How Old Is Your Standing Rigging

[AJ_n_Audrey]

Boat is 39 years old

Chainplates and standing rigging 8 years old

Stemhead is original, cracked with weld repair, and will be replaced next month.

[Kd9truck]

Vessel left the production line September of 2010 I’ve had her for 3 years. Everything is original and inspected every spring.

[GreenWave]

Boat is 20 yrs old.

Original Chain PLates


All Standing Rigging replaced 2 years ago.

[roverhi]

The standing rigging on my Pearson 35 had been replaced when I bought it in '06. Had it inspected 3 years ago to get the rig insured. No signs of deterioration even living in Kona. Did replace the headstay soon after I bought it because of broken wire strands at the mast head. A bit puzzling as the wire was probably only a couple of years old then. No signs of the wire breaking since replacement.

My other boat is a 1976 Sabre 28 that's spent its life on SF Bay. Rigging could be original, definitely not recent. Needs to be replaced which I'll do when I get back to it in a month or so. Inspected the wires and found cracked swages on the lowers at the mast. Upper shrouds and stays were good but will replace also.

[Jono as 2234]

I have owned 5 sailboats. All have been over 20 years old. Excepting the latest 36 footer, which had the standing rigging replaced prior to a couple of South Pacific circumnavigations, none have had rigging replacements. No failures yet. All sailed on Oz waters, and pretty hard. When younger I would actively enjoy dirty weather.

[Scubaseas]

Old boat (Pearson 323) was 27 years old. 4 of 8 chain plates needed replacing (crevice corrosion) and standing rigging inspected OK but was replaced. Original stemhead, mast fittings and back stay chain plate all good. Boat lived all it's life in New England, dry stored 6 months/year. Rigging inspected after 12 years, still all good.



"New" boat (Tayana V42) is now 35 years old, two years ago replaced 7 chain plates (crevice corrosion) and all the standing rigging (2 turnbuckles cracked, two stays had meat hooks) replaced. Back stay chainplate, stemhead and all mast fittings OK. Boat lived full time in water in Texas. Big difference in stainless and turnbuckles between US built boat and Taiwan boat.

[Hoodsail]

Boat is 42 yrs old. I pulled port & starboard chainplates a few years ago - both were in excellent condition, confirmed by the yard. Replaced all standing rigging, all wire, no rod 5 yrs ago. Pull the stick each year and boat is on the hard from November thru half of May. Mast & boom in excellent shape. Just added removable inner forestay too.

[peter loveridge]

my boat is 30 years old.30 feet 12000lb, but used some of the rigging from another boat which was built in 1964. The 4 lowers an 2 runners, and the detachable inner forestay are 1x19, 3/16, date from 1964, the 5 uppers, 1x19, 1/4 date from 1990. An extra forestay and roller furling for a light air sail added in 2017, this the only one with swaged terminals, the rest are al norseman or staylock. I did all the rigging myself. Haven't used sealant on any as I think it likely excludes oxygen from the wires. Boat has lived in Nova Scotia all this time except a trip to the Bahamas. Very occasional non-serious race. Sailed conservatively, but as the mast is usually up during the winter and 60knot wind storms occur every month and 90 knot not rare, this doesn't count for much. Inspected by me every year, no problems so far. Professional riggers do have some conflict here.

[chrisr]

just replaced all rigging over the past 12 months so say 1 yo

we replace our standing rigging & turnbuckles every 10 years or so, with detailed rig inspection by certified rigger every 2 years.

it is my experience that in event of a claim, insurance companies here in oz will look for proof that rig has been properly maintained. imho most of the above post indicate folk would be unable to do this and (here at least) so can expect their insurers to walk away.

but perhaps as well as saving money on their rigging, people also save money by not insuring ?

cheers,

[cat-keys]

Our catamaran is 12 years old. The surveyor suggested we replace the upper diamond shroud when we bought her 4 years ago. We then replaced the forestay when we replaced the furler and Genoa at 10 years and this year I did all the remaining standing rigging

I did so mostly for peace of mind and because I read that you should do so at 10 years.

We sail in south florida and the Bahamas. 40 to 50 knot squalls do hit us from time to time So even though they only last a few minutes it just takes one Ill times squall combined with just the right wave angle to exert just the right force to snap a cable and bring the whole rig down...in a squall. Or so went the little fear in my minds eye

If you are looking to keep the boat for some years then peace of mind is worth it

[inspectr]

I am utterly convinced that the requirement to replace standing rigging every 10 years is a scam perpetrated on us sailors by the rigging industry
Insurer sends me an email requiring an out of water survey after 12 years of ownership. Otherwise they will refuse to reinsure. By the time that the haul out, antifoul, skin fittings, and a few extras were done, no change out of $10,000AUD. Of course (on the you scratch my back I'll scratch yours principle) they recommend that the standing rigging be replaced by a named rigger.
Two quotes - their guy quoted $9K and suggested that the furler would need to be replaced as parts are no longer available. Second quote, $7K.
Five minutes of googling I find that parts (expensive but in stock) are available from the same LOCAL wholesaler at which my rigger has an account. And as a wholesaler they will not supply me, rigger pockets 25% discount for picking up the two vastly overpriced parts at the same time as he collects the other bits - and I get charged full list price ($1200AUD item!)
By the time this farce is over, $20,000AUD spent, most most of it unnecessary
I'd really love to find out how many claims that the insurers settle for rig failure.
40 Years on Sydney harbour I have never seen a cruising boat with a total rig failure and only a few racing yachts which frankly were being pushed far too hard

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by inspectr

I am utterly convinced that the requirement to replace standing rigging every 10 years is a scam perpetrated on us sailors by the rigging industry
Insurer sends me an email requiring an out of water survey after 12 years of ownership. Otherwise they will refuse to reinsure. By the time that the haul out, antifoul, skin fittings, and a few extras were done, no change out of $10,000AUD. Of course (on the you scratch my back I'll scratch yours principle) they recommend that the standing rigging be replaced by a named rigger.
Two quotes - their guy quoted $9K and suggested that the furler would need to be replaced as parts are no longer available. Second quote, $7K.
Five minutes of googling I find that parts (expensive but in stock) are available from the same LOCAL wholesaler at which my rigger has an account. And as a wholesaler they will not supply me, rigger pockets 25% discount for picking up the two vastly overpriced parts at the same time as he collects the other bits - and I get charged full list price ($1200AUD item!)
By the time this farce is over, $20,000AUD spent, most most of it unnecessary
I'd really love to find out how many claims that the insurers settle for rig failure.
40 Years on Sydney harbour I have never seen a cruising boat with a total rig failure and only a few racing yachts which frankly were being pushed far too hard

you may be right...it may be a scam

so what are the options ?

find an insurance co that doesn't require it ? there isn't one.
don't insure ? not a chance
lie & hope for the best ? not me

any i've missed ?

cheers,

[Fore and Aft]

Sailorboy1 that's an interesting question. I personally only know of three yachts losing their masts in the last 10 years due to rigging failure. A fourth yacht had the mast torn of the deck by a steel channel marker.
Another interesting question for professional riggers would be how many masts have you saved just by doing a rigging inspection? I couldn't tell you how many times I have been on a boat and seen cracked fittings that could have turned into serious problems if they had been out sailing. I remember one sea trial that was cancelled because as the broker swung himself onboard using the cap shroud it broke of from the rigging screw!
My rigging is 3 years old.
Cheers

[MultiCountryDon]

Boat is 22 years old.
All rigging, standing and running, replaced this year

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Sailorboy1 that's an interesting question. I personally only know of three yachts losing their masts in the last 10 years due to rigging failure.

You know that brings up an interesting point.

I have never read a story of a mast coming down in anything less than an “all bets are off” type of event. But i have read many stories of lost rudders, keels, through hull failures, old hoses falling apart.

Yet insurance companies will want rigging replaced, but not rudders, keel bolts, through hulls, hoses.