Inspecting/non-destructive testing of Standing rigging

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:24 pm

I just bought a Renegade with 40 yr old standing rig. Originaly I figured on replacing it but we just un-stepped the mast and upon close inspection it appears to be in great shape. What options would I have to determine its viability? xray? sonic? magnaflux? ? If I have to replace it - would it be feasable to recut the stays for lifelines?
Jim

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 6:54 pm

I think after 40 years it is time to give those lines a well deserved retirement. Rigging and lifelines are not the places to try a save money.

Ceasar Choppy · Post by **Ceasar Choppy** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:46 am

Expected life for rigging is around 10 - 15 years... maybe a bit longer in fresh water. But 40 is pushing it.

Call rigging only and they will set you up for a decent price if you have the measurements.

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:05 pm

I'm sure your right - We unstepped the mast last Saturday & I ran every bit of it through my hands. It has been in freshwater for the last 28 yrs in a well protected & dry area deep in the heart of Texas, with excellent care. --- my frugal side started kicking in. I'm not familiar with Rigging Only but will try to google em up.
Thanks
jim

Ceasar Choppy · Post by **Ceasar Choppy** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:47 am

Polecat wrote:I'm sure your right - We unstepped the mast last Saturday & I ran every bit of it through my hands. It has been in freshwater for the last 28 yrs in a well protected & dry area deep in the heart of Texas, with excellent care. --- my frugal side started kicking in. I'm not familiar with Rigging Only but will try to google em up.
Thanks
jim

Rigging is no place to be frugal. That said, I did my own rigging through Rigging Only about 4 years ago and saved a bundle. The hardest part was sorting out the clevis pin sizes ON TOP of the mast (they can be different than on the bottom). 4 years ago it cost roughtly $1500 for my P-39. I never replaced the rigging on my old Renegade, but I'd be willing to guess a Renegade would be significantly less than that-- although your biggest expense will be in the swages and the turnbuckes.

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:04 pm

Thanks for the Rigging only lead - very good prices. I was thinking of swage at the top and mechanical at the bottom this time around.
Thanks for your thoughts
jim

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:30 am

I was thinking of swage at the top and mechanical at the bottom this time around.

My rigger advised the same so I went that route. The idea is that water will run down the stay and into the lower fitting increasing the chance of corrosion. Sealant was added to the lower mechanical fitting to help seal it.

The upper fitting doesn't have this worry.

At some point I thought if mechanicals are better that I should go all mechanical. The rigger thought this was an unnecessary expense and the upper swaged fitting would outlast the life of the wire (10-15 years).[/quote]

Ceasar Choppy · Post by **Ceasar Choppy** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:41 am

This is exactly how I did it. The mechanical swages are more expensive, btw... but the great thing is that you don't have to be exact on your shroud measurements until you have the new ones in hand and ready to replace.

And if you mess up, as long as you didn't cut too much off the end of the wire, you can do it over again! A cut-off wheel on a grinder goes quickly as long as you have a little water to cool down the wire as you cut.

I would recommend the Hayn Hi-mods as they are almost idiot proof with the crown ring. Should take about 20 mins ea. They don't recommend any sealant on the Hayn terminals btw.

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:18 pm

HMMM - Idiot proof ---Yep that's for me -- Hi mods it is. Looks like doing it this way - it will be less than $800. Did you all replace or inspect your chainplates? Did you go up a size on wire if you used 316? I'll discuss this all with a rigger of course - but would like to have an opinion of my own.
Thanks
jim

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:58 pm

I let the professional rigger tell me what I needed :-)

All the mechanicals should be pretty easy to use. My rigger actually doesn't like the Hi-Mods for some reason. More personal than anything I think. They all do their job well.

I was going to do it myself but I found the price to have the rigger do it was about the same as what I was looking at to do it myself. The pros get big discounts on the materials.

Ceasar Choppy · Post by **Ceasar Choppy** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:43 am

I would call the riggers at Rigging Only with your questions. They walked me through it the first time.

Britton is right, some riggers won't charge much more than that. But many do. If you know a rigger and are happy with their work, then it might be easier. At the time I did mine, I had some Annapolis riggers quoting me $3000+. It was only after I was half way through, that I found one that would have been reasonable enough. I ended up using that rigger for some other work anyway. Bottom line for me was that I learned how to do it, and it wasn't all that difficult.

Since I know the Renegade, I can tell you that while you will want to inspect the chainplates and determine on your own whether you will replace, I don't think you get much by up-sizing the 316L wire. As I recall it is only a 10% loss in strength. The rigging on the Renegade is pretty beefy as it is. Plus, you have to worry about replacing or increasing the size of the holes for the clevis pins on the spreader tangs (for the lowers) and the masttop cap.

Just remember, it is all connected.