What size bolt cutters

[belizesailor]

Just did a quick search on Amazon. Many hydraulic cutters, but most designed for electrical wiring. Those rated for stainless cable are ~$1K, but I think would be the optimal solution.

This one has a rotating head which could be very handy on a deck in disarray.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0056...coL&ref=plSrch

[belizesailor]

I would'nt trust an electric powered solution either. Great for work ashore, but on a pitching deck, potentially awash...not so good.

[UNCIVILIZED]

When you speak of vacuum sealing charges, there are both solids & gases in each cartridge. So when you put them into a vacuum, that stuff will want to come out. As to whether or not the seals in them are up for handling that kind of pressure I can't say. But know that military ammunition is specially sealed for water ingress, & against the pressure of being submerged. So since a (perfect) vacuum is like a 3' high column of lead (per atmosphere of pressure), then putting a cartridge under that kind of suction may break it's seals.

Also, you're not the only one who isn't wild about trusting removal of a rig to an electrically powered device up on deck, possibly in storm conditions. Seems like a bad recipe to me.

[Jim Cate]

For storage of the gear, seems that packing some silica gel desiccant into a sealed bag would be adequate and not stress seals or whatever explosive is used in the cartridges.

Jim

[Lepke]

Larger bolt cutters have longer handles giving more leverage to cut. Larger cutters would probably cut thru turnbuckles or other hardware. Most are steel and need to be stored in a protected area or quickly rust. From experience I know hospitals have stainless bolt cutters but probably cost thousands.

[Bulawayo]

Ours are kept wrapped in an old towel soaked in clean engine oil and stored in a black bin liner - first haviing been sprayed with silicone oil. Nothing fancy - but still pretty much rust free.
Our cable crimpers are kept the same way and only have a small amount of surface rust.
Our hydraulic Norsemans were sparyed with WD-40 years ago and have not been out of the zip lock bag since and still look as good as the day we spent a fortune on 'em.

Originally Posted by Lepke

Larger bolt cutters have longer handles giving more leverage to cut. Larger cutters would probably cut thru turnbuckles or other hardware. Most are steel and need to be stored in a protected area or quickly rust. From experience I know hospitals have stainless bolt cutters but probably cost thousands.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Bulawayo

...
Our hydraulic Norsemans were sparyed with WD-40 years ago and have not been out of the zip lock bag since and still look as good as the day we spent a fortune on 'em.

Like yours, these are all emergency devices that will all hopefully spend most of their lives in storage. That illustrates my point concerning the charge based devices. How do the charges hold up to long term storage at sea? If you assume periodic replacement of charges then that gets problematic in remote venues (availability, HASMAT shipping etc...).

[Bulawayo]

agreed, Belize. Has anyone else read 'Black Wave'? Its the pretty horrific telling of how a family boat ended up on a reef, the mast came down as the boat broke up and a spreader severed one the father's legs. In circumstances like this, real life, its hardly the time to be reliant on semi-sophistacted or environmentally dependent cutting devices. Our Norsemans, which have an open cutter (not dependent upon being slipped over an open end like some hydraulic cutters) are kept secured by velcro straps adjacent the companion way and have been transferred from boat to boat. Everyone has practised with them in the past. The bolt cutters are kept in the workshop. We do have an 18v angle grinder which is kept with a stainless steel cutting disc in place but it would not be my go to tool in an emergency. As several peope have commented, including Jim Cate etc, that useability can be critical in some situations.
I just had a peek on line - I cannot even see my Norseman hydraulic cutters as being available any more - at least I cant see it on their website anymore. Thankfully, I still have the original blade which is still sharp and also two spare blades. Are these still available?

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Like yours, these are all emergency devices that will all hopefully spend most of their lives in storage. That illustrates my point concerning the charge based devices. How do the charges hold up to long term storage at sea? If you assume periodic replacement of charges then that gets problematic in remote venues (availability, HASMAT shipping etc...).

[Octopus]

I rely on a 4 inch 220VAC angle grinder and a long lead from our inverter. I tried it out when we replaced our standing rigging a couple of years ago. It cut through the 19mm stainless steel cable like a knife through butter. I'm happy with this method.

Chris

Octopus, Lagoon 420 Hybrid
Isle of Arran, Scotland

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Octopus

I rely on a 4 inch 220VAC angle grinder and a long lead from our inverter. I tried it out when we replaced our standing rigging a couple of years ago. It cut through the 19mm stainless steel cable like a knife through butter. I'm happy with this method.

Chris

Octopus, Lagoon 420 Hybrid
Isle of Arran, Scotland

How's it behave when wet?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

How's it behave when wet?

And you are wet, and t he whole damn world is wet... and leaping about with strong winds blowing stuff everywhere. And it is all nice, conductive salt water...

Until you have experienced such an emergency, it is hard to understand how difficult it would be to SAFELY use a mains powered angle grinder to cut rigging from a downed mast. A different world from slicing wire o n the dock.

Jim

[Octopus]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

And you are wet, and t he whole damn world is wet... and leaping about with strong winds blowing stuff everywhere. And it is all nice, conductive salt water...

Until you have experienced such an emergency, it is hard to understand how difficult it would be to SAFELY use a mains powered angle grinder to cut rigging from a downed mast. A different world from slicing wire o n the dock.

Jim

I reckon it would be fine. I've hung from one of the davits to re-secured a RIB half full of water one-handed at midnight in a Force 10 in the Irish Sea after the RIB broke free from one of its lashings. I reckon I could have operated a 4 inch angle grinder one-handed in the same conditions far far easier, quicker and safer than any of the other tools mentioned. Speed is of the essence in such situations. A long lead and double insulation eliminates much of the electrical safety issue.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, RPZ.

[roverhi]

Originally Posted by Octopus

I reckon it would be fine. I've hung from one of the davits to re-secured a RIB half full of water one-handed at midnight in a Force 10 in the Irish Sea after the RIB broke free from one of its lashings. I reckon I could have operated a 4 inch angle grinder one-handed in the same conditions far far easier, quicker and safer than any of the other tools mentioned. Speed is of the essence in such situations. A long lead and double insulation eliminates much of the electrical safety issue.

If you are powering the tool from a GFCI receptacle per the current marine wiring code, the GFCI will trip as soon as any water gets into the tool. That will make the grinder essentially useless. There is a big difference in an emergency in flat water with moderate winds and at seas and those in storm force wind and waves.

If you go the bolt cutter route, get a good quality (expensive) tool. The cheap Chinese cutter's blades are usually soft metal that will dent on every cut. Doesn't take many cuts before they are useless in making a clean cut.

Don't you just love dinghies on davits for ocean passages.

[Octopus]

No, I'm confident I've thought this through properly (I was paranoid about a dismasting before setting out on an Atlantic circuit). My mast will be away long before you've figured out how to operate your bolt cutter one-handed on a heaving deck. No protection circuit to trip when plugged directly into my (non-marine) inverter.