Rigging maintenance – what to look for

Here is a basic look at the principle parts of your rig and rigging. There are many moving parts, where wear will obviously take place. The secret with all of these is to inspect regularly and try and catch a small problem, before it has time to escalate into a much bigger and expensive failure.

Standing rigging – stainless steel wire

• Breakage of individual strands of wire
• Bent terminals (mast end)
• Abrasion damage to the wire from sheets or sails
• Damaged thread on rigging screws
• Damage to wires where they exit the terminal
• Ensure tape is not covering stainless steel to avoid corrosion

Ropes and clips

• Worn ropes, especially from points of contact and friction
• Green ropes – can be washed easily
  Worn splices – caused by pressed stainless shackles
• UV degredation, especially if core is exposed

Mast fittings

• Corrosion between stainless steel parts and alloy mast tube, especially the kicker and gooseneck fittings, jockey pole eyes, mast base blocks, spinnaker
  pole eyes and spreader roots
• Worn parts, especially boom and kicker connections
• Sheaves – check for worn holes or brushes, cracked edges or incorrect
  sheave profile for rope types
• Spreaders – should be held rigidly to the mast, angled upwards and clamped
  to the wire so they can’t move
• Winches – ensure plastic insulation plate between winch base and winch pad

Guardwires

• Check wires are not damaged at ends or in the stanchion tops
• Replace plastic-covered galvanised guardwires if you have them – you can’t
  be sure what corrosion is taking place under the wire
• Take great care attaching guardwire to fenders – this is where most failures occur to guardwires
  

Whilst the information is believed to be correct, Navigators & General takes no responsibility for any loss or damage however caused.