Shroud fittings

[steve yates]

Are all shrouds and stays always supplied swaged? or are there alternative ways of securing the ends that can be done oneself?
If they are swaged do you measure stays to include the swaged end?

For instance if I want to replace a lifeline, or a steering cable, or a forestay, all of which had swaged ends, I’m wanting to know if there is a way to simply replace them onsite with the right sized diameter cable and then cut it to fit and secure it somehow?

 

[Baddox]

Try these...
Sta-Lok Self-Fit Terminals For Marine Use - Sta Lok

 

[Poignard]

You could use Nicopress sleeves or bulldog clips.

 

[BabaYaga]

If they are swaged do you measure stays to include the swaged end?

In my experience, yes. But best to check with the supplier exactly how they want the measurement taken.
When I have ordered stay or shroud wires with swaged terminals the instruction has been measure in mm between bearing surfaces, that is the far side of the ring on a ring terminal or the bend of a T-terminal.

 

[steve yates]

These look interesting! The stalock stuff looks a perfect answer, probably expensive compared to the others?
With the nicopress sleeves should they be marine grade stainless? Are the crimped in a similar manner to crimping battery cables etc? I presume I could buy the cable, bend it round a stainless eye and crimp the sleeve over the two strands? Should a tail be left or should it be neat to the end of the sleeve?

 

[alahol2]

With the nicopress sleeves should they be marine grade stainless? Are the crimped in a similar manner to crimping battery cables etc? I presume I could buy the cable, bend it round a stainless eye and crimp the sleeve over the two strands? Should a tail be left or should it be neat to the end of the sleeve?

On smaller boats the sleeves are normally copper (or some alloy). They are finished flush with no tail. If you have the dies, they can be a cheap and cheerful termination.

 

[Tranona]

The simplest way is to remove the stay, guard wire, steering cable or whatever and take it to a rigger who will make up a replacement. Alternatively measure it and order on line as here jimmygreen.com/81-stainless-steel-wire-rigging-wire-rope There are instructions on how to measure.

Staloks are useful for example if you are replacing stays but nor sure of the exact length so have the top swaged and leave the wire overlong to be cut on site and use Staloks at the bottom. Many long distance cruisers also take wire and fittings so they can make stays from scratch in an emergency. However they are more expensive than swaged terminals.

For some jobs you can use Nicopress or Talurit ferrules, mainly in the smaller sizes. However tools to press them can be expensive - Nicopress are £350-over £1k depending on size. for light work an Ormiston dies set at around £60 is a common DIY tool which will handle up to 4mm.

The principle of crimping is much the same as battery lugs, but the cost of a tool capable of doing larger sizes really rules it out for DIY. I have just made up a lot of battery cables and I bought a simple tool from 12 Volt Planet which fits in a vice. Slow and a bit cumbersome but the final result is as good as using a professional crimper. Bit like the Ormiston tool.

Personally I would not bother with DIY on stainless, and certainly not of mast rigging. There are cost effective ways of making up guard wires and wire strops with thimbles, but to b honest how often do you need these sorts of things?

 

[DownWest]

In my youf, I used to make the rigging and halyards for my father's boats, complete or kits, using a Talurit 25 ton press.
Now I used a 20ton bottle jack in a frame and home made dies. The cost of the kit being the jack and some bits from the scrap metal bin.
The max SS wire dia that can be practically done is 5mm, but mostly things are 3 or 4mm.

 

[DownWest]

Steve, if you really want to DIY, get the Rigger's Apprentice and learn to hand splice wire.
Friend did all the rigging for his 34ft Pinky gaff ketch, lots of wire (galvanized) including two square sails on the mainmast.

 

[Poignard]

I believe I have a copy of 'The Rigger's Apprentice' that I would be willing to sell.

 

[Black Sheep]

If it's for your Bradwell 18.... I used an Ormiston wire splicer with copper ferrules (as Tranona mentioned) on River Rat for all the SS standing rigging when she was still Bermudian. Slowish work, but very cost effective. And somewhat rewarding. I've used it since for putting loops on the end of cables that I want to use for padlocking items down.

For the larger boat, the Ormiston wouldn't be beefy enough for the thicker rigging wires.

As Poignard mentioned, bulldog clips can be a very cost-effective way of putting loops/thimbles in wires. They are, of course unsightly and prone to catch on things.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Received wisdom says 1x19 stainless wire shouldn’t be bent sharply round eyes or thimbles and secured. You need to use the much more flexible 7x19 wire.
FWIW I suggest the OP uses 1x19 and Sta-Lok fittings. A little more expensive, but they’re reusable if you just replace the cones.
Edit: if it’s for a 19’ boat Sta-Lok it’s probably over the top, and I’d just take the rigging to a rigger and get new swaged by machine. Or do what we did with our daughters Pandora. Send all the old rigging to Jimmy Green and they made replacement rigging to match. Fast, efficient, and fitted first time.

 

[alahol2]

There's always dynema of course...

 

[steve yates]

I wondered about that, how would you tension it tho? Cant put it into bottlescrews! And how do you attach the ends to the mast?

 

[DownWest]

I wondered about that, how would you tension it tho? Cant put it into bottlescrews! And how do you attach the ends to the mast?

Deadeyes. There have been some extensive threads over on the Wooden Boat Forum about converting to Dynema. Actually, you can put it into bottle screws, but as loops with thimbles, same with the tops at the mast.
Friend locally is building a 20ft sharpie gaffer. I often get roped in, as the plans are rubbish. On his last, bit smaller gaff cutter, I did the rigging and the roller furler.
This time, we might go dynema.
The furler was a bit of fun, after I read that Wickham Martin used bicycle bearings. The local bike shop gave me a bent wheel and I made the bottom drum and the top swivel as an exercise. That was in '07 and it is still doing the job..