Guard wires

[Jabamusic]

Hi all

I would value some assistance with the correct names for things so as to be able to start replacing, purchasing and generally understanding how it all works.

I want to start the process of replacing the guard wires on my 32 footer. The current arrangement is the standard wire inside plastic cover which I intend to simply replace. Now, there is currently a mixture of turnbuckles and simple lashings where the wires terminate, but what are all the various components called, ie the end bits? Furthermore, how the blithering heck do you go about making up new ones? Are there special tools required? Any recommendations for places to shop at? I image the turnbuckles allow for some margin or error/adjustment, but to what tolerance should these be made to? Has anybody seen any good web-based info which might help me?

All advice gratefully received.

Thanks
Jaba

 

[Stork_III]

Google guard wire fiitings, will give you good idea, swaged fittings need professional fitting to wire. Best not to have plastic coated wire,prevent inspection of wire and can allow crevice corrosion, I think.

 

[merlin3688]

Sta Lok has some good pictures of Guard wire fittings, as has been mentioned swaging the ends is a common way of making the wires, a fork on the front end and a rigging screw or eye on the aft end, the aft end for either option has a swaged stud that passes through the stanchions and then the eye/rigging screw is fixed on. Agree that plastic coated wire is not used so often now. Measuring is easy, just run a tape from front to back following the stanchions, if an eye is supplied for the aft end it should be a few inches short and a small rope tensions the wire. Hope this makes sense! Wire can be 4mm and 1x19.

 

[vyv_cox]

We have a fork at each end, forward one is a swaged joint and the aft is a Sta-lok fitting with a turnbuckle. This allows you to make it up yourself and remove it to replace a bent stanchion. Some people prefer to have an eye and lashing aft that can be cut if necessary to help recovery of a MOB. On a previous boat we had a pelican hook that could achieve the same thing.

 

[Jabamusic]

............. remove it to replace a bent stanchion.

How did you know that........!!!

 

[Seajet]

If fitting new guard wires - yes, plastic covered stuff to be avoided, there's a good reason it's not allowed in offshore racing - do condider fitting pelican hooks at the pushpit.

Proper stainless hooks such as Gibb made / make, not the tiny bronze dinghy jobs one sometimes sees used.

There are 2 types, swage on or shackle on, both will require measurement of the wire to allow for their length.

I found by trial and error from the box of spare shackles I was able to tension the wires without using vulnerable lashings or expensiver hassle bottlescrews.

The only reason apart from cost that people used to use lashings was to avoid RDF quadrantal error, we don't have that problem now.

These pelican hooks are incredibly useful in everyday sailing, alongside pontoons to make cockpit access easier ( wire can be kept tight by doubling back to middle stanchion ) or getting in and out of dinghies.

For MOB recovery they're quick, and the huge advantage compared to cut lashings is that the boat isn't left with no guardrail in what may well be rough conditions.

These hooks are around £9.00 each, one of the best things I ever fitted.

 

[vyv_cox]

How did you know that........!!!

Three up to now! First time was in Guernsey, we walked down the pontoon and watched a US flagged boat reverse out, bending our stanchion in the process. I shouted at him, to which he replied that he was coming back and would sort out with me when he did. He didn't of course. The second and third were in Sardinia, berthing stern-to on lazy lines in a force 7 cross-wind.