jamesdestin
Well-Known Member
If stainless rigging has to be replaced every 10 years or so for insurance purposes, what are the relative costs and advantages or disadvantages of using galvanised rigging instead?
galvanised v stainless rigging
- Thread starter jamesdestin
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neil_s
Well-Known Member
You have to dress galvanised wire with boiled linseed oil every year to stop it rusting. If you use a hanked on headsail, you will have to replace a galvanised forestay regularly, anyway, because of the rust. You get rust and oil marks on youself, clothes and sails. You can hand splice galvanised wire, though.
Neil
Neil
Benbow
Well-Known Member
They have very different characteristics. Galvanised has much more 'give' than stainless and is preferred for traditional rigs, especially gaff, with wooden spars. These rigs are designed to move much more than modern high tension systems. I would not consider galvanised for a metal mast, bermudan rig.
Gordonmc
Well-Known Member
I replaced the galvanised standing rigging two years ago with new galvanised. The mast hasn't been down since. No rust.
The wire rope came from a commercial fishing net maker and cost a bottle of brandy. The eyes were made on the friendly local chandler's swage press for about £12 for the thimbles and ferrules. The only dressing was a dip in hot waxoyl.
I agree galvanised would be no good for a forestay as the hanks will scrape the zinc away in short order.
While galvanised is not as attractive as SS it has the advantage that any weakness will demonstrate itself. The reason insurance companies insist on periodic replacement is that SS weakens invisibly.
I will replace the galvanised again in a couple of years, primarily to get rid of the swages and splice.
The wire rope came from a commercial fishing net maker and cost a bottle of brandy. The eyes were made on the friendly local chandler's swage press for about £12 for the thimbles and ferrules. The only dressing was a dip in hot waxoyl.
I agree galvanised would be no good for a forestay as the hanks will scrape the zinc away in short order.
While galvanised is not as attractive as SS it has the advantage that any weakness will demonstrate itself. The reason insurance companies insist on periodic replacement is that SS weakens invisibly.
I will replace the galvanised again in a couple of years, primarily to get rid of the swages and splice.
G
Guest
Guest
Galvanised will visibly deteriorate ....
SS will not visibly deteriorate .....
Galvanised is advised for those items such as Lifting keels etc. for that very reason ...
SS will not visibly deteriorate .....
Galvanised is advised for those items such as Lifting keels etc. for that very reason ...
Mirelle
N/A
I doubt that.
With respect, I think that you are incorrect. The extent to which wire rope will stretch is governed more by the construction of the wire than by whether it is galvanised or stainless. Rod stretches less than 1 x 19 which stretches less than 6 x 7 which stretches less than 6 x 19.
Galvanised wire rope is made from a high tensile steel.
With respect, I think that you are incorrect. The extent to which wire rope will stretch is governed more by the construction of the wire than by whether it is galvanised or stainless. Rod stretches less than 1 x 19 which stretches less than 6 x 7 which stretches less than 6 x 19.
Galvanised wire rope is made from a high tensile steel.
Mirelle
N/A
Some numbers from experience
To some extent this depends on the size of the wire.
For example, the shrouds on my boat are 10mm 6 x 7 galvanised, and some are 30 years old whilst the rest are 20. All are fine, with no traces of rust anywhere. They get an annual coat of linseed oil, and stockholm tar over the servings.
The forestay is 14mm, 20 years old, and again it is fine.
I think the business of the galvanising chafing off is overdone. yes, of course the galvanising will wear where it is in direct contact with the hanks but that is a tiny area, just one side of one strand of each 7 strand lay in a 6 x7 wire, and galvanising is "self healing".
In my experience the bronze piston hanks will chafe through much faster than the wire does.
I find I get ten years out of the 7mm bowsprit shrouds, which are horizontal and exposed to salt spray rather than rain.
To some extent this depends on the size of the wire.
For example, the shrouds on my boat are 10mm 6 x 7 galvanised, and some are 30 years old whilst the rest are 20. All are fine, with no traces of rust anywhere. They get an annual coat of linseed oil, and stockholm tar over the servings.
The forestay is 14mm, 20 years old, and again it is fine.
I think the business of the galvanising chafing off is overdone. yes, of course the galvanising will wear where it is in direct contact with the hanks but that is a tiny area, just one side of one strand of each 7 strand lay in a 6 x7 wire, and galvanising is "self healing".
In my experience the bronze piston hanks will chafe through much faster than the wire does.
I find I get ten years out of the 7mm bowsprit shrouds, which are horizontal and exposed to salt spray rather than rain.
GMac
Well-Known Member
Re: I doubt that.
[ QUOTE ]
Galvanised wire rope is made from a high tensile steel.
[/ QUOTE ]
Like all steels it comes in many grades, some higher and some lower.
[ QUOTE ]
Galvanised wire rope is made from a high tensile steel.
[/ QUOTE ]
Like all steels it comes in many grades, some higher and some lower.
Benbow
Well-Known Member
Re: I doubt that.
[ QUOTE ]
With respect, I think that you are incorrect.
[/ QUOTE ]
That is perfectly possible! But it is what I was told by two independent riggers while discussing the re-rig of a traditionally rigged boat.
I am no metallurgist, but is it not true that SS is relatively brittle and prone to failure under shock loading ? Which is consistent with the story from the riggers.
[ QUOTE ]
With respect, I think that you are incorrect.
[/ QUOTE ]
That is perfectly possible! But it is what I was told by two independent riggers while discussing the re-rig of a traditionally rigged boat.
I am no metallurgist, but is it not true that SS is relatively brittle and prone to failure under shock loading ? Which is consistent with the story from the riggers.
Mirelle
N/A
Show me some mild steel rope, then.
I wrote|:
"Galvanised wire rope is made from a high tensile steel."
Please note the use of the indefinite article.
I wrote|:
"Galvanised wire rope is made from a high tensile steel."
Please note the use of the indefinite article.
Mirelle
N/A
Re: I doubt that.
I am no metallurgist either but the tendency of stainless steel wire rope to suffer fracture may be due to more complex factors. I do not think it is shock loading, because the material can fail suddenly when it has not been subject to shock. Certainly, for many years, offshore and inshore racing boats carried metal masts, high stressed bermudian rigs, and galvanised wire rigging.
I am no metallurgist either but the tendency of stainless steel wire rope to suffer fracture may be due to more complex factors. I do not think it is shock loading, because the material can fail suddenly when it has not been subject to shock. Certainly, for many years, offshore and inshore racing boats carried metal masts, high stressed bermudian rigs, and galvanised wire rigging.
Birdseye
Well-Known Member
Only some insurers bother about a 10 year replacement cycle and that is based on statistics of failure. Absolutely nothing to do with the age of the wire or its composition. As it happens, most rigging is stainless so I doubt there is any useful statistical data on galv rigging these days.
Much of what is said in the stainless v galv debate is historical. In the early days of stainless wire production the source of the stainless was mostly Sheffield steel made in smallish arc or induction furnaces. These steels were "dirty" ie full of inclusions which would act as stress points and cause early fatigue failure. By comparison, carbon steels particularly from BOS furnaces were much cleaner and much less prone to this sort nof defect.
Technology has moved on and this is no longer the case. But at the same time we are now importing both carbon and stainless steels from places in E Europe and the far east where steelmaking practise is casual to be polite. So you dont know what you are getting
People say you can see when galv fails but not stainless. Dont see this myself. Any rusting on galv would be a cause for replacement in my view just as it would on stainless. Same for broken strands. Same fro cracks in fittings.
Where stainless will not do as well is in tolerating bending. If your rigging is not well articulated you will get a problem earlier with stainless on the whole than you will with galv. But in both cases you will get problems and you should not allow this situation to continue.
In the end, it comes down to cost. If you have the sort of boat where appearance doesnt matter, then galv will be cheaper and just as good. If appearance and cleanness do matter, then stainless should be the choice. But try to get wire made with European steel preferably british or Swedish. And dont forget that the "made in......." label usually means the last or next to last process only.
Much of what is said in the stainless v galv debate is historical. In the early days of stainless wire production the source of the stainless was mostly Sheffield steel made in smallish arc or induction furnaces. These steels were "dirty" ie full of inclusions which would act as stress points and cause early fatigue failure. By comparison, carbon steels particularly from BOS furnaces were much cleaner and much less prone to this sort nof defect.
Technology has moved on and this is no longer the case. But at the same time we are now importing both carbon and stainless steels from places in E Europe and the far east where steelmaking practise is casual to be polite. So you dont know what you are getting
People say you can see when galv fails but not stainless. Dont see this myself. Any rusting on galv would be a cause for replacement in my view just as it would on stainless. Same for broken strands. Same fro cracks in fittings.
Where stainless will not do as well is in tolerating bending. If your rigging is not well articulated you will get a problem earlier with stainless on the whole than you will with galv. But in both cases you will get problems and you should not allow this situation to continue.
In the end, it comes down to cost. If you have the sort of boat where appearance doesnt matter, then galv will be cheaper and just as good. If appearance and cleanness do matter, then stainless should be the choice. But try to get wire made with European steel preferably british or Swedish. And dont forget that the "made in......." label usually means the last or next to last process only.
jamesdestin
Well-Known Member
But how much does it cost? Is galvanised half or a third of the price?
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