Rod rigging v wire

[Rum_Pirate]

I am considerig purchasing a yacht with rod rigging of an unknown age.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of changing the rod rigging on a yacht to wire and what is the method of calculation to determine the wire replacement?


What are the advantages/disadvantages of rod rigging on a yacht v wire rigging?

I have not approached a yard yet, but are costs of each similar?

 

[smth448]

Rod rigging has higher strength and lower stretch than wire of a similar diameter. It is widely used on racing boats as it has lower windage and weight for a given strength. If the boat has an unknown history a surveyor will cover himself by saying the rigging must be replaced. Rod rigging needs to be replaced more frequently than conventional wire. Its major disadvantage is that you get no advanced warning of a failure so the first thing you notice is the top of the mast hitting the sea!
If you want to use the boat for cruising then I would replace the rigging with wire, but be careful, the wore will be thicker and the end fittings and bottlescrews will be fatter so may not fit your mast or chainplates.

 

[jgah]

I am rewiring my boat with rod at the moment.
Changing to wire is more expensive because of the adjustments that have to be made at spreaders etc.
Try to imagine how the designer must have thought in designing this particular boat.

 

[Oldhand]

I think you would be best to discuss any change to wire with the yacht builder/designer or at least the mast maker. The mast and rigging are likely to have been designed as a package and changing from rod to wire may throw the design parameters for the mast out the window. The weight of the rig will also have been taken into account by the boat designer, at least in respect to righting moment, so increasing the rig weight with wire needs to be assessed in that respect too.

The biggest enemy of rod rigging is vibration. We always tried to minimise rig vibration on our rod rigged yacht and the rig was only renewed after 10.5 years to satisfy the insurers.

 

[jgah]

The rig I am replacing is probably 22 years old (rod). Still looks pretty new apart from the terminals.
Have a look on the Navtec site. 40.000 miles on a lake or moderate cruising is different from a round the world trip in 4 years.
Advantage of buying new is that you know what your rig went through, at least most of the time.
Vibration is a good point. Tie up the cover of your headsail to avoid this, or better, remove it.

 

[BAtoo]

AFAIK the biggest problem changing rod to wire is that you need new terminals which wipe out the cost benefit of the cheaper wire - so if the terminals are ok sticking with rod is cheaper - and its what the designer intended - & I suspect he (or she) knows best!!!