replacing shrouds, cost and necessity

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Conrad

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Has anyone any experience on cost they can share for replacing shrouds on a 30 ft mast.

Also any comment on necessity, aside from stating on a surveyors report mine look fine, no rust, they're tensioned and keep the mast erect.

For instance has anyone had any snap and said I wished I'd renewed as per the surveyors report.
 
Stainless, if subject to flexing suffers from work hardening and breaks. The standard advice is to replace all stainless rigging after ten years if subject to an easy life and 5 years if racing.

New port side shrouds on Glayva, one of three yachts that completed the transatlantic jester challenge that started two years ago failed due to the effects of vibration and caused John to retire from his first attempt.

If you don't replace them, 1) you might not be insured if there is a rig failure, and 2) every time it blows, or you gybe, you will be thinking about your rig.

If I bought a secondhand yacht, unless I knew the history I would replace the standing rigging.
 
Stainless can look fine, apparently, but weaken through fatigue. I didn't know age of mine so after some pondering decided on replacement. Was about £450 for a 9 metre but can't remember how many new bottlescrews involved.
 
Stainless steel 1x19 wire does fail after a calender period of being in service. It appears to be more susceptible the smaller the wire is. ie on smaller boats.
I know of 4 keel boats that have had rigging wire suddenly fail in the last few years. In each case the mast was destroyed.
In each case the wire was though to be over 20 years old (original).

So yes you should consider replacing the wire on ypour 30fter if it is over 15 years old. No you can not just inspect the wire it fails without warning.

It is not much help to you but I have just had a new forestay made about 30ft long of 5mm 7x19 with thimbles and copper swage on each ned for $41 (that is 20 squid to you.)(I think boating stuff is always cheaper here in oz)

It just happens I am going to replace the sidestays today. I expect a lot more expensive due to use of rolled swage fitting incorporating the screw of the bottle screw. (mid winter here and boat is at home)

good luck ol;ewill
 
If you go on the Jimmy Green site www.jimmygreen.co.uk and get into the section on custom standing rigging you will get all the information on wire and terminal ends for you to get an estimate of the cost. You just need to know size of wire, length in metres and style of terminal fittings.

I would expect their price to be competitive with a local rigger, so you should have a ballpark price for when you shop around.
 
I had a forestay replaced on my boat this year (43 foot mast) at a cost of over £200. That was in 8mm with Norseman terminals, so they could even reuse the terminals. When I do the rest, I will do it myself, as I did last time. That cost about £600 for 7 wires in 6mm. I would have done the forestay except I do not have a cutter to handle 8mm and the roler gear needed dismantled to fit it. Norseman terminals are easy to use. Consider DIY.
 
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That was in 8mm with Norseman terminals, so they could even reuse the terminals. When I do the rest, I will do it myself, as I did last time. That cost about £600 for 7 wires in 6mm. I would have done the forestay except I do not have a cutter to handle 8mm and the roler gear needed dismantled to fit it. Norseman terminals are easy to use. Consider DIY.

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Another vote for norseman although initial cost is quite high. I use an angle grinder with 1mm cutting disc for cutting steel wire rope, much easier than cutters and a cleaner cut.
 
Aladdin Riggers did my 9.04 m boat Winter 06/07 -cost of replacing all standing and running rigging was about £800. Replaced on basis of 10 year cycle.
 
I definitely subscribe to the "it's cheaper to replace before the mast falls dow" theory and have replace the rigging in all three of my boats on purchase as in each case I was not able to determine the true history of the rigging.

As for price, it is very much driven by the size of the wire, my latest boat has all 8mm and that stuff is pricey, about £1200 to £1300
 
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