Replacing standing rigging - DIY answers

sarabande

sarabande

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There's a possibility that when I have the mast extracted for a general check plus some electrical work, I may discover problems with the standing rigging. There's a full boat insurance survey due before 2025, and it may be worth the absence of worry to replace the standing rigging anyway.

Anyone done this please ? Benefits and snags. And which of Norseman and Sta-Lock is easier/better to use please ? I am happy to buy n metres of stainless wire rope and cut it myself, but looking for recommendation of a good supplier.
 
sarabande said:
There's a possibility that when I have the mast extracted for a general check plus some electrical work, I may discover problems with the standing rigging. There's a full boat insurance survey due before 2025, and it may be worth the absence of worry to replace the standing rigging anyway.

Anyone done this please ? Benefits and snags. And which of Norseman and Sta-Lock is easier/better to use please ? I am happy to buy n metres of stainless wire rope and cut it myself, but looking for recommendation of a good supplier.
Click to expand...
I did it a few years back in Greece , it was done with the mast upright.
I took of one at a time and had a pair made up,
The forestay was the biggest problem , we had to take down the furler ,
I used a sta-lock on the forestay.
It be much easier for you if the mast is down.
 
I'm curious, as a motor boater the cost of standing rigging, running rigging, winches, spars and sails isnt a cost I have to think about.

What does standing rigging cost?

(I get to spend on engines and fuel)
 
sarabande said:
There's a possibility that when I have the mast extracted for a general check plus some electrical work, I may discover problems with the standing rigging. There's a full boat insurance survey due before 2025, and it may be worth the absence of worry to replace the standing rigging anyway.

Anyone done this please ? Benefits and snags. And which of Norseman and Sta-Lock is easier/better to use please ? I am happy to buy n metres of stainless wire rope and cut it myself, but looking for recommendation of a good supplier.
Click to expand...

I went through the costing exercise last year and there's a hell of a difference in price between swaged and StaLock, the latter being far more expensive. If the mast is down, I would have the new rig swaged. Our rig is now 20 years old and surprisingly given a clean bill of health on recent insurance survey and rig inspection. Surveyor didn't mention it's age in report, just inspected and included photos of terminals and declared it to be serviceable.
 
I rerigged our 34' masthead rig with double spreaders two years ago. approx £2k all in from Eurospars on the south coast where I sent them one half of the old rigging and they made exact copies. They supplied the forestay with a loose end and Sta-loc fitting for the roller reefing foil. Easy to fit, just measure 20 times before cutting!!! Simple job tbh.
 
burgundyben said:
I'm curious, as a motor boater the cost of standing rigging, running rigging, winches, spars and sails isnt a cost I have to think about.

What does standing rigging cost?

(I get to spend on engines and fuel)
Click to expand...
I had my standing rigging replaced last year by a rigger, and it cost £1600, not including boatyard costs for slipping and getting the mast down. The old rigging had done 14 years, so we're looking at an annual cost in the region of £100. With sails it's like a piece of string. An ardent racer might replace sails every other year, and be using high tech materials and designs. A cruiser like me will go for ten or more years and use low tech material and conservative designs. My working sails would cost around £2500 to replace, but mine have lasted well over ten years.

I'm in the process of changing my boom for one that allows single line reefing, and that will cost something like £1500-£2000. But that's a choice I have made - the old boom is fine, it just doesn't allow the changes I want to make.
 
ctva said:
I rerigged our 34' masthead rig with double spreaders two years ago. approx £2k all in from Eurospars on the south coast where I sent them one half of the old rigging and they made exact copies. They supplied the forestay with a loose end and Sta-loc fitting for the roller reefing foil. Easy to fit, just measure 20 times before cutting!!! Simple job tbh.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Very informative. Not as much as I would have guessed.
 
sarabande said:
There's a possibility that when I have the mast extracted for a general check plus some electrical work, I may discover problems with the standing rigging. There's a full boat insurance survey due before 2025, and it may be worth the absence of worry to replace the standing rigging anyway.

Anyone done this please ? Benefits and snags. And which of Norseman and Sta-Lock is easier/better to use please ? I am happy to buy n metres of stainless wire rope and cut it myself, but looking for recommendation of a good supplier.
Click to expand...

For swageless fittings, I'd go with Hi-Mod, which are a bit more evolved than either Norseman or Sta-Lock. Main difference is easier to assemble and less failure prone (no risk of jammed/crossed strands). Also see the other thread here about getting one end pre-swaged with the wire a bit longer, saves you a lot of time and potentially money. Or since you'll have the mast down, no reason not to order both ends pre-made, you just have to supply accurate measurements and agree which points you are measuring from :) Make sure you adjust for any that are currently at the edge of their adjustments (too long or short).

For cutting wire-rope, angle-grinder with metal cutting disc is best, don't bother with pliers that you'll end up dulling after two cuts and having to jump on the handles. Take some photos while you do it in case the insurance wants to see something later.
 
sarabande said:
There's a possibility that when I have the mast extracted for a general check plus some electrical work, I may discover problems with the standing rigging. There's a full boat insurance survey due before 2025, and it may be worth the absence of worry to replace the standing rigging anyway.

Anyone done this please ? Benefits and snags. And which of Norseman and Sta-Lock is easier/better to use please ? I am happy to buy n metres of stainless wire rope and cut it myself, but looking for recommendation of a good supplier.
Click to expand...
https://www.gsproducts.co.uk/builder
I have just ordered a 'made up stay' from the above. It was less than half the price of well known suppliers. There customer service was great. I will get the stay any day now and will report.
As stated the DIY fittings are massively more expensive than getting them swaged on.
If you are in UK and the mast is down you can get good measurements or I guess they will be happy to replicate what you send them.
Good luck
 
I bought a replacement rig from Z-Spars last year, cost was about £1400 for a 39ft boat using 7mm wire. One end was swaged, all stays left over length and a STA-LOK fitting used on the lower ends. Swaged all round is significantly cheaper and easier but you need to drop the mast and send the old rig away, and that wasn't an option for me.

I did make one quite expensive mistake- I had assumed the forestay was the same diameter as everything else, and it was bigger. £250 for a replacement stay; I was in Portugal by that point and prices were a bit higher.

Swapping out the stays with the mast up was certainly interesting. A mast supported only by the lowers is surprisingly bendy. I'm glad we have a dumpy rig and that I don't weigh too much.
 
Graham376 said:
I went through the costing exercise last year and there's a hell of a difference in price between swaged and StaLock, the latter being far more expensive. If the mast is down, I would have the new rig swaged. Our rig is now 20 years old and surprisingly given a clean bill of health on recent insurance survey and rig inspection. Surveyor didn't mention it's age in report, just inspected and included photos of terminals and declared it to be serviceable.
Click to expand...
Our surveyor refused to make any comment on the standing rigging condition ! He said he was not a qualified metalurgist ( or whatever) and the cost of sending it for testing would be exorbitant. The main sail rigging is just 11 years old. Dont know what the insurers will say about this!!
 
Not wanting start an argument, but here in Japan when I mentioned that my rigging was old, the comment was ,'So what?'
Of course, it is visually checked , but working loads seem to be more of a consideration than age.

When I explained that in many countries 10 year old rigging was considered unsafe the comment was, "Oh, they use Chinese stainless do they?"
When I further explained that is was not inferior stainless but a requirement of the insurance policy, I was met with a blank stare.

This is not a fly by night marine service operation , but one of the best (reputation wise ) in the country.
People sail 400 kilo up from Tokyo to have work done here.

It seems that the working life of stainless rigging is not a given everywhere. Interesting I though.

gary
 
Graham376 said:
I went through the costing exercise last year and there's a hell of a difference in price between swaged and StaLock, the latter being far more expensive. If the mast is down, I would have the new rig swaged. Our rig is now 20 years old and surprisingly given a clean bill of health on recent insurance survey and rig inspection. Surveyor didn't mention it's age in report, just inspected and included photos of terminals and declared it to be serviceable.
Click to expand...
I replaced all the sga. Ding rovgk g on my pfdvk9 yacht
5082 I used sgagllc ckgtinvs
A d bought the wire from Ormiston wire. The all very straightforward and easy fora competent in srspn. O jnsld survey knvllved
508saklkng2 good luck a d of enjoy the rest of silk g?
 
The approach that I followed was to buy stays slightly over-length with a swaged terminal at the mast end. Then cut to size at the boat using a Sta-Lok at the deck end. Jimmy Green supplies them this way and, no doubt, other firms.
 
The trouble.with stainless is it can fail without warning, or so I have read. My rig is coming up to the 10 year mark in the next year or two. I'll probably push my luck a bit and leave it to year 12 ish as im hardly going round the Horn. But as always with boats its that Stitch in Time thing. To reduce the cost my plan is to order online and fit myself. Maybe over a couple of seasons.
 
stu9000 said:
The trouble.with stainless is it can fail without warning, or so I have read. My rig is coming up to the 10 year mark in the next year or two. I'll probably push my luck a bit and leave it to year 12 ish as im hardly going round the Horn. But as always with boats its that Stitch in Time thing. To reduce the cost my plan is to order online and fit myself. Maybe over a couple of seasons.
Click to expand...
Not true, stainless steel is always ductile and never fails without warning. Rigging can fail in fatigue, whether stainless or carbon steel but fatigue commences with a crack that can be seen on inspection.
 
garymalmgren said:
When I explained that in many countries 10 year old rigging was considered unsafe the comment was, "Oh, they use Chinese stainless do they?"
When I further explained that is was not inferior stainless but a requirement of the insurance policy, I was met with a blank stare.
Click to expand...
Insurance companies are mitigating their risk to loss. Not that complicated.

Personally, I prefer to have my rigging done every 10 years rather than be 300 nm offshore trying to sort out a fallen mast. Then others may like that sort of challenge.
 
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