Standing Rigging Security Question

[BobnLesley]

Having just trashed the headsail and roller reefing gear due to the bottom connection on our forestay letting go - nobody hurt and the mast's still upright, so a disaster and not a catastrophe - we are presuming that the cotter pin let go and then then pin came out? Though I'd checked (as always) all the standing rigging's bottom connections before setting sail and they looked fine. Whilst awaiting replacement parts, I am now pondering why is the 'normal' connection for standing rigging a pin and split pin/cotter pin, rather than something more secure? Would a stainless steel bolt with a nyloc nut (perhaps drilled and wired/pinned too) not be a far more secure option? Anyone know why this or something similar isn't the preferred/standard fitting on yachts?

 

[vyv_cox]

In fact, a clevis pin plus split pin is at least as secure as a bolt and nut provided they are in good condition. I wrote an answer for YM on the subject some time ago, you can read it here, about the third one down.

 

[doug748]

I got rid of my split and clevis pin arrangement, can't remember why now, I think it was in order to insert spacers or something like that.

I did just as you suggest, and fitted a bolt with nylock nut further secured with a split pin outside. It works fine but the split pin has threatened to foul lines through the bow roller and they are potentially a hazard.

I guess clevis pins are cheap, strong, easy to take apart, and allow a degree of articulation. Similar for a nut and bolt really, but avoid clamping it up tight.

 

[lw395]

Bolts are cheaper, if they were as good, we'd all be using them.
Although it is remarkably hard to buy a bolt of a specified un-threaded length.
The main problem is lines removing split pins and rings.

 

[Seajet]

I tend to agree with BobnLesley, a castellated nut secured with a properly bent over split pin would be preferable.

The snag is just a few inches further up one gets a bottlescrew, if the open type secured by just split pins in shear which strikes me as crazy, I much prefer lock nuts.

It's notable that aircraft control linkages are secured by castellated nuts ( often with Loctite of a suitable grade as well ) and properly applied split pins or actual twisted wire locking; never seen a serious aircraft with important bits held by clevis pins or split pins in shear !

 

[billdash]

Don't like split-rings: At anchor after my first sail in just bought boat, I worked round checking the rigging. Out of 7 stays, one had a tiny drop-nose pin instead of clevis pin (ready to work its way out); a second had a clevis pin and reused tiny split pin (ditto) and a third had a clevis pin with a split ring lying on the deck beneath it! Obviously I should have checked before going sailing!

Replaced all with new split-rings as they seemed less likely to snag sails and sheets - but, as lw395 says, a couple of times found that the ring was half undone. Now use well bent back split pins covered with self-amalgamating tape.

An anchor/chain/warp set I bought had (at the chandler's advice) a bolt with nut and split-pin fitted instead of a shackle-pin. No problems so far...

 

[Rossynant]

A quite big boat I rigged some time ago had all wires at top attached with bolts, originally. Needed to order one fabricated new, would be easier to just put pin there, but. Somebody had designed it this way, for some reason.

Time ago it was thought better to attach turnbuckles with shackles. Guess also for some reason...

P.S. the old ways: http://image.shutterstock.com/displ...ld-sailing-ship-steel-turnbuckle-32618836.jpg

 

[William_H]

Sympathy for the OP in having the forestay let go. If the furled jib gets loose then the subsequent flapping in a storm can be very destructive. Nevertheless you would expect that the clevis pin and split pin should hold on in any amount of shaking. I had a clevis pin in this same position fall out actually while sailing. Fortunately the jib and halyard held the mast up. I never found the clevis pin so have no idea why it went AWOL but I did replace it with a bolt and nylock nut. At the time I was able to replace the clevis pin with a screw driver and insulation tape to finish the race. I have a high field lever in forestay so was able to retension easily. Having lost 3 masts on this boat it was a real worry.
Back to the OP question I think clevis pin and split pin OK. make sure split pin is the largest that can be fitted. Just examine the bottom of the rigging as often as possible and like like heck for the top clevis pins. good luck olewill

While we are on old war stories... an aquaintance whose boat is moored near mine left his furling jib on for winter. The jib came loose and started to flap. It shook the bottle screw apart at the forestay attach under the drum and the mast fell down breaking a spreader. When I saw it the next morning I realised I had heard from home the flapping in the middle of the night. Strangely also that next day his mooring let go (the iron wheel at the bottom had rusted through the outer circumference.) and the boat arrived on the beach. I did get the boat back onto another mooring for him. Just not his day. I wonder if that is why he gave up boating.