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top