Stanchions-lifelines

Grehan

Grehan

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 Jun 2001
Messages
3,729
Location
Inland France + Oxon.
www.french-waterways.com
Boat's got two or three bent (tube) s/s stanchions, which means that the lifelines are saggy plus some of the end fittings are bent or broken to one degree or another.
Does repair/renewal boil down to paying for replacement stanchions, lines and fittings and someone to fit them all, or is there a more economical DIY solution?
I do have a complete reel of plastic coated lifeline cable (given me) but no special tools, no swageing tool. I'm guessing that the potential snag with just trying some force to bend the stanchions straight is that the tube wall then collapses at the bend.
Thanks for any advice.
 
Without an indication of boat type,stanchion bases anstyle of stanchion iits a bit difficult to help with your query.The swaging of the lifelines can be done with the bolt-cutter type tool using Talurit sleeves aluminium or copper, and hard eyes. I have pelican hooks at the pushpit end of the lifelines so that I can release them when helping a disabled friend aboard,and also when having the boat lifted ashore.
My Westerly Tiger has aluminium cast bases and stainless tubes, fitted with plastic grommets where the lines pass through them, which would still be a good idea even with plastic coated ones.
Getting access to the bases may pose a problem if these become damaged, mine have had replacements done by me in the past, with plenty of Sikaflex beneath the bases. If your stainless tube is that badly bent perhaps replacement will be worth doing,and you may have corrosion in the base fitting, even stainless ones do.
Boiling hot water is a good first step when removing them. I see you are in France, else the Chandlery barge at Bursledon would be a place to try for replacments;(they may send some by mail ,or Boats and Outboards could be worth a try.

ianat182
 
Stainless steel tubular stanchions for my Jeanneau would have cost £120 each, but I bought 4 second hand ones from the Beaulieu Boat Jumble in April for £5 each. Perhaps second hand ones may also be available in France?
 
If the stanchions are made of s/s tube (typically 1-inch/25mm) it is not difficult to make new ones and the tube is fairly cheap.

The plastic ferrules were mostly broken so I replaced them with pieces of 1/2" s/s tube with the ends belled out by putting a 3/4" steel ball in each end and pressing them in a vice.

I turned up new end fittings from 1" brass bar but if you don't have a lathe you could get a machine shop to make some, or else cast something with epoxy
 
Fill the tubes with sand before bending this will stop them collapsing. Plastic coated wire is a bit of a no no if you are keeping the boat as the wire can rust inside the plastic. You can use the self fit type terminals but for 5 or 6mm wire are expensive. I did this a couple of years ago with my lifelines and they seem ok. Wires have an eye at each end so it does'nt matter if they sag as a new lashing will sort this out.
 
Having had a wire break when climbing aboard (thankfully on dry land), I wouldn't risk a DIY job. I've just replaced my guardwires through the existing stanchions (About £45 each from Jimmy Green). One end is a shackle type and the other end has a swaged thread, which goes through a 10mm hole in the stanchion, and a screw on lashing eye. Very easy and safe, and if you lash one end with Dyneema you can always tighten it if it stretches.
 
Try Ebay as there are often stanchions, both new and secondhand on there. See http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-Stanchions-...tEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item483acbc9a6
For 'crimping' the wires, you could use wire clamps, very ugly and they would need wrapping in duct tape or similar to prevent injury OR you could wire splice an eye and serve the splice in the old way! (but wicked on your hands and hard work) Don't forget the plastic sheathing needs removing before trying to splice/use clamps etc.
 
If the stanchions are not too bad you can fettle them up using a good vice and a lump hammer. Do not over do it or you will kink the things (as Seqoiah1 has pointed out). Ram a bit of hard timber up them to help, even better is a steel bar of suitable diameter. Alternately squash and support with the heavy vice as you apply the hammer and drive in your mandrel. Use soft jaws to reduce marking, although you will have to file/emery/polish them later if you want a good finish. If you overdo it you have lost nothing, but I think you should be ok - with care.
I have fitted Norseman swageless type terminals to my lifelines, which would be ideal for using up your lifeline cable, provided the inner is of the correct construction.
See here:
http://www.stainless-steel.co.uk/norseman-swageless-terminals.php

They are pricey though.
Just remembered the aternative......Sta Lock - I think
PS
A good wheeze is to refit slightly bent posts in different positions, also port / stbd or reverse them 180 deg. Sight them on the boat (view form the side and on deck) and swap till they look ok. Even quite bent ones can produce an acceptable effect, course you muist do this before threading the wire etc.
 
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