Rigging and Lidl angle grinder

I carry boltcrops, hacksaw, and a cordless grinder. Hope to god I never have to actually use any of them in anger.
I have the grinder aboard anyway because I've always got a project on the go. The matching drill is likewise in regular use so the batteries are generally charged and ready.
I appreciate the comments about using a grinder single-handed on a pitching deck, but tbh I think it's a bit overblown. I use my one-handed all the time, ok it's not good practice and it is a safety risk but touch wood it's been fine so far. The hardest bit with mine is that you need two hands to turn it on.
Usually with a grinder you're worried about cutting into the workbench or whatever, I don't think that's much of a consideration with a dismasting as a few gouges in the deck are the least of your problems.

By the way about five or so years ago I was sailing in company (there may have been buoys and a 'winner' involved now I think about it) when a nearby boat lost its mast. It does happen. Fault was traced to a lost clevis pin. It was a beautiful day, solid F4 and sunny, but not the sort of conditions you would associate with a dismasting.
 
Spirit (of Glenans) said:
Although I fortunately don't have any direct experience, I would expect that the offending rigging would be under tension due to the fact that the spars are hanging from it.
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I got direct experience, and no, not all of the wires are under tension. Actually, in my case the only stays under tension were those that fell over the top of the stump and kept the top part of the mast drilling into the deck. Since this happened to me I do carry a cordless grinder and a large hacksaw. Boltcutters are useless.
 
Catalina36 said:
Using a hacksaw to cut rigging wire might be plausible if the wire were held in a vice. On a heaving deck, trying to hold the wire still while getting the teeth to form a cut and stay in it, good luck. Only another seven wires to go...
I'd go for the cordless angle grinder, it'll cut with the lightest pressure on the wire - but pack some spare batteries.
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Sawing multistrand s/s wire is awkward. I would saw through the two legs of the rigging screw.
 
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cherod said:
a grinder is an absolute necessity on any boat , a most versatile piece of equipment .
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I managed for 21 years living aboard without one. :)

I think if I was gonna use one to cut away rigging from a snapped mast, I would test it by chucking a couple of buckets of seawater over it first. If it still works, what a bonus and I would agree with you!
 
Poignard said:
I would saw through the two legs of the rigging screw.
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Yes, opinion varies on whether it's easier to saw to sides of the bronze body, or the stainless threaded part closest to the chainplate.
No one is contemplating sawing the wire - that would be silly.

For the angle grinders to work, you have to have a charged battery and not have a wave of salty water splash over you.
 
YM did all this for the Crash Test Boat series. IIRC it was the hacksaw that won.
But every situation will be different and in some cases knocking out the clevis pins might be best.

Re: waterproofing, for the few seconds that you need the grinder to work you could always wrap a plastic bag around the cooling holes. Tape it if you have time and/or the grinder is solely intended as emergency gear.
 
Kelpie said:
Re: waterproofing, for the few seconds that you need the grinder to work you could always wrap a plastic bag around the cooling holes. Tape it if you have time and/or the grinder is solely intended as emergency gear.
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If you think you can manoeuvre around the deck of a dismasted boat, when the motion becomes insanely wild and unpredictable, and cut your way through up to nine wires or turnbuckles in "a few seconds", then make sure you get it on video and post it on Youtube - I'd pay to see it!
 
bedouin said:
I hate angle grinders at the best of times. The idea of trying to use one on a a pitching yacht deck in the sort of conditions that is likely to have caused a dismasting is truely frightening.

However I don't have a better idea - I carry a pair of bolt cutters that I am 99% certain aren't up to the job of cutting through the shrouds.
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Agreed, and I've said this before - bolt cutters aren't designed for cutting wire rope. There's a clue in the name.
 
Motor_Sailor said:
If you think you can manoeuvre around the deck of a dismasted boat, when the motion becomes insanely wild and unpredictable, and cut your way through up to nine wires or turnbuckles in "a few seconds", then make sure you get it on video and post it on Youtube - I'd pay to see it!
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'

Also, with the mast over the side, there will be rigging grinding about across the coachroof, ropes everywhere, rigging screws and chainplates may well be twisted out of shape, those on the side where the mast is will be hanging over the side, the mast may be trying to batter its way through the hull, waves may be crashing over, you may feel seasick and shit-scared etc.! Not a happy situation.

You know what? I'm going to check my rigging this year! :(
 
Motor_Sailor said:
If you think you can manoeuvre around the deck of a dismasted boat, when the motion becomes insanely wild and unpredictable, and cut your way through up to nine wires or turnbuckles in "a few seconds", then make sure you get it on video and post it on Youtube - I'd pay to see it!
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you could go throo a 10mm wire in about 5 seconds , lot better than fkn around with plyers and clevis pins , hacksaws , croppers or whatever ,, different ball game
 
Just as an aside, I've had no split pins in my rigging screws for the past 10 years when I took them out to adjust the tension, left them out while I got it right and then found that the screws don't move on their own anyway. They haven't moved in all that time so I don't think they will now but if they started to do so I'd notice a long time before they fully unwound. OTOH if I ever have to undo them in a hurry, bingo. Sometimes we're constrained by convention.
 
Catalina36 said:
Using a hacksaw to cut rigging wire might be plausible if the wire were held in a vice. On a heaving deck, trying to hold the wire still while getting the teeth to form a cut and stay in it, good luck. Only another seven wires to go...
I'd go for the cordless angle grinder, it'll cut with the lightest pressure on the wire - but pack some spare batteries.
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Grinder aside, you're better off hacksawing the soft metal bottles crews rather than the stainless steel. I tried it; went through in about four minutes using a blade that was already dull. A batch of new blades will do me as my main option.

My other issue with the grinder (although based on this thread I will consider it) is you can't just pass it to a crew member and say go, while you monitor the Comms. If they have never used it before the risk of injury, on a bouncy deck, seems large
 
RJJ said:
Grinder aside, you're better off hacksawing the soft metal bottles crews rather than the stainless steel. I tried it; went through in about four minutes using a blade that was already dull. A batch of new blades will do me as my main option.

My other issue with the grinder (although based on this thread I will consider it) is you can't just pass it to a crew member and say go, while you monitor the Comms. If they have never used it before the risk of injury, on a bouncy deck, seems large
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the risk of injury in a difficult situation with an inexperienced person are high .
 
Catalina36 said:
Using a hacksaw to cut rigging wire might be plausible if the wire were held in a vice. On a heaving deck, trying to hold the wire still while getting the teeth to form a cut and stay in it, good luck. Only another seven wires to go...
I'd go for the cordless angle grinder, it'll cut with the lightest pressure on the wire - but pack some spare batteries.
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I have wire cutters
 
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