Guard Rail replacement

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Cheeky Girl

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At the boat at the weekend and one of the guard rail wires had broken.
This was the one that holds the fenders and takes a fair bit of strain when the wind bows.

Should I replace the all others at the same time?

Would Dyneema be a better option that wire?
 
I don't know anything about Dyneeema guadrails but if a wire guardrail has failed through deterioration , and the others are the same age or older, I would renew them.
 
Cheeky Girl said:
At the boat at the weekend and one of the guard rail wires had broken.
This was the one that holds the fenders and takes a fair bit of strain when the wind bows.

Should I replace the all others at the same time?

Would Dyneema be a better option that wire?
Click to expand...
A better option in the future might be to make your fenders fast to the base of your stanchions.
 
If your guardwires have deteriorated to the point of failure without you noticing, then the chances are that they are plastic-covered?
You should replace them with non-covered wire, as the covered ones are no longer considered acceptable by the bodies that regulate offshore and ocean racing, The reason being that corrosion can go un-noticed under the plastic cover, as you have no doubt discovered. You may not wish to go racing offshore, but guardwires are just as important in the marina or boatyard.
 
John w said:
Hi
Just completed the same job on my Bavaria used a company called GS Products in Birmingham they have ready-made kits in stock & will make you what you want, I used their fixings & have saved a small fortune on labour costs from what the riggers quoted me & I managed to reuse the pelican clips I like from before.

Guard Rail Wire + Fittings - Boat Accessories

DIY Swageless Steel Wire Rope Fork Terminals | Threaded Wire Rope Jaw | GS Products

I hope it helps

John
Click to expand...
The wire in both of those links is plastic coated, the undesireability of which has been discussed at length on this forum previously.
Plastic Coated Guard Wires
 
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I replaced our 4mm plastic coated rails with 5mm bare wires. As said above, better corrosion resistance but also 50 percent stronger! I used Jimmy Green who made all the lines precisely to my specifications via their website.
 
I'm also interested in the wire v dyneema guard rails.

My guard rails are not coated in plastic I place the fenders where I think they are necessary; I am the skipper of my own yacht.
 
I used to privately poopooh advice against plastic covered guard lines since I'd never had any problems with a succession of them, replacing every 10 years or so.

But now my latest ones, made up two or three years ago by a local chandlery so presumably to a proper marine standard, are already showing signs of rust where the covering has prematurely worn off. So I'll be going for thicker bare ones next.

Thing is, I liked the covering because it seemed kinder to things attached to it, like fender lines, pegged out towels, bathers, laundry, not to mention random bits of extra sheets and guys when someone keen wanted the best out of our cruising chute. And I dare say is easier to grab hold of when boarding.

Does going up a size deal with all this?
 
Sandy said:
I'm also interested in the wire v dyneema guard rails.

My guard rails are not coated in plastic I place the fenders where I think they are necessary; I am the skipper of my own yacht.
Click to expand...

I've just this very day finished replacing my guard rails with 6mm Dyneema, they look very smart, are much nicer to the touch than wire and I'm aware I'll need to re-tension for a while until they stretch, all for a much cheaper price than wire too
 
Cheeky Girl said:
At the boat at the weekend and one of the guard rail wires had broken.
This was the one that holds the fenders and takes a fair bit of strain when the wind bows.

Should I replace the all others at the same time?

Would Dyneema be a better option that wire?
Click to expand...

Don't hang the fenders from the guard rails! Now you know why this is a bad idea. You can also loosen stanchions and cause deck leaks. Hang them from the toe rail.
 
thinwater said:
Don't hang the fenders from the guard rails! Now you know why this is a bad idea. You can also loosen stanchions and cause deck leaks. Hang them from the toe rail.
Click to expand...
If you think that I am bending down there you have another think coming. Plus I often need to adjust them quickly coming into port or a lock when single handed so faffing about is NOT an option. Being single handed I need to fit quickly so a clove hitch to the top wire is the norm. I need to be quick if I am to rig 6 dock lines & 6 fenders( 3 sets per side) before entering port. I often need to slide them along the wire to a better position. Cannot do that if fitted to the deck. If I am against another boat that needs my fender half way across my toe rail then I would not be able to tie them to the toe rail.
My stanchions are firm. If they are loose enough to leak due to a few fenders hanging on them, then they need re fiting sharppish.
So by now I think will see I do not agree-- sorry, but to each his own. :rolleyes:
 
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Lightwave395 said:
I've just this very day finished replacing my guard rails with 6mm Dyneema, they look very smart, are much nicer to the touch than wire and I'm aware I'll need to re-tension for a while until they stretch, all for a much cheaper price than wire too
Click to expand...
we are just in the process of doing the same, however finding really difficult to do the eyes, on third attempt and cannot get it completely milked in, how did you do your eyes?
 
Daverw said:
we are just in the process of doing the same, however finding really difficult to do the eyes, on third attempt and cannot get it completely milked in, how did you do your eyes?
Click to expand...
I tried for hours to get mine spliced in doublebraid, the cover was really tight and I had the same problem, 'milking' the last bit was near on impossible even with a ludicrously expensive 'D-splicer soft fid' (which in hindsight would have been relatively easy to make)...
I changed tack to go with this video from Premuim Ropes:
and used closed end thimbles from here to avoid any possible abrasion: < Wire Rope Thimble - Closed Body - Stainless Steel | S3i Group >
I did buy the wrong size thimbles to start as I forgot that I needed the size for the core, not the cover !
 
James_Calvert said:
I used to privately poopooh advice against plastic covered guard lines since I'd never had any problems with a succession of them, replacing every 10 years or so.

But now my latest ones, made up two or three years ago by a local chandlery so presumably to a proper marine standard, are already showing signs of rust where the covering has prematurely worn off. So I'll be going for thicker bare ones next.

Thing is, I liked the covering because it seemed kinder to things attached to it, like fender lines, pegged out towels, bathers, laundry, not to mention random bits of extra sheets and guys when someone keen wanted the best out of our cruising chute. And I dare say is easier to grab hold of when boarding.

Does going up a size deal with all this?
Click to expand...
It's a really bad idea to grab the guard wires while boarding. It loosens the stanchion bases and causes leaks.
The accepted method is to board at the shrouds and grab onto those. This is what I try to ensure that all persons boarding my boat do.
 
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