Steel Rod rigging ??

[redbreast]

Hi all looking at a boat in the USA it has solid stainless steel rod rigging any views please. Built in 2000.

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by redbreast

Hi all looking at a boat in the USA it has solid stainless steel rod rigging any views please. Built in 2000.

Hallo Steve

It is a weight saver over Dyform but heavier than PBO rigging

Greetings

[Vasco]

The rod rigging on my 1988 boat is still going strong.

[fastcat435]

It should be but do check your insurance regs , it might demand a 5 year check for strength from you. Our insurance does.

Greetings

[speciald@ocens.]

The problem with rod rigging on a cruising boat is two-fold. First it gives no warning before failure - it just lets go. Secondly, it may be much more difficult to replace in out of the way places.

[DtM]

If your choice is metal rigging (rather than the very light alternatives which you can carry with you) you would simply replace with wire if too hard to get rod.

[Glenn C]

Hi,

I understand 316 ss wire rigging is much preferred in the tropics than 304 ss wire. Does the same apply for rod rigging?

[ldrhawke]

I've read where the chief engineer for Navtec is still sailing with 25 year old rod rigging on his boat. I've got rod rigging on my 1981 C&C 40 which has served me well also.

The technology of standing rigging is advancing at such a pace as to make keeping up with the competition quite a daughnting task. While wire is still the mainstay for most cruisers, and rod the most predominant for the racing community, at the grnd prix levels new constructs and compositions are making advancements faster than the articles can be written about it. With the Pyewacket and her PBO rigging, and the Geniuine Risk sporting a new set of Carbon Rods, composite standing rigging is quikly becoming the semi-norm in the upper levels.

While the major players in composite manufacturing are hard at makng light weight rigging more accesable, the extensive cost increase still make it fairly unobtainable for most programs.

Despite some hopes of the upper end manufacturers, rod and wire rigging will still be around for some time to come.

Rod Rigging

Want performance from your standing rigging? Then rod rigging is your most likely choice. Although these days composite fibers and even composite fiber rod are being used, the majority of boats benefit from the nitronic 50 rod.

The fundamentals of Navtec's rod rigging systems are cold heads and a specialty stainless steel alloy called nitronic-50. The nitronic 50 rod is terminated by hydraulically forming a head which will not allow the end fitting to slide past. This process of forming a head is called "cold heading" and it produces a terminal attachment that is as strong as the rod itself.

[Joli]

I've had rod for 30 years and would never go back to wire. Conservatively sized and checked annually it can't be beat. No corrosion to speak of.

[Charlie]

I Spent a big pot of money replacing the 25 year old rod rigging on my boat. In doing my research I found that the 1980's vintage rod rigging had some problems that could cause mast failure and sometimes your insurance will not cover your mast if the rigging is that old. You can also have the rigging "reheaded" b/c the problem was in the bends of the rigging and ifyou rehead it that thakes care of the problem.