Replacing Standing Rigging

Hi

Time really means nothing its more about use and abuse and the environments in which you sail.

Edited by samuel - 01 March 2019 at 17:33

We replaced Soledad's standing rigging this winter. Soledad is 10 years old and has sailed around 25.000 nm.

Was it required ? From a technical point of you, nobody knows. If the rig stands the test of the first ten years, chances are that nothing bad will happen in the next ten years... You can inspect the rigging as much as you want and you will not see the hidden fatigue damages that will eventually make a part fall apart all of a sudden.

Is sailing the only stress that acts on the rigging. Definitively not: wind vibrating the shrouds and stays also affects the rigging in the long term; just like halyards slapping on the shrouds or spreaders, etc. you get the point.

Is a new rigging the guarantee that you are starting a problem-free 10 year period ? No: you cannot be sure you are replacing your rigging with 100% defect-free parts... BUT at least you will have a guarantee from the rigger (for what it is worth) and your insurance company will not complain that your rigging was older than 10 years in case something happens.

That is why we changed the rigging: we are on the safe side with our insurance, plus it was a nice opportunity to fully inspect/replace all sheaves, rivets, spreaders, furler, pimp up the electrical cables, etc. and learn about putting the rigging apart and back in one piece.

We were lucky and were able to strip the mast in the rigger's workshop (while he was guiding us and crimping the new cables) - it took us 3 full days to complete the work (not only the rigging). Soledad has now a completely new rigging with spiffy turnbuckles and a new dyform forestay... and I know for sure it has been put together correctly :-)

Best regards,
nibheis

Edited by nibheis - 05 March 2019 at 17:53

Hi Dogscout,

I have many technical drawings for the rigging, but NOT the wires lengths.
What I can do for you is find the final invoice from the rigger with all the wires length, terminal and turnbuckles.

From what I remember, the forestay is originally 1x19 but we put Dyform instead - other than that, the rest is as design and assembled by Sparcraft.

Another possibility you have is to contact Sparcraft in France, directly. Note that, sometimes, they produce different versions of the rigging for the same boat and they will ask you to measure your wires to know which version you have (I know they did for Jeanneau, could be the same for Hanse).

I think it is best if your rigger can gather all the new wires (based on my invoice) and cut them to the final size based on the length of your existing rigging.

If your rigger is going to buy the full set from Sparcraft directly, then he will have to make sure there is only one version of it - or measure your wires.