Standing Rigging Replacement - How Frequently?

[thudbranch]

My experience (50+yrs) and confirmed by two professional riggers is that the lower fittings on wire rigging will show rust where the wire enters the fittings first before the upper fittings do. I believe this is from water and salt collecting the closed end pocket formed by the swaged fitting with the wiring opening upwards. If you don't have rust on the lower swaged fittings I would not worry too much about the upper fittings. The rust shows up right where the wire enters the fitting and at the open end of the swaged fitting. Those are also the areas of highest stress. Physical stress on a material always increases the rate of corrosion. A simple minded way of looking at this is that corrosion is a chemical tearing apart of material connections and physical stress means those connections already have some of their connective strength "used up."
I totally agree with the earlier comment about the chain plates and their retaining bolts. They often fair poorly since they often end up sitting next to damp wood all the time. Know that stainless steel that can not get fresh air to continuously create an oxidized layer will corrode badly and quickly. The close proximity of the wood bulkheads will keep the O2 out and let the chain plates and their bolts corrode quickly.
Also, the rate of corrosion also doubles with roughly 10 deg F increase at ambient temperatures. (Learned while getting my Mechanical Engineering MS - in a "corrosion class" from U of W.) So rigging in Miami, FL may corrode 4 times faster than in Seattle, WA (assumes 20deg F temp difference). One rigger here in Seattle to me he has seen many examples of standing rigging 40 years old that still looked fine.

[evm1024]

We are planning an extended cruise starting this year. The mast will come out in the spring and all the standing rigging will be replaced with KOS wire.

The boat has sta-lok's and the rigging was replaced by the prior owner somewhere between 11 and 14 years ago. The rigging was replaced by a well known company in the Puget Sound area.

I did do the lowers last fall. Of the 8 sta-loks 1 had corrosion inside. Visual inspection did not show any problems. The sealant looked good and the threads were sealed with Red thread locker.

Is there a point? Not really. I suppose if pressed I would say that by replacing the standing rigging we at least reset the clock.

Will there be anymore rust in the fittings? Who knows.

[Hardhead]

Being violently dismasted is a huge PITA, and costly and dangerous. That's the big problem I think. In my mind, all the collective concern, and occasional worry, over a questionable rig - adds up to more than the cost of just replacing it at some point. Where's that point? literally no one knows...

[Chris dCB]

My insurance broker required that, after 12 years, I either undertook an annual inspection or replaced the standing rigging. The cost of an annual inspection was about 20% of the cost of replacement. I figured I could save money by just getting the job done and giving myself another 12 years without hassle.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by mako

And what about the idea of switching from stainless wire to galvanized wire rigging?

For smaller boats up to 36ft this makes sense, it's cheaper, can easily be diy as it's flexible so no complicated fittings just a bottle screw and eyes.. its only fault as such is in the old days when it was in common use it used to leave oil/rust marks on white sails hence most sails were tan colored to make it less obvious... they used to wipe down the wire once a year with linseed oil to help stop the heart drying out.
Today one can get plastic coated wire but how long that stands up to the sun is likely less than the 40+ yr lifespan of the wire.

[Gaia]

Interesting discussion. And I know this is not very helpful but it (the problems associated with stainless steel rigging and the connected crapshoot) is the reason we opted for a free standing rig on our junk rigged Gazelle.

Jim sv Gaia

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

The Insurance requirement seems to come up over and over... I have NEVER had an insurance company even bring it up, at all. How many here have had them ask? (without asking)
Even if they did ask they wouldn't be smart enough to question chainplates.

Just curious? ... maybe it's the latest thing...

It doesn't seem to be a problem in North America.

In Europe though it is very common for an insurance company to demand rigging replacement at 10 year intervals.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

The Insurance requirement seems to come up over and over... I have NEVER had an insurance company even bring it up, at all. How many here have had them ask? (without asking)
Even if they did ask they wouldn't be smart enough to question chainplates.

Just curious? ... maybe it's the latest thing...

My experience is that insurers in NZ will insist on standing rigging not exceeding 10 years but certainly in my own case, that requirement is only for offshore (voyaging). For local waters, no such requirement. And they have never questioned my chainplates so please whisper when you mention that

But that’s also to a large extent counter-intuitive because my insurers also only insure my boat on a passage for total loss, they don’t cover e.g. storm damage. If the rig comes down on a passage, that’s just tough, suck it up. So why the insistence on new rigging? Because the rig coming down could lead to a total loss so they’re making me pay to mitigate their risk which I guess is totally routine.

FWIW, I replace one or two wires each year, depending on what they are. That way my whole rig stays within the insurer’s requirement without being a large financial hit. In the last 4 years, fore and aft stays and cap shrouds, now it’s just the smaller lower shrouds that need doing and they’re relatively inexpensive. But all the wires in my rig are always less than 10 years old.

Also FWIW, I believe this 10-year requirement is being foisted upon us by the higher risk that large cats represent due their inability to heel in a strong squall and placing much larger loads on their standing rigging. Mono owners are simply being caught in the same web. Many large cat owners would probably disagree

[mitiempo]

A very good local rigger (Serge at Blackline in Sidney BC) told me that on the west coast rigging should be good for 15 to 18 years. Cold water and a lot of rain are the reasons. He said that in the tropics about half as long. Less rain and warmer salt water.

Crevice corrosion in lower fittings is not always easy to see, As posted stainless that is damp and not exposed to free air can corrode quite quickly.

Same with chainplates where they are buried in the deck, often a damp place. Usually the portion exposed above and below deck looks good but the buried section has corroded away.

This applies to keel bolts as well.

[wingssail]

My boat has a spindly three speader mast with continous rod rigging.

If I carried Hull Insurance (which covers rig, etc) they might well refuse to cover me if my rig was beyond their age limit, which it is from most companies that care at all.

Since I don't have that insurance (I have liability only) then it is my own pocket book and the need for security and safety at sea which dictates how long I will use the rigging components I now have.

Our rig was orignally put up in 1983 (before I got the boat) when the mast was replaced after failing just outside the Golden Gate. That rig that failed was 4 years old at that time.

The new rig which was put in was in use continously (heavy usae) until 2000 when an intermediate shroud failed at sea. (heavy conditions half way between NZ and Tonga). The rig stayed up, thanfully, and we made it to Tonga, where, on the advice of SoutherSpars and a good friend, I decided to replace all the standing rigging. At the time of failure it was 17 years old.

Now on the third set of standing rigging, which is 21 years old and has been down and inspected once in that time. I recognize, based on previous experience, that I am pushing it.

If I was intending to cross oceans I would replace the standing rigging again but since I don't intend to go anywhere that I can't motor home from I am not doing that.

I will continue to use this rig until it either breaks, gives me some sign that it might, or I get a lot more money to spend.

(when I replaced it in Tonga, Southern Spars made all the components and shipped them to me in Tongs for less than $3000, in 2000. I think it would be 3-4 times that now)

BTW. I do pay close attention to the chainplates and have replacedone, and had one rebuilt.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

A very good local rigger (Serge at Blackline in Sidney BC) told me that on the west coast rigging should be good for 15 to 18 years. Cold water and a lot of rain are the reasons. He said that in the tropics about half as long. Less rain and warmer salt water.

Crevice corrosion in lower fittings is not always easy to see, As posted stainless that is damp and not exposed to free air can corrode quite quickly.

Same with chainplates where they are buried in the deck, often a damp place. Usually the portion exposed above and below deck looks good but the buried section has corroded away.

This applies to keel bolts as well.

Wow, if that chainplate is SS it must be a very low grade material. I get crevice corrosion but I’ve never seen 316 looking like that. Looks more like a galvanised fitting.

So according to the very good local rigger, boats that live in the tropics should ideally re-rig every 7 years? I wonder how many actually do that. Conversely, I wonder how many that don’t, experience rig failures after 7 years. I bet not a lot in either case. I’ll also bet the rigger wishes his business was in the tropics.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by mako

And what about the idea of switching from stainless wire to galvanized wire rigging?

Check out You tube GBU. I think Matt ended up spending more on cleaning solvents to combat the rust stains than he saved. Apparently he found galvanized to be a bad idea.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

Wow, if that chainplate is SS it must be a very low grade material. I get crevice corrosion but I’ve never seen 316 looking like that. Looks more like a galvanised fitting.

I’ll also bet the rigger wishes his business was in the tropics.

Not much 316 on older boats, typically 304.

The rigger is very busy here.

[sailcrazy]

Our boat was first rigged in Hong Kong, then after 2 years there spent 8 years in Singapore before we bought her. We spent the next 11 years sailing in the Philippines before sailing to Phuket. I guess I'd call that warm & tropical! After a year in Thailand(the boat and rig were then 22 years old), we elected to pull the mast and inspect/replace the rigg...including the chainplates-just because. Aside from the holes in our chainplates being elongated, the s/s chainplates were OK-we replaced them anyway. And the professional rigger we used, a well respected Brit, said he could find nothing wrong with our rigg---but we replaced the wire anyway. And yes. the insurance company was mostly the reason. Call it coincidence, but another sailor, sailing a China-made motor-sailor, also about 17 years old, came limping back into the marina.....with his mast folded and the rig destroyed. A gust caught them, pulled a chainplate apart, and the rest of the rig let go. Bottom line-it's a guess what the expected life may be, but inspecting, and replacing on time alone seems a reasonable approach, especially in a salt-water environment. Take your pick on the time interval.

[Jahwork]

Greetings,

I am curious if anyone has knowledge of how the 10 year replacement cycle timeline was adopted? I see many people say you should replace it for peace of mind and to be conservative as it relates to safety. No argument from me on either of those accounts. But why 10 years? Why not 9 years? Maybe 8? Wouldn’t replacing it very 5 years be safer? Perhaps every year? I hear this 10 year value in many conversations but have not found anyone that can explain to me how and why it exists. Is it an average? From earlier posts I see one opinion was that a rig in the tropics will last 7 years but the same rig in colder water environments lasts 15-18 years. Based on a very small sampling, I suppose you could deduce the 10 year replacement is simply an “average” of the above numbers. Is it ten years of use? If I have a spool of 316SS 1x19 wire in my shop, which I do, and it is 5 years old, which it is, and I install it on my sailboat, is my rig now only good for 5 years? What, where, and how is the 10 year time limit calculated? As someone suggested before, if a boat has its rig removed X months of each year does the rig last “longer?” Is my rig bad after 10 years of use? Is my rig bad after 10 years of storage? If one’s rig were to fail, is there a metallurgic test that can be conducted to determine the age of a failed component? As I queried above, is the age of rigging calculated on the manufacture date of the component or when it was placed into service? Has anyone who has experienced a failed rig had to either prove the rig was less than 10 years old or had the insurance company age test the failed rig, found it to be in excess of 10 years old, and deny a claim as a result?

I also hear many speak of the fact that the failures occur in the fittings where they cannot be easily inspected, if possible at all. So how much time does it take for a fitting to corrode and weaken sufficiently so as to present a failure risk? Does the size of the rigging/fitting matter? Can it fail in a year if the conditions are such as to promote rapid corrosion? 5 years? Is this how the 10 year value came in to being? If it can’t be inspected then, as pondered above, wouldn’t a replacement schedule of 1, 2, ,5 or 7 years be “safer” than a 10 year cycle?

After all this writing, I am left with many more questions than I am answers. Oddly enough I have found “professional” riggers not in agreement on this, as well, and provide me with suggested replacement cycles from 7 years to 20+ years based on inspection.

Thanks for any and all insight you might provide,
~Jake