I Don't Understand Rigging

[unbusted67]

How does standing rigging work? How does a swage hold onto the wire rigging? Why don't people just use those u shaped locks with bolts on them to make up loops in their rigging? Does anyone carry a swaging tool on board in case a shroud or stay fails? Does anyone have a link to a video with someone making a shroud from scratch?

I am always curious about this because a lot of accounts of long distance ocean cruisers include rigging failure. What do you do when a stay or shroud parts? Do you just whip up a new one? Of all of the spares I hear people saying they need I rarely hear anyone say, "we need a few extra sets of standing rigging." Is this because of the impracticality of rerigging a boat underway?

I know it's like 40 questions but pick a few and answer them!

[Stillraining]

Friction/cold welding

Go with mechnicanials like stay-locks or norseman carry only the longest cable length needed usually forstay cut to shorter shroud lenght if needed.. .carry some am-steel for quick on the fly, in the stink repairs....and when all else fails make sure your relationship with the Lord is in order.

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Friction/cold welding

carry some am-steel for quick on the fly, in the stink repairs.

What is that?

[GordMay]

AMSTEEL is Sampson Rope’s 12-Strand Dyneema* rope.
You'd have to learn to splice it.

* Dyneema is a polyethylene fiber that offers maximum strength combined with minimum weight. It is up to 15 times stronger than steel, and up to 40% stronger than Aramid* fibers.

* Aramid = Kevlar or Twaron

[Stillraining]

The easest splice in the Marine world too.


To splice round a thimble:

Take the end of the Dyneema-Bowrope and cut back 9 of the 12 strands in order to reduce the diameter to form a tapered end which you will then wrap tightly in insulating tape to create an 8cm/3” point. Hold the pointed end between your thumb and forefinger and with an outstretched hand measure off the length of the new splice to not less than your armpit (70cm/28”).
Having taken the pointed end around the thimble, bunch up the 12 strands of the Dyneema-Bowrope where you measured back to and push this pointed end into the middle and milk your pointed ‘fid’ back down the rope until the splice is tight under the thimble.
Take about 1.5m/5’ of whipping twine, thread it through the needle, back on itself and tie a knot 10cm/4” from the end. Sew through the Dyneema-Bowrope about 10 times tightly under the thimble in different directions picking up under the knot on the second insertion. Then bind and whip tightly about 2cm/3/” around the rope (mind your eyes and face) and sew backwards and forwards again a few times below the whipping, leaving about 8cm/3” between the last sewing and the needle. Cut clear the needle (put it somewhere safely!) and tie those now two ends to the two other ends poking out under the whipping and tie a couple of knots. Lose the four ends under some of the strands.

[barnakiel]

In our case:

- carry spares,

When we replace, we keep the old ones as spares. Sometimes we make spares in advance (our rigger makes them) (the case with our lowers which tend to go first).

The only spare we do not carry is the fore-stay. Our boat has two fore-stays and we hope if one goes the other will hold (then there are the halyards that we might be able to use as extra support). So far, so good.

Wondering - if in a double spreader rig with independent tops / seconds one of them goes - does the remaining one hold the mast long enough to jibe the boat? This would be a good argument to go from single to double spreader rig in boats where each is an option.

B.