Plastic Shroud Covers

[Sid at SailAway]

Got a quick question. I'm thinking of removing the shroud covers on the side stays on my Lagoon 410. The reason is they just make to much noise at night in any kind of wind. I've never given them much thought on any of my other boats, so are they really needed? My main never touches the shrouds so what use are the covers? By the way, the sound they make is a rattle sound against the shroud itself. Thanks!!

[sailvayu]

Get rid of them they collect dirt and moisture in the swag fittings and rigging causing corrosion. They hold moisture in right where you least want it.

[delmarrey]

I assume you're talking about the turnbuckle boots. Most shroud covers are on to protect the jib/genoa sheets from getting frayed.

If they are the white vinyl type there is a split cap the fits in the end that pretty much keeps them on center.

On mine I use a cap on top but the bottom fits snug over the chain plate clevis. They can be held to the tube with white electrical tape.

DAVIS INSTRUMENTS Spare Turnbuckle Boot Caps | West Marine

BTW my swag fittings only get wet when it rains or I take a wave over the cap rail.

[neilpride]

Its the black plastic tube in both side shrouds, when we replace this shrouds at the shop we insert the top in the swage terminal with a heat gun , 1 inch or 2 , that way the bottom dont collect water , salt , or dirt... problem is, catamarans sailing downwind got their mainsail chafing in some cases in the shrouds, now if you want to get rid off the black thing, good luck with that, its very hard to cut , and its several feet long.

My sugestion, climb to the top with a heat gun , heat the plastic top tip a bit , with help from the bottom insert the tube in the swage 1 or 2 inches and next time you replace the rigging order the wires without the black tube. Cheers.

[Sid at SailAway]

Originally Posted by neilpride

Its the black plastic tube in both side shrouds, when we replace this shrouds at the shop we insert the top in the swage terminal with a heat gun , 1 inch or 2 , that way the bottom dont collect water , salt , or dirt... problem is, catamarans sailing downwind got their mainsail chafing in some cases in the shrouds, now if you want to get rid off the black thing, good luck with that, its very hard to cut , and its several feet long.

My sugestion, climb to the top with a heat gun , heat the plastic top tip a bit , with help from the bottom insert the tube in the swage 1 or 2 inches and next time you replace the rigging order the wires without the black tube. Cheers.

That's how mine are up, with the top shrunk around the swage. The bottom of the cover ends about 5 feet above the bottom swage. The rattling it makes in the wind at night is starting to become bothersome. I think I may have to cut it loose from the top swage and start cutting it off in sections from deck level. It does look like it's going to be hard to cut. On my boat it seems like it has no practical purpose, so off it goes...