replacing rigging

[rkane]

Does anyone have any advice on replacing stainless steel rigging? I know official guidlines say it should be done every 10 years but it this due to the 'life' of stainless steel or to the amount of use they presume it will have had during that time? We have recently bought an ocean-going sailing cruiser of which we know the history very well and know it has done VERY little sailing - 6 years to build / fit out followed by 9 years of use for short motoring pleasure trips. The rigging looks to be in excellent condition but is this misleading? Any advice would be very gratefully received!



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[johnsomerhausen]

There are two ways of looking at this question: is the condition of the rigging good enough to satisfy you and is it good enough to satisfy your insurance company ? As far as satisfying you goes, the places tp look at in the first place are the swaged terminals; salty moisture gets in there and causes corrosion due to lack of enough oxygen to keep the "stainless" rust-free. The rust expands and causes the swage to crack. Using either a special fluid or a 50 magnification magnifying glass (thjese are easily available here in the USA - don't know about the UK), you'll be able to see if the swages are free of cracks. If you are going to renew the rigging (to satisfy your insurance company), ask the rigger to pour some polyurethan caulk into the swaged terminals before inserting the wire (that's why the "mechanical terminals" - Norseman and StaLok - are preferred).
john

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