Spectra rigging? What do you think

[Dave_S]

Had a look at the Seawind 1190S yesterday at the show and it had spectra rigging. Looked nice, should be lighter. Now the funny bit, it shouldn't be much more expensive....... I'm betting it is though.


Is there a down side?

Can it be DIY ?

How long will it last?

[double u]

...& can any vandal cut it with his pocketknife?

[Dave_S]

I'm sure they could but not really a problem here.

[catsketcher]

I use Dynex Dux rigging on my little 23ft cat and it is lighter, easy to stow (the cat is trailerable), and I could make it pretty easily. It does take a while to take the stretch out.

I will look at it to replace the rigging when the big cat needs some new rigging. Even if I don't use Dux, but stay with stainless, I will get some Dux to make emergency stays. You could whip up a replacement stay in an hour or less if you learn how to splice it and it is very light and easy to stow away somewhere. No need for swages or any high tech stuff, you just need a really sharp knife and maybe a pen at a pinch (although a proper fid is better).

I think having some Dux longer thaun your longest stay is going to be a very sensible cruising spare in the near future.

As for longevity, I don't know. I was intrigued to see an S and S 34 with Dux rigging that went well in the recent Melbourne to Osaka race.

cheers

Phil

[double u]

"I think having some Dux longer thaun your longest stay is going to be a very sensible cruising spare in the near future. "

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Had a look at the Seawind 1190S yesterday at the show and it had spectra rigging. Looked nice, should be lighter. Now the funny bit, it shouldn't be much more expensive....... I'm betting it is though.


Is there a down side?

Can it be DIY ?

How long will it last?

DIY is definitely an option. Everyone seems to say it lasts as long as stainless rigging, and cost is similar.

I plan to look into it more deeply in a couple of years when our rigging is due for replacement.

[lamadriver]

So quick little story and some thoughts:

After I crossed from Cape Town to Uruguay in December I was super rushed to get the boat hauled, motor pulled and head to work, ( in 10 days). I got up the rig to fix something but didn't take a good look. fast forward 7 weeks.

I returned splashed the boat and got it ready for the final leg from Piriaoplis to Puerto Williams Chile. It was late in the season so I flew a buddy over from Cape Town to help with the two week trip south. It can be a nasty bit of water and your gogin to get clobbered a least once.

All was going well and We planned to leave the next day on Good Friday. Being prudent i had Jeremy haul me up the rig. The first lower I came to was stranded. I sat there for a minute, took a deep breath and then had him haul me up the rest and i inspected the rest of the rig. All good. Upon coming down I told him we are done, he was like " sweet time for a beer" and ,my response was no we are done done.

Its been a crazy year with lots of unforeseen issues outside of my control and it took a lot to not sit down and have a good cry.

Being Easter week in a South American country and the day before Easter weekend there wasnt a chance of getting the stay made up in Uruguay. This was potentially the last good weather window for the season. We had two options , i could fly to Miami and have Sailing Services swage a stay while i waited or use the DUX kit i had put together 2 years ago that was rolling around some where in the bilge.

A couple of youtube videos later and a practice splice we put up the dux stay. I had the dead eyes for tensioning and lashing. The top was a t fitting with a ring on it. The top brummel splice was ring hitched to that and the bottom was tensioned with the dead eyes. It took a halyard and a winch to tension but in aa few hours we were up and running.

now the question would it survive the 1500 miles and the thrashing we were about to get.

We had great sailing and went from 5 - 30 knots on the beam almost immeaditly. By the next morning we experienced a fair bit of construction set. It was necessary to put the boat in a fore reach configuration and re tension at sea. we did that once.

During the next 12 days it probably set a bit more but we were able to deal with that by tensioning the opposite fwd lower.

we had days of sustained 40's, and 5-6 meter seas. 2 nasty strong gales and roughly 12 out of the 14 days we sailed.

Both Jeremy and I are convinced it is the way forward and the future of rigging.

Lessons learned:

After a passage ALWAYS go up the rig and inspect. i got distracted and didn't do it when i arrived in Uruguay. It almost cost me getting the boat south and my plans for next season. Needles to say , i went up the rig as soon as I got to Chile.

This stuff doesn't stretch but it sets (technically) DUX will pre stretch it for you, thats the way to go. In my experience it does it thing very quickly and its finished. If you know what to expect its manageable.

Purchase the toggle for the turnbuckle instead of the dead eyes. it would have made our lives way easier and you can tension like a normal piece of wire. If you do use dea eyes , id practice the lashing and your technique for tensioning . You can do it with out using the DUX. It will really help when you have done it before instead of trying to do it at sea. having done it once now I could do this at sea, it would have been hard to do the first time in big seas and wind. It will take you a beer or two and youll learn a new skill.

It is incredibly hard to cut, it dulled a pair of dyneema scissors. Im not worried about a pen knife.


read the instructions before you cut it . I cut mine a bit short but was able to make it work with the dead eyes and the lashing.

Print out a copy of the Colligo instructions on tensioning and put in the bag with the DUX and fittings. duh

You can buy proper t hitting for the splivce called a cheeky tang to go into you T fittings for the top splice. I am going to buy one for my kit instead of the ring fitting i have now.

Its good value for most mid sized cruising boats a complete kit will probably cost you 400 dollars to put together. ill never go offshore with out it .


I would not hesitate to re rig my whole boat in the stuff, even though we sail in very high latitudes. The DUX is stronger then wire, lighter and easier to work with.

My next boat or re rig will be in DUX.

Hope that helps.

LD

[Suijin]

More and more of my friends are moving to it when it comes time to rerig, and all of them have had good results. Pretty much the only downside to it is that it is theoretically easier to cut, but I've never heard of anyone actually running into that problem. For long term cruisers, the ability to carry everything you need for repairs and do it yourself is a huge advantage.

People are using it and have good results. Listen to them and not the naysayers who chime in with comments about vandals and other supposed negatives, who've never even used the stuff.

[double u]

"...who've never even used the stuff..."
I mightn't have seen "the stuff", but I've seen plenty of ropes & rigging in my time, & quite a few "unfriendly" places on our 3 rtws, plenty...maybe some that you haven't seen?

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by double u

"...who've never even used the stuff..."
I mightn't have seen "the stuff", but I've seen plenty of ropes & rigging in my time, & quite a few "unfriendly" places on our 3 rtws, plenty...maybe some that you haven't seen?

Don't play the "old salt" card. You've not used spectra for your rigging. The one "disadvantage" you cited was hypothetical. It doesn't matter how many ropes you've seen or how many times you've been around the world.

[double u]

...or how many "unfriendly natives" you've encountered...
(& then there's the 10years rule, Mr. Aggressive...)
& btw: ever heard of "anecdotal evidence"?

[bigman1]

Originally Posted by double u

...or how many "unfriendly natives" you've encountered...
(& then there's the 10years rule, Mr. Aggressive...)
& btw: ever heard of "anecdotal evidence"?

My friends let the peace of God dwell in your hearts, we all have to face the elements, but let us do it with brotherly love for all.God bless you all.

[senormechanico]

Before we left the PNW for Mexico, everyone kept asking the question,
"But what about the banditos?"

[tiopirata]

I am a rigger and I can tell you that my next vessel will not have standing rigging at all but have free standing spars. That said, I have dealt with both SS and composite rigging, if I had only those options I most definitely would choose composite for myself.

[sailon46]

FYI I have encountered a number of really big sailboats 80'+ from Curacao to Antigua that none had standing rigging. All the French Tri's sailing around the Globe, have no standing rigging just dyneema's. When I change my rigging next year I will be going that route myself. I am convinced that this is the way to go now.
Ernie on the Mary Jane