New rigging

[kenlewis40]

Any thoughts on when rigging needs to be renewed. I have a SO32 and she will be 12 years old this winter. There are no obvious flaws in the rigging and the bottle screws look Ok. We have never raced or sailed in extremely heavy weather. Do you think I can leave it another couple of years or is 12 years long enough?

Thanks
Ken

[hoppy]

There is 10 year "rule" for changing the standing rigging. This seems to be insisted upon by some insurance companies and I think the 10 years is what the rigging companies are willing to say their gear lasts. However some boats keep the same rigging for 20 or 30 years.

Two years ago I replace my forestay because a screw or rivet was wearing away at it. Then this year at 13 years I did a full standing rigging replacement, but that is because I might start sailing to Australia next year (minor problems this year resulted in needing to drop the mast and just decided to do it then).

I would suggest that you take off the roller unit to inspect the forestay and have the rigging closely inspected, however it does not sound like you need to worry about changing. Perhaps it would not hurt to drop the mast when you do that and perhaps you can replace the electrical wires.

[On y va]

Famous last words.....but this 10 year thing is just a manufacturers sort of guarantee thing, that has been taken on by some insurance companies. If you start crossing oceans, it gets difficult to actually get insurance with rigs over 10 years old.

But, I know many boats with 20+ even 25+ year old original rigs and all is fine. But you need to check regularly for obvious signs of deterioration.

One thing you could consider, is having a rig check done (as hoppy suggests) by a reputable rigging company. They will give you a report with their findings and this report is also very useful in case things do go wrong. As you had your rig checked officially, you would be considered a "good house father" so to speak.
If you are really in doubt and feel uncomfy, get all the terminals dye checked during the rig check and your head sail furler removed to have the forestay checked. As the forestay with a furler is generally the weakest point.

[rxc]

I am in the process of getting new rigging because of the insurance company. They get nervous at the 10 year point, and positively nag you at 12 years. They say that they will not cover rig failures or the consequences of rig failures beyond that date. The riggers I have talked to say that there are bound to be cracks in the toggle-pin bearing surfaces at this age, and it is just a matter of time. One alternative that is given is a rigging inspection, but that is only good for 1 or two years, and you have to do it again. And I don't think that rigging inspections will find the tight cracks - they only do visual inspections, not dye penetrant and certainly not radiography.

I just bit the bullet and am having it done. I had to take down the mast to put the boat on the hard, and there were a bunch of other rig-related maintenance tasks to do at the same time. And now I have a full spare set of rigging that will fit in the space under my aft bunk, if my wife will let me keep it. It looks to me like it is in great shape. I may buy a dye-penetrant test kit and see if I can find any cracks.

One interesting comment - the rigger says that he thinks that Jeanneau used 316 rigging, so he is replacing it with the same size. I don't know how to actually determine this without a destructive sample, so if anyone has any thought, please speak up. Oh, and Jeanneau doesn't sell replacement sets of rigging for the 43DS any more.

[MartyB]

Original 1985 rigging! hopefully insurance company does not come knocking at door!.......

marty

[sailbleu]

Well , you have people replacing sails every 10 years , a new rigging for my 40 footer has cost me less than your average sail- price , include taking the mast down and put it it up again .
But then I probabLy have a non expensive winter storage , and good priced rigger
Once the mast is down you can take the old rigging off yourself , bring it to a rigger and have it copied .
I found it to be a very interesting project dismanteling the forestay and see how things work inside . And at the same time give that part a new greasing
There's really nothing to it you know , you dont need to be an engineer or professional to get it done.

For me the rigg alarm went off when I noticed some strands of the backstay were broken.
The vulnerable spot of the rigging is where the cable goes into the end piece . Water gets in and the cable , even though s/s , will gradually corode and get weaker.
If one cable shows signs of wear i guess it's a wakeup call for all of them.
The advantage of having the mast down is that you can do everything you've always wanted to do on the top of the mast .
Like for instance led toplights , new/additional antenna etc. I even put a camera on top to give me a clear view ( dedicated screen in the cabin) of the area in front of me , very luxureus when sailing long monotonous passages . I do realise that some will have problems with that last remark , but we all have our own preferences , and sofar I've kept it safe.

There is that 10 years insurance rule , some live by it and put it between the small print , others not.
But what I do know is that if you have a rigging failure and the mast tumbles over , ALL insurances will investigate on the rigging , and when it's over date they wiil refuse to pay and force you to go to court , so MAYBE you get your money , but there's a fair chance you will not . The argument they use is the famous sentence " good maintenace " . Very flexible words and most feared concept.

I've replaced mine after 15 years of use by the way , fore and side stays still looked good , but there is that feeling of being at ease now.

Regards

[kenlewis40]

Thank you all for the advice on renewing rigging after twelve years. I think it was always my intention to renew this winter for the sake of £1500 plus and the chance to check out the mast for signs of damage. I would have hated the idea of tackling my first heavy wind next year wishing I had replaced my rigging.

If I find any rig/spar damage to my SO 32, I will post my findings.

Thanks again

Ken