Guard wire replacement

[LadyStardust]

Any tips on replacing guard wires, I know I could send off my old wires and have them copied, but I fancy doing it myself. I have seen some swage fittings than can be done in situ with a basic clamping tool, but i don't know where to get them. I don’t want anything cheap like the crimp things. I have 4 runs of 8m 4mm plastic covered wire with bottle screws at each end and a pelican clip arrangement halfway along.
I thought of sta-lock fittings but besides the expense, they also wouldn’t fit through the stanchions.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

they don't need to if you put the swage on in situ, feed the wire bare and put the end on. Or, take the split pins out of the stanchions and take the whole lot to a rigger to build the wires off the boat say.

Why are you replacing, out of interest.

 

[evmars1]

Plastimo sell a DIY guard wire kit. Not seen it. not used it, but its in their catalogue.

 

[michael_w]

Don't use plastic coated s/s wire. It is prone to corrosion as s/s is only rust resistant when it is exposed to oxygen. For this reason only bare wire is allowed for racing boats.

Plenty of covers available to make the wire pleasant to lean against.

 

[brianhumber]

Re: Guard wire replacement - RE Why?

LadyStarDust said she had plastic covered ones.
When I stripped the covering off my old wires on buying RH sure enough on every wire at least one strand had failed somewhere onlong the length covered by the plastic.
Needless to say I replaced pronto with bare.

 

[maxi]

michael_w is spot on, plastic covered lifelines are a definite no-no for the surveyors. If you want plastic, then there is fibre lifeline called, I think, Parafil that comes with purpose made terminals.

 

[ex-Gladys]

There are specific guardrail swage fittings where the eye unscrews from the swage to enable you to thread through stanchions

 

[boguing]

The fact that Parafil is not allowed on racing yachts will, I hope, discourage you from using it.

 

[frilaens]

When the wires are bare, is it necessary to cover the part going through the stanchion? I guess if they can move then there would be abrasion over time. Maye insignificant though.

 

[Slow_boat]

Isn't it still considered best to lash the guardwire to the pushpit, by the cockpit, in case you need to let them slack in a hurry to retrieve mob etc. Snap shackles and pelican clips can jam, lashings can always be cut.

If you don't carry a sharp knife on your person, a serated bread knife clipped to the underside of of a cockpit locker lid may be an idea.

 

[doug748]

I re-did mine last season using all sta lock fittings. No problems and the fittings can be taken apart at any time, and reused next time. I use thin bore PVC tube (as per your local home brew shop) over the 5 mill wire to be easy on the genoa. Brian.

 

[colvic987]

go to roberts marine the barge at the marina, he will be able to sort u out with swaging and stalok fittings, i did mine last year, get the swaged end fitted, by the rigger but leave the other end open and cut it in situ on boat and stalok it, easily done, and as said before use non-plastic covered wire, i used 5mm for top and 4 for the middle for 4 lengths fittings and swage, for 8.5 metre boat , £150- £180...

 

[LadyStardust]

Thanks for the advice, I wanted to go for plastic covered wires for the 'chafe' factor, but I suppose hollow plastic tube might suffice where the genoa and sheets meet the rail.
One of the runs is damaged due to internal rusting and has frayed one of the wires so rather than mess about, I might as well replace the lot, then I know where I stand, currently the wire could be anywhere between 2 and 25 years old.
Thanks for the comment on the MOB aspect, even if the pelicans work, they only open a space about 2 ft wide, not enough to get a MOB on board if he was horizontal.
I'm off to rethink this one.

 

[Krusty]

Re- use of lashings or pelican hooks in guardrails: I have pelicans on the pushpit end of the guard-wires, both upper and lower: the nearest stanchion is 6ft away, so opening the clips drops both wires to deck level. Apart from MOB recovery, I find this invaluable for getting heavy gear, kit or crates of stores on board from the dinghy. Well worth the installation cost!

 

[Avocet]

I have aluminium stanchions. Has anyone had electrolytic corrosion problems with bare stainless wire at the point it passes through the stanchions?

 

[dickh]

Yes, I also have corrosion where the ss wire passes through the Aluminium stanchion. Some stanchions have been replaced but I will have to replace about four more this spring. My intention is to wrap insulating tape around the wire or fit a thin nylon tube around the area. WHY do yacht designers do this? knowing full well that Aluminium + SS + Salt water = CORROSION ???

 

[damo]

I replaced my guard wires with parafil 2 years ago. Easy to fit and I am quite happy with it - the monofilament core seems plenty strong enough, there is a reassuring slight stretch if you crash into it (so it doesn't hurt as much), and no worries about hidden corrosion.
Also, I wouldn't say that racing rules have universally added to sailing safety over the years /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif