Galvanized Rigging

[straycurrent]

I`m a big fan of gal rigging,and wondering if it will work on a fractional rig.I`m planning to build a new yacht which is designed with a fractional rig(van de stadt madeira) are there any experts out there who can tell me if the slight stretch of gal wire will be a problem?My current boat has gal which is going strong after 13 years.any advice would be appreciated.Thanks.

[Robertcateran]

Personally, I prefer gal to stainless for the longevity if you look after it. Now with the synthetics, I think they are probably a better option

[Talbot]

With galvanised to achieve the same strength, you need to increase size quite a lot. This adds to windage and weight aloft. The synethetic route is obviously an interesting one as it actually reduces weight as well. My worry would be sail flogging removing sufficient of the UV covering to allow the sun to destroy the rigging.

[Robertcateran]

The coatings and sleeves available for synthetics are tough. even bare they are tough bot not good in the sun. There is a good thread somewhere on synthetic rigging on the forum. I am a bit prejudiced against stainless as I have seen some very nasty crevice corrosion in supposedly 316 stainless and there is quite a cost in replacing it as often as recommended

[Lawrence]

I replaced my ss rigging with a galvanized wire that is impregnated with polyurethane.The product is called Norselay, made by a division of Norseman Gibb. It only comes in 7X7 so has a little more stretch than 1x19.

[Lawrence]

If you want more information on Norselay go to www.bruntonshaw.co.ukThey were good people to deal with and the price of their product was less than half the cost of stainless.

[blahman]

Hey all,

Those of you using galvanized wire, how are you keeping it from rusting? Worm, parcel and serve, then tar every couple months? I worked aboard tallships for a couple years and, while I enjoyed tarring the rig, it was awfully time consuming. Perhaps it's worth it though considering much of the rig was 40+ years old!

My stainless is 10+ years old, and though it has sat a lot, I'm not sure about it. I'm trying to decide between stainless, dux and galv.

Cheers,
Aaron

[Lawrence]

When I considered changing my rigging I realized that the traditional method of protecting the galvanized rigging from corrosion and having my boat look like an old fishing smack was not for me. Too messy; too labour intensive.
I was directed to Norselay which is a polyurethane impregnated galvanized wire either 7x7 or 7x19. Using Spelter sockets the final results have been great. Also the black rigging wire looks good too.
You can find Norselay at www.bruntonshaw.co.uk and click on Norselay.

[Jmolan]

Originally Posted by Talbot

With galvanised to achieve the same strength, you need to increase size quite a lot. This adds to windage and weight aloft. The synethetic route is obviously an interesting one as it actually reduces weight as well. My worry would be sail flogging removing sufficient of the UV covering to allow the sun to destroy the rigging.

The UV coating is impregnated to Dynex Dux at the micro fiber level. Long before it becomes yarns and eventually rope. There is no way to rub off a UV coating on Dynex Dux, it is all the way through it.

There is a covered Dux available now. A tight weave of SK-75 cover will help anyone concerned with UV or chaff. Kind of funny it is covered with he same material that the rope is made of. It is because it is the toughest stuff available. If there was a better material, they would use it.

Anything on a sailboat that chaffs Dynex Dux will loose. It is very tough. SK-75 is used for butchers gloves.

[Jmolan]

Originally Posted by Lawrence

When I considered changing my rigging I realized that the traditional method of protecting the galvanized rigging from corrosion and having my boat look like an old fishing smack was not for me. Too messy; too labour intensive.
I was directed to Norselay which is a polyurethane impregnated galvanized wire either 7x7 or 7x19. Using Spelter sockets the final results have been great. Also the black rigging wire looks good too.
You can find Norselay at www.bruntonshaw.co.uk and click on Norselay.

Lawrence, that is news to me. I just listened to Brion Toss at the Port Townsend Wooden boat show talk. He said Galv. wire can last 100 years if it is treated right. But he also said you hve to get the good 7x7 wire from Germany and it is more expensive than SS 1x19. So you can see how rare of a customer it would be that want to spend more, and have to treat it anually and all. As great as it was, and as much as he liked it, it was not being done much. Interesting your take on it. good one!

[Efraim]

Your best source of information for galvanized wire, is the industrial rigging industry, the people who do such things as cranes, elevators, offshore rigs etc. The big advantage with industrial riggers is that they generally have to be certified by either some government board, an industry association or most of the time both, they can also provide your insurance company with enough paperwork to please the even the most stringent requirements. Oh yeah and most industrial riggers charge a fraction of the price of "marine" riggers for the same work.

[clausont]

Interesting thread realizing that it is an older thread. I am replacing the bowsprit on our Ingrid which will require replacing the headstay and bobstay as the original bowsprit is nearly 2' short of the drawings for the cutter rig.
Regarding Norselay, what is the cost compared to stainless 1 x 19, especially when the fittings are considered? Can Norselay be used with a roller furler?
If I were to go with a galv headstay, can that be used with a roller furler or would that not be feasible considering there would be no way to maintain the stay without removing the furler annually?
What else should I be considering here that I am not thinking of?
These questions have probably all been answered already so if there is another thread that answers them, please redirect me.

[GordMay]

Norselay wire:
Brunton Shaw UK Limited

[marshmat]

Originally Posted by blahman

Those of you using galvanized wire, how are you keeping it from rusting? Worm, parcel and serve, then tar every couple months?

It's been suggested that rubbing some lanolin on the wire now and then will do the trick. I think I'd prefer to keep the wire where I can see it, rather than wrapped up.

My stainless is 10+ years old, and though it has sat a lot, I'm not sure about it. I'm trying to decide between stainless, dux and galv.

My personal leanings would be towards dux or similar if you have the budget, want similar or better performance (less weight aloft) than stainless, and aren't too concerned about 10+ year longevity (the stuff's too new to understand exactly how it ages, although preliminary reports appear pretty good). I'd be looking at galvanized if cheap and long-lived is the main priority.
Stainless wire has its advantages, but it seems that all too often the end fittings cause crevice corrosion issues. I'm not convinced the marginal performance improvements are worth the substantial cost premium over galvanized, but it's what's considered "yachty" and is thus the default choice.

[CharlieCobra]

After all of the corroded galvanized bolts I've pulled from old boats, I wouldn't rig in galvanized wire but that's me...