Broken strand on my front rig, looking for opinions.

[Sand crab]

I feel like a maroon because I thought he was talking about the forestay too but clearly it is the bridle. I thought I'd post this pic which is an FP Maldives like Rikis boat. The triangle member is called a seagull striker and the bridle is the cable running from one end of the beam and over the striker and over to the other end of the beam.

[riki]

[meirriba]

My experience with parted cables of dolphin striker is that the beam, lacking the downwards counterpressure, breaks in the middle - up.
This releases the forestay tension and the mast falls aft (or in rare occasions, when the beam only deforms but does not brake) the mast comes loose and starts to flop around frightening all bystanders.

[nortonscove]

Originally Posted by GuyFromTheNorth

You can see the corrosion coming out around the swage fitting. One strand broke and the others could be ready to go anytime from crevice corrosion. I'd not sail it and be real leery about the rest of that wires strength and the rest of your standing rig as well. If one is corroded odds are the rest are as well. Time for replacements if it were my boat.

What they said. That is crevice corrosion at its best.

[fivecapes]

It's a gull striker. A dolphin striker points down, and strikes dolphins.

[SaltyMetals]

Riki, How old is the standing rigging? As I think A64 mentioned earlier, if you have one connection which looks to be in serious trouble what about the others? I would replace the whole lot if it is >15 yrs old.
Andrew
"Genial Bee"

[riki]

Originally Posted by SaltyMetals

Riki, How old is the standing rigging? As I think A64 mentioned earlier, if you have one connection which looks to be in serious trouble what about the others? I would replace the whole lot if it is >15 yrs old.
Andrew
"Genial Bee"

I got the boat only a few months ago so I really can't tell the age of the rigging, however it was partially changed and the surveyor didn't notice any kind of problem and the rigger didn't suggest to change anything beside the mentioned.

[SaltyMetals]

Originally Posted by riki

I got the boat only a few months ago so I really can't tell the age of the rigging, however it was partially changed and the surveyor didn't notice any kind of problem and the rigger didn't suggest to change anything beside the mentioned.
[emoji2]

When I bought my boat she was already 12 yrs old. No broken strands but i had all the standing rigging changed anyway bec I felt safer to take the enormous rollers across Biscay.
Not sure what yr insurance company requires but if the boat has been racing then they often ask for standing rigging renewal at 10-12 yrs if just cruising 12-15 yrs and this is based on their experience of previous failures. Maybe your ins co has no such requirements so to think you are lucky there is no such requirement in yr policy is a false comfort IMHO.
Andrew
"Genial Bee"

[riki]

I really don't understand why the discussion have to slip on my insurance requirements and wonder where I did write that the fact they don't have certain requirements give me "comfort".
First of all i put my life in my boat, and the one of my beloved and friends so anyways insurence requirements are not as important as these.
Second: my insurance company required a full survey of an official surveyor, and this is what has been provided.

[Red Sky]

Your boat, your choice. From somebody who’s had a rig come down, a big boom sweeping over the top of 4 heads as it did, I’d replace it all. I consider myself very lucky it didn’t injure or kill any of us.

[mark_morwood]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

You wrote "front rig, the one on the beam in front" What are you talking about? Is this the forward lower shroud on one side or the other? If you can't describe a key part of your boat in accurate terms should you really be sailing at all?
...

In my experience this particular stay does not have a commonly used name. Brian Toss, well known rigger, seems to recommend "martingale stay", but I think the one most likely to be understood unambiguously is "seagull striker stay" but I'm sure there are lots of very experienced, competent catamaran sailors who have a different name or no name at all for this wire.

Name that wire - SparTalk

[garyfrankovich]

You may only see one broken wire, but you have no idea what's going on inside the swag. Do you know for CERTAIN that all rigging is or is not the same age? The entire rig needs to be inspected from the top down! More than likely the rigger will find other deficiencies. Keep the boat in the slip and wait it out at the bar until a qualified rigger can inspect it.

[Nicholson58]

This is a trick question, right?

[Mauruuru]

I almost lost rig in a storm in the windward passage one night when port lower shroud let go. Was able to get sail off and stabilized mast with some line over shrouds and tied off at toe rail. When I got to Bahamas and hauled boat I saw the same kind of corrosion you see in your picture on all the swaged shroud fittings. They were only 5 years old but I replaced everyone before I raised another sail.

[kevinjilliana]

please do not go to sea with this rig. If one wire in the strand is broken then the other wires are put under more pressure than their design, usually boat rigging is over engineered, but stay on the safe side.