Ball park figure for running rigging

[GILow]

Hi all,

Planning to make an offer on a new boat. Running rigging is toast.

Anyone feel like pulling a number out of the air to replace the running rigging on a conservatively rigged 44 foot cutter sloop from the late 70s?

I’m thinking it will need new sheets for the foresail and staysail, new main sheet, new reefing lines for the main, new main halyard and new furling lines for both foresails.

I’m looking at cruising grade ropes, not racing.

Any ideas, gut feelings, previous experiences welcome.

Matt

[michaeld]

I did my own standing rigging including chain plates for around $8K. Riggers ballparked $20K.

[Jammer]

I did this on my Hunter 26 and while it is a much smaller boat I'll extrapolate a guess. I used Endura (NER's Dyneema core rope) for both halyards for low stretch and polyester double braid for everything else. I spent $700 on rope from Defender, including having them do eye splices, reeving eyes where needed, and whipping where the exact length wasn't critical. I did all the measuring and installed the new lines myself including a few splices and quite a bit of the whipping, and faffing around with the furler drum.

If you're not rigging a spinnaker and are reusing the existing foresail halyards then I would guess you'll end up with between $2000 and $3000 worth of rope if you're buying it from the cheap places and installing everything yourself.

If you are replacing shackles and blocks that will be more. I switched to soft shackles for most purposes as part of my project.

Of course if you call up your local rigger and have him come out and measure and do the work it will be quite a bit more.


One thing to watch is that some boats of this era had wire halyards. If that is the case you will probably want to switch to rope which may involve some work to replace sheaves with larger ones.

[tkeithlu]

Just for the record, a cutter is not a sloop.

One way to look at it is to figure that the owner reduced the price because he estimated that replacing the rigging was going to cost more than the amount of the reduction. If replacing the rigging would have increased the market value ore than it cost to do, he would have done it before the sale.

That's the purely market answer. There are other factors, like he didn't want to mess with it, needed to sell in a hurry, etc.

[MicHughV]

There are salvage yards around....eg. "Sailorman" in Ft. Lauderdale, where new cordage can often be found at substantially lower prices than retail. I'm sure these exist in other locales as well.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by GILow

Hi all,

Planning to make an offer on a new boat. Running rigging is toast.

Anyone feel like pulling a number out of the air to replace the running rigging on a conservatively rigged 44 foot cutter sloop from the late 70s?

I’m thinking it will need new sheets for the foresail and staysail, new main sheet, new reefing lines for the main, new main halyard and new furling lines for both foresails.

I’m looking at cruising grade ropes, not racing.

Any ideas, gut feelings, previous experiences welcome.

Matt

Matt, this is a pretty simple calculation: (simply measure the lines and add up the lengths.)
Assumptions:

• roller furling headsails
• do you own rigging and splicing (if needed)
• whipping twine, etc, extra
• polyester double braid, such as New England Stayset
• Retail prices (you can beat this) https://www.velasailingsupply.com/ne...SABEgLCSfD_BwE

Sheets for the foresail:
Est. from winch to staysail stay and back to other winch, plus 15 ft tail and 10 ft to roll on furled sail=75' x2=150' 1/2" stayset

Sheets for staysail, Same as foresail sheets, less dist between stays =10' total 140' 1/2 stayset

Main sheet,
Est. Length from main sheet blocks on deck to mainsheet blocks on boom when boom is 90 degrees to the hull (25') times number of parts (6) plus distance to winch (6) 10 foot tail= 166ft 7/16 stay set

Reefing lines for the main,
Est. dist from boom to reef cringle (avg 15') x2 plus length of boom (16) plus length to winch (5) plus tail (20)= 75' x2 =150' 7/16 Stayset

Main halyard
Est. dist from boom to mast head (50') x2 Plus dist to winch (5) plus tail 15. 120' stayset 7/16

furling lines for both foresails.
Est, (Have to guess, no experience with furling) say 3' for turns on drum, length from drum to winch (30') plus 10' tail= 45' x2 =90' stayset 3/8'

Total 1/2 inch= 1 spool, $700
Total 7/16= 1 spool, $600
Total 3/8= 150; = $150

Total under $2000

[MicHughV]

I have to note this...most marine chandeliers offer cordage of every make and description. Some truly marvelous stuff. Some truly marvelous prices too.

Question is?.....do you really need all this high tech stuff ??

I've always been a bargain basement shopper. Whether one type of rope stretches 0.005" more than the next is pretty much inconsequential to me.

In bygone years, none of this high tech stuff was around, but sailors managed just fine.

These days cordage makers tout a variety of rope for every purpose. It can takes days just to sort thru' all the literature, specs, etc.
With an open check book, you could certainly buy state-of-the-art cordage for every need on you boat. No two lines will be the same and zero's will likely roll of the edge of your checkbook.

I've managed just fine for 35 years on "salvage" store cordage selections with nary a problem. I don't think there is a single thread of dyneema, kevlar, or other exotic material on the boat.

'jes sayin'....

[MicHughV]

just for grins, I checked our local marine store for some sheet line cordage....

"recommended" 1/2" dyneema double braid line is around $5.29/ft...breaking strength is 21,000 lbs.....seriously...21,000 lbs.....I like the 1/2" for good grip, but 21,000 lbs is a tad over the top...

nonetheless...for the 150' needed as described above...plus tax.....= about $850....just for the sheet lines..

[bensolomon]

I just did this on my boat using Sailboatowners.com. Jib halyard, jib sheets, spin halyard. Used Used New England stayset. Total cost came in around $700. I had them do the eye splice and added shackles for the halyards. I'm very pleased.

[Scubaseas]

Mauripro has most boats listed. I'd guess $1200 using cruising lines. 3 halyards, three sheets . YMMV.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by GILow

Hi all,

Planning to make an offer on a new boat. Running rigging is toast.

Anyone feel like pulling a number out of the air to replace the running rigging on a conservatively rigged 44 foot cutter sloop from the late 70s?

I’m thinking it will need new sheets for the foresail and staysail, new main sheet, new reefing lines for the main, new main halyard and new furling lines for both foresails.

I’m looking at cruising grade ropes, not racing.

Any ideas, gut feelings, previous experiences welcome.

Matt

Matt,
Wingssail pretty much nailed the calculations for the amount of running rigging needed. I'm also happy w/stayset for cruising running rigging, unless you feel the need for more exotic lines.


My question would be about the standing rigging and possibly the chain plates of a 70s boat that they couldn't even keep up w/replacing the running rigging. To be on the safe side, would calculate this replacement cost into the purchase as well.

[MicHughV]

what you need is the "rope guy"....

Some years ago, there was a guy would travel up and down the east coast of the US, stopping at area marina's.

His vehicle was a van of sorts, that he had equipped with various display boards

He had every conceivable type of rope in there. Nobody was ever sure where he sourced his supply of ropes, and he never provided an answer if asked. We only knew him as the " rope guy". We suspect that some of his merch may "have fallen off the back of a truck", but his prices were unbeatable.

He'd park his truck in the parking lot and within an hour had several dozen people milling around looking at his wares. People would buy rope they didn't even need as his prices were so attractive.

Not sure what became of him, but I used to buy from him.

[sail sfbay]

Originally Posted by GILow

...........Anyone feel like pulling a number out of the air to replace the running rigging on a conservatively rigged 44 foot cutter sloop .............

Runing rigging on my Hunter 46 without a staysail and reefing line (in-mast mainsail) are maybe a few thousand $ if you do it yourself and be sure to remove each of the halyards and complicated control lines with a messenger line sewn to the end of each old line, remove and sew to the end of the new line and remove. Be sure to purchase the appropriate elasticity for each line. If you would like help on line selection please let me know.

[TrentePieds]

If it's the materials cost you are worried about, then why not eliminate all the intangible variables (like other people's experience in other locales and with other boats) from you consideration, and just do a budget (a spreadsheet) listing everything you want to have, the quantity of each such thing and the unit cost of each such thing. A summation of the extensions will give you a pretty darn good figure!

TP

[El Pinguino]

Simple answer - not very much in the scheme of things.
Start with Wingsails handy calculator and do the maths Don't underestimate the length require for jib sheets

Then go to these people.

I think I've dealt with them in the past. ( They even sell 'Telstra' line - I thought that was only available by roadside scavenging.)

https://www.sydneyropesupplies.com.a...ded-polyester/


If when re-rigging you run out go back and buy more. Simples.

Buy a hot knife/rope cutter thingo at the same time.

My halyards are a bit fancier than basic polyester - 'Southern Ocean'? brand from NZ - lower stretch. Not hugely more expensive.

Bigger concern would be the standing rigging. Check the lowers and replace them if any doubts at all.