Rigging inspection came back, results not good :(

[timmygobang]

As part of a getting to know my boat. I got a rigging inspection done for peace of mind.

Turns out Holman Rigging saw something I didn't and the lower shroud has some stray wires, making the boat unsafe to sail.

Recommendation is to get the whole lot redone. The rigging was supposedly done in 2006 by the previous owner.

Question is, is now the time to get a new mast and boom? do people normally do the whole lot if you're the new owner? or to conserve some money is it fine to just get a new mast and leave the boom for now.

Needless to say I could do without the expense

 

[robmcg]

A riggers recommendation will always be to get the whole lot replaced - but I doubt they mean the mast and boom aswell. If you have a shroud wire that is parting, replace it. Not expensive and you can work your way around the rigging over a couple of seasons.

Rob

 

[ip485]

I cant see any reason why the "state" of the rigging has anything to do with the "state" of the mast and boom. Both masts and booms will go on for ever, and unless there is any good reason to think they have been structurally compromised why replace either. If they have been compromised it should be clear form the inspection.

With regard to the rigging there may also be no good reason to replace the lot. If it was renewed in 2006 it should be within its service life even for the more cautious insurance policies. It is more than conceivable the damage is only to the one shroud.

Since it has been inspected I would go with the surveyors recommendations.

(You dont say what type of rig or boat).

 

[timmygobang]

It's a Halmatic 30, sloop rig.

I want to do some offshore sailing. So I guess my thought process is that if the rigging has been compromised I now wonder what the state of the mast is like. I don't have any experience of this type of thing to go on so appreciate peoples thoughts.

 

[pvb]

It's a Halmatic 30, sloop rig.

I want to do some offshore sailing. So I guess my thought process is that if the rigging has been compromised I now wonder what the state of the mast is like. I don't have any experience of this type of thing to go on so appreciate peoples thoughts.

Your rigger should be able to advise you on the condition of the mast & boom, although as others have said it's unlikely these will need replacing!

 

[Tranona]

Mast and boom are much easier to assess. As already suggested the basic extrusions go on for ever and it is easy to spot if there are any splits or corrosion that might compromise the strength. The vulnerable points are the fittings attached to the mast and again these are easy to inspect and replace if necessary. The usual procedure is to take the mast down and inspect everything, particularly rivetted fittings, shackles, clevis pins, rigging screws etc. While it is down consider replacing the wire. This is less expensive than you might imagine, particularly if you do it yourself by taking all the wires off and getting direct replacements made. The problem with rigging wire is that its life is unpredictable, but a failure of one would suggest it is prudent to replace them all.

 

[[70521]]

Recommendation is to get the whole lot redone. The rigging was supposedly done in 2006 by the previous owner.

Ask them to spell it out in words of one syllable, what is wrong and why the whole lot needs to be done.

 

[mrming]

I cant see any reason why the "state" of the rigging has anything to do with the "state" of the mast and boom. Both masts and booms will go on for ever, and unless there is any good reason to think they have been structurally compromised why replace either.

+1 to this. Standing rigging is a "wear" item which is replaced every so often. Masts and booms not so much.

 

[robmcg]

It's a Halmatic 30, sloop rig.

I want to do some offshore sailing. So I guess my thought process is that if the rigging has been compromised I now wonder what the state of the mast is like. I don't have any experience of this type of thing to go on so appreciate peoples thoughts.

Generally, masts only suffer from electrolysis related issues where there are 2 dissimilar metals eg a stainless fitting, in contact with the aluminium mast itself. Generally, these fittings are isolated from the aluminium of the mast by various means so corrosion doesn't happen. In your case, the riggers have found a shroud with several broken strands - possibly on its way to failing. This can be swapped out for minimal cost and hassle and should be able to be done with the mast up. Even for offshore sailing I would not even contemplate changing the mast or boom unless there was a structural reason to do so. The rigging is designed to be replaced over time, the mast is generally for life. Yes people will say there are exceptions to this but I would be more than happy to sail your Halmatic offshore with its original mast and boom. Just get that shroud swapped out first !

Rob

 

[sailorman]

As part of a getting to know my boat. I got a rigging inspection done for peace of mind.

Turns out Holman Rigging saw something I didn't and the lower shroud has some stray wires, making the boat unsafe to sail.

Recommendation is to get the whole lot redone. The rigging was supposedly done in 2006 by the previous owner.

Question is, is now the time to get a new mast and boom? do people normally do the whole lot if you're the new owner? or to conserve some money is it fine to just get a new mast and leave the boom for now.

Needless to say I could do without the expense

My mast is 34 yrs old, it is pretty much as new

 

[Leighb]

I would echo others advice re mast and boom. Unless there is real evidence that anything is wrong with them no need to replace, my Halmatic is fine with the 30 year old spars. A careful check with the mast down of all attachments, clevis pins, etc is definitely worth doing however.

As far as the standing rigging is concerned I would be inclined to have it replaced. You say it was done 7 years ago "by the previous owner" does that imply he actually did it himself? If so and one shroud has already failed it may be that his work was not up to scratch. For peace of mind I would get them replaced professionally.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Its very clear from the answers that there is no need to replace the mast or boom, with which I agree entirely. However, if I had a boat which was unknown to me and one shroud had a stray wire broken out, I would ask myself, did the rigging really get replaced in 2006, was it all replaced, has it been done using poor quality materials or poor quality of work? I would also go on to ask myself, if this has happened to one shroud, which might be next? I suspect most masts that fall down do so as a result of rigging failure. So IMO, dont mess about, get all the rigging replaced and have peace of mind.

PS, Holman Rigging have been around a long time, have a very good reputation, so take their advice with confidence.

 

[timmygobang]

Its very clear from the answers that there is no need to replace the mast or boom, with which I agree entirely. However, if I had a boat which was unknown to me and one shroud had a stray wire broken out, I would ask myself, did the rigging really get replaced in 2006, was it all replaced, has it been done using poor quality materials or poor quality of work? I would also go on to ask myself, if this has happened to one shroud, which might be next? I suspect most masts that fall down do so as a result of rigging failure. So IMO, dont mess about, get all the rigging replaced and have peace of mind.

PS, Holman Rigging have been around a long time, have a very good reputation, so take their advice with confidence.

Thanks everyone for their advice.

I'm getting the quote tomorrow, and will get all the rigging replaced for peace of mind, and will inspect the mast and fittings when it's taken down with someone from the yard with a experienced eye. I'm glad to hear that booms and masts have a longer lifespan than the rigging, phew!

I've only heard good things about Holman Rigging, and a friend of mine used them last year so happy to take their advice.

Thanks once again

 

[vyv_cox]

The cause of single strands failing at the swage is almost certainly fatigue, usually caused by undertightening of the rig. The logical conclusion is that all wires could be affected. You could take a chance that, for example, if a lower shroud had failed then the opposite side would be affected but perhaps not the cap shrouds. If you were desperate to save money you could maybe get away with a very thorough inspection of them but it would be far safer to replace all shrouds.

None of this applies to the mast (or boom), which for these purposes, especially for a masthead rig, can be considered to be rigid.

If you have a photo of the failed strands I would be very happy to have a copy for the website. You can read a bit about fatigue on boats at http://coxengineering.sharepoint.com/Pages/Fatigue.aspx Even better, any chance of having the failed part after it has been removed?

 

[timmygobang]

The cause of single strands failing at the swage is almost certainly fatigue, usually caused by undertightening of the rig. The logical conclusion is that all wires could be affected. You could take a chance that, for example, if a lower shroud had failed then the opposite side would be affected but perhaps not the cap shrouds. If you were desperate to save money you could maybe get away with a very thorough inspection of them but it would be far safer to replace all shrouds.

None of this applies to the mast (or boom), which for these purposes, especially for a masthead rig, can be considered to be rigid.

If you have a photo of the failed strands I would be very happy to have a copy for the website. You can read a bit about fatigue on boats at http://coxengineering.sharepoint.com/Pages/Fatigue.aspx Even better, any chance of having the failed part after it has been removed?

Sure thing, I'll be taking pictures this weekend when I go down for my own blog.

pm me with our email address and I'll send over some pictures next Monday. I'll ask to for the failed parts to be kept and we'll work out postage etc once I have them

Thanks for the link

 

[alahol2]

I know of an Anderson 30 (same as Hurley 30) that has lost 2 masts, both times from a lower shroud letting go. The first failure I don't know the details of. The second failure was because the riggers under specified the lower shrouds. The mast was replaced under guarantee with the lower shrouds up-rated to the same spec as the main shrouds.
Something worth checking.

 

[savageseadog]

Its very clear from the answers that there is no need to replace the mast or boom, with which I agree entirely. However, if I had a boat which was unknown to me and one shroud had a stray wire broken out, I would ask myself, did the rigging really get replaced in 2006, was it all replaced, has it been done using poor quality materials or poor quality of work? I would also go on to ask myself, if this has happened to one shroud, which might be next? I suspect most masts that fall down do so as a result of rigging failure. So IMO, dont mess about, get all the rigging replaced and have peace of mind.

PS, Holman Rigging have been around a long time, have a very good reputation, so take their advice with confidence.

.

Pretty much what I would be thinking. Is the rigging to specification as well?

 

[pvb]

The cause of single strands failing at the swage is almost certainly fatigue, usually caused by undertightening of the rig. The logical conclusion is that all wires could be affected.

Vyv's point is worth noting. Few boatowners will ever tension rigging as highly as a professional rigger would, and fatigue failure is often the result. Even if he replaces the standing rigging himself, the OP would be well advised to get his rigger to tension it properly.

 

[ghostlymoron]

When my last boat was surveyed prior to purchase, the vendor said that he had had the standing rigging replaced. I asked him for receipts which he hadn't got. Surveyor took the view that without receipts we had to assume that it was never done. So i had it all replaced and was glad that i did. Never occurred to me to have new mast though. They are not so prone to invisible faults .

 

[Blue Drifter]

Plenty of good advice above, and for info/comparison I replaced the all of the standing rigging of my 1979 Halmatic 30 in Mar 12, it had previously been replaced in 1996 so was around 15+ years old. The total cost (it was completed while the mast was down) was around £1250 and the work was done by Mast & RIgging Services Largs/Kip. Forget replacing the mast and boom unless the report specifically identifies them as requiring replacement. Not sure which rig you have, early Halmatics had a proctor rig with a roller reefing boom for the main but I understand later versions dropped the roller boom in favour of straight forward slab reefing. I replaced the roller reefing boom (although it was in good working order) at the same time as part of a longer term program to move to a new main, with conventional slab reefing and a quick drop/lazy jack system. The new boom, which also required a new gooseneck also came in around £1250 (fitted).