Rigging screws

[VicS]

Which way up? Is there any convention?

RH thread on top, LH on bottom

LH on top, RH on the bottom

Either provided they are all the same way up.

Any old whichway. Some up one way some the other

 

[alahol2]

On all the boats I've had the rigging screw screwed onto the wires the normal way, screws anti-clockwise onto the bit on deck. So I guess that's right hand on top and left hand on bottom.

 

[l'escargot]

Never actually thought about it and couldn't tell you which way they have been on any boat I've had - including the ones that I have replaced bottle screws on.

 

[prv]

Right-handed (ie, normal) thread on the bottom. That way it feels like you're tightening things downwards when you turn it to increase tension.

Not a big deal, though, and I have been known to carelessly mix them up (KS's rigging screws are forks both ends).

Pete

 

[starfire]

does it matter ?

 

[William_H]

Rigging wires I have fitted of recent times has the RH normal thread on a swage on the wire. So no choice RH thread at the top LH thread on the deck fitting. But surely otherwise it does not matter. good luck olewill

 

[vyv_cox]

All mine have the right hand thread at the top. I don't recall ever seeing wire swaged fittings with a left hand thread.

 

[vyv_cox]

All mine have the right hand thread at the top. I don't recall ever seeing wire swaged fittings with a left hand thread.

Ha ha. Just checked my babystay, permanently covered to improve tacking the genoa round it. It was bought in France and has a left hand thread on the wire swage. So I have four righthand at top, one lefthand.

 

[Salty John]

Thoughts about rigging screws: http://saltyjohn.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/turnbuckles.html

 

[prv]

Thoughts about rigging screws: http://saltyjohn.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/turnbuckles.html
Did you know that the right hand thread should be at the top? This means that when you turn the turnbuckle body anti clockwise the stay tightens.

Go on then, you have flatly asserted which way up they should go, but you don't give any reason.

Given the choice, I go for the other way round, because usually when I turn things anticlockwise they loosen, and I don't see why I should make my shrouds confusingly different.

If there is a reason to prefer backwards tightening, I'd be glad to hear it

Pete

 

[Salty John]

When you are kneeling on the deck looking up at your rigging with the rigging screw in your right hand you will naturally feel it appropriate to turn the rigging screw anticlockwise to tighten it. This may, intellectually, seem wrong because as we all know, lefty= loosey, but I think you'll find that, to most people, it feels right. I suppose that's why most rigging is fitted this way.

But, I'm not the authority on this - you can fit your rigging screws anyway you like.

 

[rgarside]

I understand that the reason for RH thread to be on top in the UK is that UK riggers do not normally have LH threaded "pullers" for their swaging machines. The "puller" is the large nut that gets screwed on to the threaded swage terminal that the hydraulics pull on when doing the swage to the wire. Hence its not right or wrong, just normal for practical reasons.

 

[alahol2]

If you think of it as screwing the turnbuckle body onto the wire in order to pull it downwards it doesn't even feel left handed, it just feels 'normal'.

 

[VicS]

Thanks for the replies.

I helped step a mast yesterday and fitted all the rigging screws with the RH thread on the bottom. Later when I thought about it I realized that mine, which are spliced onto the wires, are all the other way up.

No big deal I guess but it would have been nice to have done it "correctly" on someone else's boat.

 

[oldharry]

I always thought it should be RH top. RH bottom so it tightens 'normally' is easier and is commonly found, but from the engineering point of view the screw should turn AGAINST the lay of the wire, so there is no risk of loosening the strands while tensioning it.

Whichever, the screws should all be the same way up, otherwise things can get complicated when setting up the rig!

 

[winsbury]

My forward lowers are lefties and all the others are rights...mast can be lowered with an A-frame so it helps differentiate forward and aft lowers when refitting everything prior to restepping the mast