Rigging- Stainless vs Galvanised??

[GMac]

Galv wire is lighter stronger and cheaper than SS. It wasn't that many years ago the race boats used Galv due to strength and weight gains. They just replaced it each season.

I've got rod rigging that I'm not sure how old it is or if it's about to let go. Some serious shock load testing a few weeks back when flying off big waves in 45kts plus. The mast did look very spaghetti like a few times but is still up there so I'm happy and well insured

[Alan Wheeler]

And here I thought synthetics and fibers were supposed to replace metal standing rigging Real Soon Now.

Only for the real pure racers. It simply does not last long enough to go the expense of a cruiser or probably even just a sunday racer to outfit with synth lines. The main issue with synth fibres is, it looks like new right up till the point it fails. So you change it out with regular cycles. The line itself is not much more expensive, but the real expense comes in with the special fittings and the manual labour to fit.

[Alan Wheeler]

The other issue we have with SST now is the cheap wire coming out of China. It's next to impossible to get good stuff. Diaform wire is very expensive, but as I understand it, it's the only real way of ensuring you get good quality SST as it on comes from one place and that ain't China. I dunno, maybe that has changed now.

[Steve Rust]

Isn't galvanized wire a bit easier to splice? Why not put an eye in each end and then use whatever turnbuckle you want. You may have to use solid eyes depending on wire size and load. These could be made by a local machine shop if needed. With a rigging vise you would be pretty much self sufficient. No need to screw around with swages or norseman type fittings that may be hard to find to fit the galvy wire.

[Zach]

Very cool thread.

Something else to ponder!

[Steve Pope]

I have seen a Schooner or was it a ketch out of Nelson that was rigged with Dyneema last year up in Houhora, they were doing a north island circumnavigation as a trial run. It was a big boat 60 to 70 feet + -.
Alan which bits do you need that Selden can't supply?
If you want to use galv rigging with a furler run a teflon liner inside the furler sections.
As you say talurits are either alloy or copper, alloy is very close to zinc (galv) on the galvanic scale compared to copper, I know which I would use.

[Alan Wheeler]

Isn't galvanized wire a bit easier to splice?

It's a little easier to work with yes. Putting it around terminal eyes is the easiest. It is how mine is done. Then a simple fork with clevis pin fastens the two. It is easy, but the finish is not as smart as a swage direct to a thread socket.
The problem I am going to have is that there are special ball joints at the mast terminals. So I have to swage into those fittings, which means SST. Oh well. I am going to keept he mizzen Galv. I reckon there is another 15yrs in that yet. It looks new still.

[Alan Wheeler]

furler run a teflon liner inside the furler sections.

That is what I have as bearings now. I can only go buy what the rigger told me, that I could not run even that on Galv. He is a clever guy. John (can't remember his last name) from Nelson. He is one of only a couple of guys that splice steel cable for Cable cars etc. A 40m splice in a steel cable. Blow that for a joke.

[Steve Pope]

Can you not adapt a ball fitting by threading it after cutting of the hollow swage portion and screwing on a tang or a fork to take the thimble?
maybe there is still an old fashioned blacksmith in Marlborough who could make you a pair of steel ball fittings, shouldn't be to difficult.
I have spliced wire but it is hard dirty work and a 40m splice wow, hell that would be an extra couple of dozen harleys, If they still make it in Nelson?

[Steve Pope]

WoW!!! a 40 m splice, he would need a couple of dozen extra bottles for doing that. Do they still make Harleys beer in Nelson??
Can you not adapt the selden fitting, cut off the hollow portion and thread the portion left to take a tang or fork, if you could roll the thread it would be even better. Or find a blacksmith to make you a new pair using the selden one as a pattern, shouldn't be too hard.

[Steve Pope]

sorry the 1st post dissapeared so I re-wrote it.

[Alan Wheeler]

You have given me an idea I will look into Steve. If I start with the ball fitting, I can certainly manufacture some means of fitting to the that. Hmmm, thanks.

[Robertcateran]

On trawlers in the 70swe used gal wire rigging, The bottom parts of the stays were the ones that used to cop the spray and the wear. We used to take the stays down in the off season and slightly counter the twist to oil the core with boiled linseed. We then used to lanolin the whole set up. If you want to keep your gal turnbuckles free, lanoline the thread and make the lot really goopy and once the slack has taken up, seize the lot in some sort of durable cloth such as linen. continue the seizing up the wire to above the spray. Probably once a year is too much work and unnecessary, but every few years and they should last a lifetime. I'd feel a lot more confident with gal than with stainless after seeing some bodgy batches that were supposed to be good stuff.
Personally, I am going for an unstayed rig on my next boat. If I was going for a stayed rig, I'd go for synthetics,
Robert

[miss-m]

Wow- what a great response. Thank you all for your time and help.
I think we are going to stick with galvanised rigging. It has worked great for us so far and its so much easier to see any problems.

Originally Posted by Lancerbye

If I were to replace the stainless with galvanize there would be some raised eyebrows about and probably some flak from the Admiral which might sound like " why you cheap s.o.b......." LOL

we have a concrete boat- the marina manager already has no idea what to do with us! They ask us to go sailing whenever the posh people come to look around the yard.

Thank you for the tips on using it with roller furling. We have a funny feeling that our furler is on there right now with galvanised, and its worked fine, but we will definitely change it when we get the rest done!

I'll let you know how the changeover goes- apparently we're doing it without taking the mast down. That should be interesting- I'm just glad its not going to be me going up there!!