If in doubt, get your deck buddy to rig temporary stays using the halyards and check each stayone at a timewith it slackened off. Shes the director of media relations at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, and she and her family continue to pine and plan for the day they can return to the cruising life. rigbos.com our online store is a progression allowing us to more effisantly supply customer Members of ABYC . Learn all about the dangers of failing to winterize here. All rod rigging terminates in a cold head, which accommodates the end fitting or is encapsulated by the end fitting. Its common to choose to fit lighter swaged terminals at the top of a stay or shroud and mechanical ones at the bottom, where swaged terminals are more vulnerable to corrosion. The life span of rigging depends on how heavily a boat has been sailed and on the care taken with tuning. Here's the average cost to shrink wrap a boat. The most important determinant would be the boat's use; a boat used for racing or offshore cruising would require the wires to be inspected and replace more often. Use a low stretch Dacron such as Sta-Set-X for halyards. Did you find the answer to your specific question? Ive had some snafus out there to be sure, and they loom large when theyre read more, When One Wrong Makes a Right Everybody knows youre not supposed to sail up the Pacific Coast! Picking up early signs of corrosion or replacing select components after a thorough inspection is a worthwhile exercise because it may extend the lifespan of your standing rigging. Over time, the halyard still moved in the wind and the shroud chafed through the cover, exposing the core. Sta-Set X is an ideal. ImproveSailing is compensated for referring traffic and business to this companies. Technical support for boat owners and maintenance yards servicing Sabre sail and motor yachts | Sabre Yachts Technical Support Contacts in Sabre's After Sales Service Department may be reached by calling 207-655-3831 or by filling in the contact form. At minimal cost you can rig a permanent preventer that is easy to use, is fully adjustable, and does not require going forward on deck. Remove the clevis pins at each end if you haven't already, replace the old cable with the new cable, and reinstall the clevis pins. The following resources contain do-it-yourself information on upgrading and maintenance. Ensure you keep hold of the standing end so it doesn't disappear to the top of the mast. Does that mean that replacement time for those is longer? Dyneema is especially susceptible to UV degradation. It's about a days worth of work. Wendy Mitman Clarke is currently between passages. On the other hand, it will be very important to maintain hull health, as even small leaks will lead to condensation and mold, which is horrible for your health and living standard. Parts total: $600 on average Too narrow for equivalent ropeshould be 10% wider than the diameter of the rope. To the best of my knowledge it hasn't had a trailer until last year so the mast was up through the winter. Saltwater is a lot more corrosive, and the stress on your rigging and sails will be higher. Cost Running Rigging - Cruisers & Sailing Forums I use a 3D model and some diagrams. So here are some tips and things to look for so that you can replace your running rigging before it breaks. Rigging - Wikipedia It definitely needed to be replaced. www.rigbos.com Inboard engine (and generator) starters cost from $40 - over $1,000 depending on the engine. On longer boats, you can opt for a furling-line material of more esoteric double-braids with less stretch. Get it wrong, and your boat could wind up on the beach in a bad blow. The deciding factor of how much will this cost exactly is whether you can simply bolt the new engine in or whether you have to adjust all other parts, including shaft logs, exhausts, electrics, and so on. A prudent sailor should inspect his or her standing rig at least once each season and should know when the time comes to replace most or all of it. Replacing your Standing Rigging with Jimmy Green Marine. The latter is very important, as its a common cause of weakness, so wherever possible ensure stainless steel fittings are insulated from an aluminum mast. If you don't have that you may be able to find it on line or on line at your boat class owners' association. Having to hire a rigger to climb your mast to run a new halyard after the old one breaks. Fitting a Roller Furling Line - Practical Sailor There is no hard and fast rule for when to replace your running rigging. Listing Results for Sailing & Rigging and ENG1 Medical Certificate in Marans, Levallois Perret and Cap D'Agde A boat in the water is in constant motion and the rigging experiences constant micro shock loads even when sitting in the slip. We offer a full range of sailing lines to replace any or all the running rigging on your boat such as halyards, sailboat sheets or control lines. The typical sheets for a low-tech, limited budget sailer is single braid Dacron. Do you hire a pro or go it alone? When should standing rigging be replaced? - Sailboat Owners Forums We only sell guaranteed-content, guaranteed-process wire, Herman says. How Much Do New Sails Cost? | Life of Sailing Running rigging, standing rigging, what's the difference? Over time, UV exposure weakens the fibers and eventually, even the slightest friction will cause chafe that will damage and break the fibers of the cover. Boats used for coastal cruising, week ending or day sailing may go longer. What is Sailboat Rigging? - Better Sailing Place the top of the sail in the mast track and pull on the halyard. This is a very serious problem for the average sailor. The latter may indicate two things: one, that its simply surface rust, which you should be able to polish off, or two, that as the wire was being manufactured, a strand might have picked up some contamination during the process and is compromised, which is cause for concern. We're looking for writers! If in doubt, get a professional opinion. Click here for a full walkthrough with diagrams. How to Tune a Sailboat Mast - The Rigging Company For docklines a 27 ft. boat would use 1/2" nylon: 25' bow, 15' stern, and 20' spring. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more! If the baseplates, for example, are leaking, water will penetrate the deck, making the surrounding deck core mushy and weak (if a core exists) and possibly compromising supporting bulkheads and structures belowdecks. With chainplates its often not the actual hardware that fails, but the structure that supports them. Switching to Lithium Batteries on Your Boat - Power & Motoryacht Complete, illustrated 16 page instruction guide to get your new DragonForce 95 rigged, setup and on the water! If you have (reasonable) evidence that the PO replaced only the worst sections, it's safe to assume that the rest of the rig is getting ancient and failure prone. Check the deck around the chainplates and mast for cracking and delamination. Running rigging - Wikipedia My boat has been in fresh water all its life. Although rod rigging is more common on racing boats, many well-known cruising-boat builders, such as Valiant, Bristol, J/Boats and Hinckley, have rod-rigged models. This line is double braided polyester, so the cover is responsible for carrying up to 30% of the load. This produces an easy-to-handle rope that is strong and durable. Mechanical fittings can be applied using a few common hand tools by the mechanically handy DIY sailor, which is one reason theyre popular. ImproveSailing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Most people starting out will get a smaller size boat and use it for day trips and weekend trips. Thus the standing rigging is made up of all the cables and . Money well spent. Rigging | West Marine The Out Haul can be simply a single line the pulls the foot of the sail toward the free end of the boom or the Out Haul can consist of an elaborate arrangement of blocks. If line is properly taken care of, it can last many decades. What cost standing rigging? | YBW Forum For my 41 feet sloop, I did most of the installation myself and paid approximately $4700 for the entire rig replacement. I won't go into detail, but I have written an in-depth article about the cost of new sails (opens in new tab). The former requires someone with a swage machine to fit terminals, the latter you can fit yourselfwith care. It does not all wear out at the same rate. In the past, long-distance cruisers typically chose wire rigging with mechanical fittings for all of these reasons. Not all maintenance is as important. I can only assume this is due to the risk of rocking the hull off its jackstands. The average price of used sailboats is $111,000, ranging from $19,000 to $518,000. This way you can cut the wire roughly to length and have a rigger swage the tops, fit them in place yourself and terminate the lower ends to suit. When I thought about it this way, it seemed easy to give ourselves 20 years of confidence for our Lake Erie boat, rather than take the risk of waiting. Well, for starters, I'd recommend doing most small maintenance yourself and ignore all non-essential. That's a broad range, but if you know what you need for your boat, then you can get a better idea of the cost. Chafe usually happens gradually over long periods of time and it is only a serious problem when it goes unnoticed. These carry a good deal of compression load, so check their roots for damage and make sure the spreaders arent bent in any waythey should exactly bisect the angle of the shroud. On sailboats, however, there aren't a lot of non-essential parts. By taking on the labor yourself, youll probably save as much as $2,000 on the re-rigging cost, he says. The screw threads and locking nuts need regular cleaning and some light greasing to prevent corrosion. Re-rigs - Petersen Custom Rigging Use nylon 3-Strand for anchor, dock, mooring and tow lines or polyester 3-strand for running rigging on traditional cruising boats. One part of sailboats and yachts that must be inspected, maintained, or even replaced when necessary is the standing rigging. Standing rigging supports your boat's mast. Batteries have a limited number of charge cycles. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Shrouds and stays should be replaced in pairs, applying just enough tension to support the mast with you climbing it, but not tuned to sail. There is no hard and fast rule for "when" to replace your running rigging. I just replaced all the rope running rigging on a Catalina 27 for about $300. All standing rigging, whether rod or wire, has to end in a fitting that attaches to the deck and mast. Pip Hare explains when to check and replace your standing rigging Start at the bottom, working your way up from the lowers, to the cap shrouds and finally the stays. A swaged fitting is a terminus thats attached using a machine called a swager. But if you want the good stuff, need more fire extinguishers, plan on spending more like $600. This is a perfect example to illustrate why a thorough, yearly inspection of running rigging is important. The only thing we can really do is regularly inspect lines to look for wear. I used the Sta-Set solid color line to easily identify the lines. SKIRMISH was built for Clarence Noble in Brisbane. Gas engines run for about 1,500 hours, diesel engines run for 5,000. Replacing Running Rigging - Need Help - Cruiser Log So youre sailing offshore and youre looking at the windward shroud thats taut, and thats not the one to worry about. Good quality cruising sails will need to be replaced every 10 years or so. The task of replacing the standing rigging on a sailing yacht may seem daunting but there is a procedure to follow that can make it a relatively straight forward process for anyone who is reasonably practical. Liveaboards that don't really sail that much have less maintenance to do in one way, and more in another. The mechanical fasteners are great in that you can terminate and then look inside to be sure its formed correctly, so you do have a way of inspecting your work, Madden says. The easiest place to work on your rig is on the ground. This way you wont risk deforming the mast or pulling a fitting out of line. And if you see evidence of wear, ask yourself (or your local rigger) What could have caused this? The cost of having a professional rigger inspect your running rigging can save you more money down the road. Regardless of how it happened, the integrity of the line has been compromised and it needs to be replaced. Splices should be made by a professional, high tech line is very difficult to cut. That said, it is perfectly possible, though somewhat tedious, to change shrouds and stays in pairs with the mast up by using halyards and intermediate tackles to support it. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your running rigging. A sailboat doesn't have to be expensive if you know what you're doing. How Much Does It Cost to Replace Standing Sailing Rigging? Double braid lines are used in running rigging and dock . Don't forget that this site will also replace your rigging. There are also a few spots where the chafe is more serious. SKIRMISH was a 32-footer carrying an Aboriginal motif on her bows, recalling Skirmish Point, where Flinders landed and encountered the local Aboriginal community. That's just what it is. Tips on leading lines aft to the cockpit for single-handed sailing; Running rigging color selection, line storage, and more! And although rod rigging may be able to last longer than wire, it too needs to be serviced every five to six years to get the most life out of it. Remove old lifelines and frayed running rigging. Theres such a safety margin in rigging. Additionally, a DIY sailor needs to do plenty of research, particularly when it comes to wire quality, which is something professional sailboat rigging companies watch like hawks. We are a proud supplier of Yale Cordage. It was this mistakefailing to untie the read more, After four long months poised to spring into action at the first sign of the right weather window, Spindrift has announced that its record-breaking circumnavigation attempt wont be possible this year. Flares have to be replaced every 42 months. The November 1969 Modern Boating magazine . A good set of rigging is of great importance in order to ensure navigation without causing any damage. I cant understand why they wanted 75 feet for the main as I still have 25-30 feet even when the main sheet is eased all the way. Note wire and pin diameters and measure the wires as accurately as possible between pin centers with the rig fully tensioned. Here's a full overview of all the recurring maintenance from most to least frequent. A dormant maneuver has both ends fixed at each end. They might have swollen, so the new will appear to be a smaller gauge. The theory is that it can take 10 to 15 years of cycling, but this continual motion when its unloaded is what fatigues the wire, Madden says. Did you know that rope halyards are easier to handle and significantly lighter than wire halyards. Now, let's return to the original proposition, which was a complete replacementon three different cost levelsof basic running rigging for a 32 sloop. Account. It rolls the end fitting through two opposing dies and compresses the fitting on the wire so tightly that it cant pull out. As with electronics, safety gear, and even sails, technology has significantly improved cordage. Most people need 2 risers + 2 exhaust manifolds. Most sailors choose to leave this to a professional rigger, but theres no reason why you shouldnt attempt it yourself if you know the best way to go about it. The masthead is a good place to start, and while youre at it, its worth looking closely at the mast as well as the rigging, to see if any corrosion, cracks or weld defects are evident. The sails, rigging, and engine will be less critical if you won't take her out very often. Replacing electronics won't be very important - however, your batteries will need to be replaced more often. In marine environments, everything can go wrong exactly one time for it to be critical. OK, it isn't cheap, but it can absolutely be done on a budget. Assuming you have decided to replace the rigging wire as well as a number of other components, the first decision is whether to do it with the mast up or down. But you can't really detect corrosion down into the swage. I dont want be a scaremonger, but standing rigging has so many possible failure points that regular inspections should really be part of every pre-cruise integrity check. About us Keep the tension equal on each side by counting the turns on each turnbuckle. Do-It-Yourself Small Sailboat Rigging - The $tingy Sailor Every five to six years, the mast should be pulled out of the boat so all fittings and wire or rod can be carefully inspected. Copyright 2023 ImproveSailing.com In most cases, you'll only have to replace your running rigging every 5-10 years, but it will cost you $5,000 on average. The running rigging consists of the halyards, sheets . Also, there are a lot of costs you can save on substantially if you do simple maintenance yourself or have a simple boat. Sun wear and constant use will wear down the sails and rigging even more. Allow at least a foot for each splice or knot. I personally take stock of a pleasure boat's components and their age and will not load an older boat's rigging as much as I would a newer one. Regardless of what fittings you currently have the choice for multi-stranded wire rigging is between swaged terminals or mechanical fittings. ImproveSailing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. The Netherlands As for sources of wire and fittings, there are many, including major chandleries and vendors, like West Marine and Defender, as well as some private riggers, like Annapolis Rigging and the Rigging Company, which will work with you to define what you need and help you source parts and materials. Inspect the area around tang plates and toggle fittings for cracks, preferably using a magnifying glass. For an idea of the costs involved to replace your standing rigging, here are some examples of sets of rigging we have made for customers in the past 12 months (prices as of Sept 2022). It wears with time due to UV exposure, flogging, strain from the wind, and regular use. The two primary manufacturers of mechanical fittings presently are Sta-Lok and Petersen Stainless, which produces Hi-MOD. If you carry a life-raft you'll need to replace that every 12 years as well. Similarly, its easier to find usable replacement parts far from busy ports. Running rigging is the rigging of a sailing vessel that is used for raising, lowering, shaping and controlling the sails on a sailing vesselas opposed to the standing rigging, which supports the mast and bowsprit. Gas engine will last a lot less long than diesels. It sounds to me that the question is when, not if you will go for new rigging. You can take a masthead halyard from side to side to ensure that the masthead is on center. I think the owner needs to replace those but there's a Covid problem. If you're on a budget, you can maintain your boat reasonably well for just $1,000 / year. A detailed rig check takes no more than two hours or so to completeabout as long as it takes to provision the boat with a weeks food suppliesonly the result of not doing it can be a good deal more drastic! The rig or rigging on a sailboat is a common term for two parts, the standing, and the running rigging. For instance, for an offshore bluewater boat, Madden recommends 10 years, and for a serious coastal cruiser, more like 12. The average price of new sailboats is $250,000, ranging from $96,000 to $654,000. Get all your parts together. Copyright 2023 Cruising World. With all of these factors in mind, what can you expect to pay for standing rigging replacement? Whether you are setting up the hardware for a trapeze or trying to create the perfect mast rake before a big race with your tension guage, we at MAURIPRO Sailing will meet your Rigging needs. I'm on Lake Michigan. In other words, if your boat already has rod rigging, with all of the end fittings to terminate the rods both on deck and in or on the mast, then sticking with rod will ultimately be less expensive than making the switch to wire. we have provided rigging services and have specialized in running rigging. This halyard definitely needs to be replaced. Since each one is 34' and then add another 6-10 to be safe? If you dont have that you may be able to find it on line or on line at your boat class owners association. Sampson Ropes make a double braid dacron called XLS, New England Ropes make a similar product called Sta-Set and Yale Ropes product is called Vizzion. It would help if we knew what your boat was! Make Wire cutting Jig. USCG safety regulations require you to replace safety gear regularly. Barnacles can slice through your boat's bellow! I would think at the first notice of a few broken strands in more than two of the wires. It requires more careful consideration of condition, usage, and inspection for signs of failure. Seems like a lot for a 40' boat. Both are located in the U.K., and the products are distributed in the U.S. through vendors like Hayn, West Marine, Defender, and local chandleries and riggers. Write the diameter near the hole with sharpie. This is the furling line for an in-mast furler. Rigging Explained: Standing & Running (Sailboat Parts Explained) how much fuel a sailboat uses in my article, ICC (International Certificate of Competence, Average Cost of Buying & Owning a Sailboat (With 4 Examples). If you need to replace the mast and boom, prepare to spend anywhere between $15,000 - $25,000. Do a few turns on one side before going to the other and applying an equal number. Replacing Running Rigging on an Older Sailboat, a bowline or other knot in a high tech line reduces the breaking strength by up to 80%, for jib sheets you must increase the line size to account for the reduced strength more $$$$, an eye splice is required to attach a shackle to a halyard. I found some tests that some SBO folks had done many years ago on the O'Day 25's standing rigging. 2022 DragonFlite 95 v2 Assembly Manual - Dragon Sailing North America Dear improvesailing.com webmaster, Your posts are always well-supported by facts and figures. The Tartan 30 is an ideal used boat choice for a small family looking to sail offshore in varying sea conditions or simply wanting to have fun racing around the buoys with line-honors confidence. But here are some things we could do out to save some big bucks: Winterizing your boat yourself can cost you as little as $50 for antifreeze and an oil change afterward. Chafe occurs when line rubs against a sharp or rough surface. Check by sighting up the backside of the mast to see how straight your spar is side to side. So you don't want them on there. I'll pull the standing rigging and as much hardware as reasonably possible (tangs, bolts, pins, turnbuckles, etc) and drop it off to a local rigger. Tensioning them will be done later in the rigging sequence. Why replace sailboat running rigging? - Boat and Equipment Reviews We are cruisers who sail around 500 nm per year, and are able to avoid frequent encounters with heavy weather by laying over if storms are in the offing. Cleat the jib off on the port side of the mast and the main on the starboard. Headed by Dona Bertarelli, the Spindrift team has been on a mission to set a read more, In some stunning footage from onboard reporter Antoine Auriol, Boris Herrmann and his team aboard Malizia decided to cut their Code 0 free after it came loose and got tangled in the keel last night. As I have done a fair amount of club racing, my personal preference would be to use any of the above products for everything except the halyards and then go for a lighter, low stretch, high tech product such as New England Ropes T-900 for the halyards and get the eye splices done professionally. The golden rule has always been never to work on a rig with the boat out of the water. Sailing Rope, Boat Rigging Rope & Lines | Fisheries Supply Maybe dying or some other high tech test would. 1. 1. The customer had had the boat re-rigged, and during a trip to the BVI, the new wire stretched. Normal rigging knives and hot knives are almost useless, all turning blocks and sheaves must have a diameter of at least 8 times the line diameter, old sheaves, turning blocks and other hardware will probably not be strong enough for high tech line, high tech line can cost up to $10 per foot. Most engines will last you about 20 years, depending on the amount of use and whether you use it properly. Run the shrouds and attach them to the deadeyes on the hull. The warm trade winds in the West Indies were calling; time to go sailing. No signs of corrosion or stray strands anywhere. By taking on the labor yourself, you'll probably save as much as $2,000 on the re-rigging cost, he says. How to Select Rope for Your Boat - Sailrite The total maintenance cost for a small daytripper will average around $1,600 per year or $133 per month. It's a really helpful post (with a formula) if you want to know what to expect. A stripped cover dyneema halyard is a great way to reduce the splice diameter and weight aloft for racers, however, they do have their downsides. This could be a marine eye, a marine fork, a T-head or a J-hook, among others. Polyester double braid works great for frequently adjusted lines, like main and jib sheets, or moderately loaded control lines.