Is this acceptable rust? (Bobstay

[ArmySailor]

Got all new standing rigging 20 months ago. Noticed rust in/around the dolphin thumper. The rigging company said that as the steel "settles in" this can happen. My gut tells me to get a second opinion. I don't like it.

What say you?

[ThereAndBack]

I had this happen on some new rigging on my last boat. I put FSR on the spots and got the rust off. It did not return. I always thought that maybe it was just surface contamination. But I am no expert and will defer to other opinions. Hopefully someone will have a good answer for you.

[ArmySailor]

Excellent. I'll give FSR a try.

Will post results!

[tkeithlu]

While no one can absolutely positively Scout's honor promise you that there is no rust inside, lots of stainless steel rigging looks like this with no cause for concern. Stainless steel is just not perfectly stainless.

[chris mac]

I had ours inspected recently, much older, the inspector told me a couple stories of new wire doing that.
Some manufacturers only do marine grade stainless for a couple months, and regular steel the rest of the year. A lot of steel dust is in the air and settles between the wires of the stainless wire. It washes out over time and is fine, but still unsettling. The case he told me about started a warranty claim. They said they would honor it but asked that he wait a year to see if it cleaned up. Which it did and has been great since

[chasmains]

I don’t know why it’s so hard for suppliers to just drop a roll of rigging, fitted up or raw cable, into a passivation tank for an hour or so, if for no other reason than to have customers satisfied with no rust a few years later. So easy, such an aggravating issue with boat owners!

[mvmojo]

As the owner of a dive boat I used to captain used to say, "it's called stain-LESS, not stain-free." This looks like surface rust to me. Once it's removed with any type of rust remover, it likely won't come back, but if it does, just keep pouring the rust remover on the wire and letting it wash the rust off. If you start to see pitting, that's when to worry.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by ArmySailor

Got all new standing rigging 20 months ago. Noticed rust in/around the dolphin thumper. The rigging company said that as the steel "settles in" this can happen. My gut tells me to get a second opinion. I don't like it.

What say you?

The fitting may be intact, but right where it meets the wire it looks like the wire has expanded.
This is what rust does as the wire becomes rusty inside it expands.
It's a Bobstay, and shouldn't be to expensive to replace considering what its purpose is.
Replacement will ensure your rig and sprit stays intact.
SV Cloud Duster

[Chris Cringle]

I agree with Boatyarddog. The lower bob stay fitting lives in a much more corrosive location than the rest of the standing gear. Stop looking for excuses not to replace the bobstay and fix it right. Then have one thing less to worry about. Remember, you bet your boat.

[thinwater]

In fact, citric acid is the preferred stainless passivization chemistry at this time (google it). It will remove the stains and leach iron from the surface, reducing recurrence.


Citrisurf and Spotless Stainless are Examples, or you can formulate your own.


For this reason, and others, I switched to a Dyneema bobstay. Lost of salt exposure. The rest of my standing rigging is still stainless.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Chris Cringle

I agree with Boatyarddog. The lower bob stay fitting lives in a much more corrosive location than the rest of the standing gear. Stop looking for excuses not to replace the bobstay and fix it right. Then have one thing less to worry about. Remember, you bet your boat.

It’s less than 2 years old!!!

It’s just staining. Leave it be and worry about other stuff.

[mvmojo]

Originally Posted by Boatyarddog

The fitting may be intact, but right where it meets the wire it looks like the wire has expanded.
This is what rust does as the wire becomes rusty inside it expands.
It's a Bobstay, and shouldn't be to expensive to replace considering what its purpose is.
Replacement will ensure your rig and sprit stays intact.
SV Cloud Duster

OP could measure wire diameter a couple inches above and at fitting with calipers to check for expansion. Steel expands about 7:1 into rust so if you see 1mm of rust expansion, it would indicate 0.143mm (143 microns) of steel deterioration, not really structurally significant. To my eye pictures look like surface rust has just washed down the wire to the fitting...

[basenay]

Around 9 years ago had same thing happen to all my new rigging done by a very reputable yard in St Petersburg, FL. Got same story from both the yard and the rigging company that this sometimes happens with new rigging wire and is only cosmetic. I was in Panama and was not satisfied with their answers. My yard (long time customer) had me pick out worst piece for which they sent me a replacement which I installed. Removed rigging tested by special accredited metal lab and was indeed only surface rust. Full time cruising since then, no rigging problems and mostly faded away ( or sand blasted by dust in Golfo de California).

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

It’s less than 2 years old!!!

It’s just staining. Leave it be and worry about other stuff.

I don't believe you read the post correctly, the standing rigging was replaced 2 yrs ago not the Bobstay wire.
That's my interpretation.
And, Bobstays are in a corrosive environment.
The pictures aren't clear enough to determine absolutely.
Looks like expansion to me here.
The photo of the upper part of the stay looks as it should, tight and very little rust on it.
The bottom looks rougher.
I tend to error on the safe side.
Bobstay wire isn't that much but does a lot. IMHO
SV Cloud Duster

[Manateeman]

Silicon Bronze. Machine it, cast it, weld it...it’s a great metal for boats in salt water. You can do all sorts of things to stainless but in the end it’s still steel.
The manatee crew.