Rigging

Posted By: Mark N, Nimble Arctic, Jax FL
Date: 2/8/07 4:42a.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

I thought that I would take a minute to share my experiences thus far with my replacement of my rigging. The original plan was just to replace the standing and running rigging which I beleive to be original from new. When I took the rigging off, I noticed some corrosion on the lifelines so decided to redo them also. Other than some mild corrosion discoloration, inspection of the standing rigging did not reveal any flaws (such as broken strands or cracked swages). Not bad for 14 years. I took the rigging to a local rigger with an exceptional reputation and was impressed with his estimate of $530 for everything (2 uppers, 2 lowers and a 3 piece backstay). The only parts that we reused were the turnbuckle bodies and the backstay hardware that connects the two lower backstays to the single upper. When comparing the prices on his invoice to the WM catalog, I find that the bulk wire was priced similarly with the catalog but that the end fittings were each $3-$5 less. He charged $8 a piece for the swages. The story was similar for the lifelines. Structurally everything apeared fine except that the plastic was cracked and there was corrosion where the lines ran through stantions. The riggers prices were again less than WM and he charged $7.50 per swage. We elected to reuse the pelican hooks and the total was $250 for 5 pieces (2 forward, 2 aft and 1 stern). Since I have a fid kit and can do my own splicing, I decided to make my own halyards. The rigger got me 250' of 3/8 sta-set for $0.75 per foot which is $0.13 per ft cheaper than WM. This is enough to make three new halyards and replace the line on the vang. I will reuse the shackles off the old halyards. Inspection of the mast and boom reveals that it is in good shape with no structural issues. There are a few areas where the tan paint is flecking off but it appears to be more of a bonding issue than corrosion. I will use a cleaner wax to remove the oxidation on the whole rig before it goes back up. I did find a couple of things that I have to fix: 1. The sheave for the jib halyard is frozen. I had suspected this because it was getting harder for me to get good luff tension. Once I get this un-stuck, I will make it a point to lower the jib at least once a quarter to exercise the sheave (my jenny is on a furler so the jib halyard normally only moves a couple inches when I tension it to sail). 2. Some rocket scientist used non-stainless screws to install the masthead VHF antenna. I will drill these ouy and replace with appropriate hardware. 3. I have decided to add a masthead anchor light while I have the stick down. After five years of hoisting a Davis Mega-Light up the backstay with a halyard, I have gotten tired of the hastle and decided to mount one permanently. I am using the Mega-Light Masthead model with the brighter bulb. It draws 0.32A and has a built in photo-eye to turn it off when it gets light. Instead of installing another switch and running new wire to the base of the mast, I will use the existing "steaming" light switch/wiring/plug. When I go forward to drop the anchor, I will unplug the steaming light and plug in the anchor light. I know that this is not an elegant solution but I do not want to tear apart the headliner in the cabin to run new wires.