Dismasting Tools

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by The Yacht Rigger

A pair of 4' bolt cutters are somewhat effective, but HEAVY and tend to be heavily corroded by the time someone needs them.

Mine are vacuum packed in a bag with desiccant pack.

[Benz]

If you have synthetic rigging, a Knipex shear will do the job without wearing out one blade.
Another advantage of Dyneema....

[skipperpete]

I,m not completely sure I’d want to cut the mast loose, two of the dismastings that have occurred on the boats of folks I’ve actually sailed with have resulted in them getting the damn thing back on board and later repairing the mast with splices..... one in Australia and one near Singapore. Both on catamarans. On a metal hulled boat I’d keep it alongside and might consider cutting off the stanchions to get it aboard if the weather cleared up enough, if not it might be better to ditch it.

[Fintry]

I'm an instructor at the CCA's Hands On Safety at Sea classes. We teach people to use an angle grinder for rig removal -- and actually had a student come back and show us a video of him doing that offshore.


Bolt cutters are worthless -- which we demonstrate by giving a good pair -- the ones I took around the world -- to a strong student and asking him to cut rigging. A really strong student can, but it takes a lot longer than the disc grinder.


And, yes, the disc will cut when wet and, yes, you have to keep it charged and have a spare battery, but you have to maintain other life saving gear as well.


Highly recommended.



Jim

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

I,m not completely sure I’d want to cut the mast loose, two of the dismastings that have occurred on the boats of folks I’ve actually sailed with have resulted in them getting the damn thing back on board and later repairing the mast with splices..... .

How did they do that? When mine was in the water 2 weeks ago I like an freakin idiot I grabbed it and tried to lift it back on the boat. I can not believe just how STUPID that was. Like I was going to lift up what is probably a 500 pound plus rig with a 100 pound sail in the water. This was real life, not a superhero movie.

[wholybee]

I know one person that had their forestay fail and the mast fell straight back into the cockpit without killing anyone and without breaking. They used a jib halyard to raise it back into place and kept sailing.

But I don't think doing that or performing any kind of salvage of a mast on a typical cruising yacht is reasonable. Only on boats with really lightweight rigging. Not unless you are able to pull up a 200lb anchor by hand when it is blowing 50 kts. For mortal men it is simply impossible.

[davil]

BOLT CUTTERS

Useless?

Not really

Like everything in boating, It depends.

It depends on the type of rigging, my boat all rigging is stainless wire 3/8
and your physical strength.

Bought a cutter in Harbor Freight.
tried out in my garage with stainless leftovers from replaced project, with standard handles length cut them on first try, very clean cut, all strands,
with my arthritis, wanted to make sure could do it, piece of cake
now, as previously mentioned, is airtight kept in the cockpit locker.

Will I carry a cordless grinder, more likely, being updating all my tools to lithium,is a neat way to carry power tools, so far a cordless drill, a dremel and a
cordless screwdriver.

Suggestion

check your rigging,
for under $100 if the rigging you have is within the size of the tool and YOUR PHYSICAL STRENGTH to use this tool. Try it out.
If it doesn't work, just return it.

[davil]

the project I did was to replace all lifelines with 3/8 stainless wire and compression fittings, they require clean cuts to apply the compression fittings

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by davil

the project I did was to replace all lifelines with 3/8 stainless wire and compression fittings, they require clean cuts to apply the compression fittings

You must mean 3/16" You would need to be Hercules to cut 3/8" wire with bolt cutters. I tried and couldn't. In a safety at sea course the instructor could do it by holding the bolt cutters vertically and bouncing on the handle. But even observing the technique and a bit of practice no one else in the class could. And no way the instructor would do it on a moving boat.

My go to tool for my 5/16" rigging is a basic hack saw. When I replaced my forestay I cut the new length in about 20 seconds. Not as fast as a cutoff wheel, but much safer. A dismasted boat is a dangerous situation, and with moving and unstable parts. Having a cutoff wheel bind or slip is the last thing I want to happen and make that worse.

[davil]

Originally Posted by wholybee

You must mean 3/16" You would need to be Hercules to cut 3/8" wire with bolt cutters. I tried and couldn't. In a safety at sea course the instructor could do it by holding the bolt cutters vertically and bouncing on the handle. But even observing the technique and a bit of practice no one else in the class could. And no way the instructor would do it on a moving boat.

My go to tool for my 5/16" rigging is a basic hack saw. When I replaced my forestay I cut the new length in about 20 seconds. Not as fast as a cutoff wheel, but much safer. A dismasted boat is a dangerous situation, and with moving and unstable parts. Having a cutoff wheel bind or slip is the last thing I want to happen and make that worse.

=======================

oooppsss!!!!!


3/16 it is

[meirriba]

We carry a ratchet wire/bolt cutter - Baudat ACSZA20.
Never used it in anger on the rig (our stays are 14mm) but usef it to cut 10mm anchor chain. Very easy job.

[jen1722terry]

I wonder if one of the portable multitools with the flat cutting blades would work on wire rigging on our 31' boat?

Comments?

[merrydolphin]

Hey Capt Arnstein, Capt Fred Read here! Hope you and Club Nautique are doing well. I miss the Bay Area.

And to all interested in this mans qualifications. Believe me , he’s got them.
As a fellow instructor, ( I taught there for decades), this guy is super experienced and qualified.

I’ll send an email and catch up with you.

[sittbrunnen]

Great pdf. I used my hacksaw between the Azores and France on 8 mm wires. It worked well, but I should have bought new blades.


Niklas

[The Yacht Rigger]

Originally Posted by jen1722terry

I wonder if one of the portable multitools with the flat cutting blades would work on wire rigging on our 31' boat?

Comments?

Do you mean an oscillating type tool? I've not tried one of those... not even sure they make blades for them for cutting steel.