How can I be sure my rigging is good?

[scoobert]

I looked through the sailboat maintenance book.
It offered a few quick words on rigging.
When I looked at my rigging I did not see any major flaws.
There was not a broken strand on the entire boat.
There was absolutely no rust.
And I could not find any corrosion.
All of the chain plates were securely bolted with no Rust showing on the bottom
The plates were tied very well into the hull.

Seeing as how we are doing an offshore passage in two weeks,
What can I do to be 100% sure there will not be a demasting?
There are no Riggers in this part of New York

[barnakiel]

Having just replaced our standing rigging I can give you a first-hand answer: you cannot.

b.

[Target9000]

Stainless steel is a devious metal that hides its flaws and imperfections from you until it breaks.

I just replaced all the standing rigging on our boat and pieces and parts that looked to be in near perfect condition externally turned out to be seriously corroded and defective when we pulled them apart and looked.

I suspect the best course of action is to follow maintenance timeline replacing all standing rigging at regular intervals because one thing is for sure, you're not going to be able to see it coming.

[scoobert]

Originally Posted by Target9000

Stainless steel is a devious metal that hides its flaws and imperfections from you until it breaks.

I just replaced all the standing rigging on our boat and pieces and parts that looked to be in near perfect condition externally turned out to be seriously corroded and defective when we pulled them apart and looked.

I suspect the best course of action is to follow maintenance timeline replacing all standing rigging at regular intervals because one thing is for sure, you're not going to be able to see it coming.

Did you pull the swedge apart, or the wire?

Guess i could cut a swege and put a new compression fitting in place of it?

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by scoobert

What can I do to be 100% sure there will not be a demasting?

Only one way to be absolutely 100% sure. Remove your mast(s) before you leave.

[Target9000]

Originally Posted by scoobert

Did you pull the swedge apart, or the wire?

Guess i could cut a swege and put a new compression fitting in place of it?

On our boat we have stalok fittings instead of swages. They are better, I feel. We pulled everything and even cut up parts with a saw to see the insides of plates and wire. Corrosion hides.

[FSMike]

How old is your rigging?

[sailr69]

most boats are using ss314 for fresh water use, salt water should be ss316.

[Tristan]

Originally Posted by sailr69

most boats are using ss314 for fresh water use, salt water should be ss316.

You meant ss304 ?

[scoobert]

Originally Posted by FSMike

How old is your rigging?

No idea. For sure over 10

[jeff gillette]

You have 2 weeks, be prepared to make any temporary repair to rigging underway! New or old it can always fail.

[Sailmonkey]

I've been dismasted once racing a Tartan 10. The rigging that was only 5 years old and was still shiny had corroded inside the swage. It looked perfect on the outside and gave up in a 20 knot gust.
What you're about to attempt, with a cheap old boat like you've got, you need to really pull and inspect the chain plates, and re-rig. The old can be kept as spare, but you don't know **** about its age or condition. I just pulled a back stay chain plate today, I built and installed them myself 3 years ago but just wanted to be sure they weren't corroding at the deck where they can't be seen any other way.

[hpeer]

In my mind Staloc or Norseman is a smart move. Once you make the initial investment you can replace wire for the cost of wire and the expendable cones.

I just bought 300' of 1/4. 316 and 20 cones for under $700 from rigging Only. Will replace all standing rigging this year.

[Boatguy30]

They have guys you can hire for just this type of thing.

[atoll]

are you planning on rerigging the boat before you set off doing any serious cruising?

how long is this off shore trip?

sailing conservatively on a short trip you may be lucky!

but the cost of rerigging will seem very cheap compared to replacing a mast/masts and sails when they go overboard