Re-rigging without mast removal.

[wingssail]

I replaced the rods on my Serendipity 43 with the rig up (while at anchor in Tonga) after breaking on D2 on poassage.

First I went up and checked and photographed and measured all the segments and prepared a 15 page specification document and sent this to Southern Spars in Auckland.

They built all the segments including turnbuckles and sent them by air within 7 days.

I then replaced each segment one by one without any issues although without any riggers or sailing hardware source I felt a little out of my depth. However it worked.

Spent many hours aloft. Halyards rigged to the edge of the deck in all directions helped stabilize the rig.

[Goodxcharly]

I like the suggestions in this rigging post. I plan on re- rigging this spring one wire at a time. Probably double up on the lowers. Though the one post on doubling up on the caps got my attention.
I don’t see any risk other than the upNdown part. I’ve got a few successful trips under my belt.

[sailorladd]

I have done this on my home built 32' Hartley Tasman deck stepped 36 foot mast wooden a couple of times...
Replace in stages, leave the cap stays and fore and aft stays on while you replace the lower four inner stays (the ones that go to your spreaders in the middle of the mast)
Once these are snug and holding your mast as well centered as you had it before, then replace the fore and aft stays and finally the side cap stays.

Don't use your halyards, as there will be stretch enough to throw your mast out of true center...

As an extra safety measure replace all these stays ONE at a TIME...It will be safer and more accurate. I have never had any issues with this method....

[S/V Illusion]

Having read every comment, it seems to me it’s much safer to simply lower the mast rather than suffer all the machinations discussed above.

[Poeme]

Last year had my rigging entirely replaced with a deck-stepped mast up. A very good friend and superb all-round boatwright used his climbing harness with ascenders to detach stays and shrouds, including two roller fullers, in a specific order and then replace as new ones were assembled. I helped gather the stays below as he let them down on lines he'd taken with him. This was on a Lord Nelson 35, so when the top stays came off the lower shrouds and staysail stay remained to keep the mast up. My friend's only anxiety was if a passing boat's wake were to rock the boat...his weight at the top could create a critical stress sideways on the mast. But it was dead calm in the marina virtually always. I suppose it depends on one's rigging configuration, what's available to keep the mast up while specific stays and shrouds are removed. And in my case with beefy rigging, the issue of a deck-stepped mast never arose. To my amazement, the process went flawlessly and my friend made it look easy.

[jackrabbit59]

I have a 2009 Hunter 50cc. Essentially the same rig as yours. My rigging guy found some problems so I had the rigging replaced. When we pulled the mast, we found the ss bolts were all worn partially through near the heads. Also found damage around the mounting post of the mast. If the mast had not been pulled all of this would have been missed as none of it was visible from above or below. I would definitely pull the mast on a B&R rig especially with the lower grade materials Hunter used. The original was fine for coastal cruising but not for ocean crossing.
At the same time I was having mine done another guy with a Hunter 49' was doing his. He paid half of what I paid. His "new rigging" was about a third smaller than my new stuff. He found similar problems around the foot of his mast as well. I am heading out to New Zealand in March so I wanted the good stuff.
Don't get me wrong about Hunter boats. I love my 50cc. The only thing I thought was too minimized was the rigging. I was in the nuclear field so I have backups for backups on the boat. I have a friend in the Marquesas now with his Hunter 49. He has had no problem with his rigging so far.
Good luck and pull the mast.

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

My decisions were based partially on the death of a French yachtie in Boat Lagoon, who attempted to rerig his 45 ft cat while supporting his mast with halyards. He went to up the mast, the halyards stretched, and he and the mast came down hard.

Does anyone have a link to this accident?

It feels like there may be more to this story. Doing 1 at a time has always felt pretty safe.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I replaced the rods on my Serendipity 43 with the rig up (while at anchor in Tonga) after breaking on D2 on passage.

If you had been in Auckland would you have dropped the rig?

[nofacey]

Replaced stays while in the water, one at a time, using appropriate halyards (tensioned with winches) to support mast. Multiple boats, keel and deck stepped.

Get a real rigger to do any inspection, they’ve developed an eye for defects. (I’m an owner, not a rigger)
Use mechanical terminals as much as possible - 90% of the failures I’ve ever seen start with wire failure at a crimped fitting.

[The Yacht Rigger]

Originally Posted by Iron E

Does anyone have a link to this accident?

It feels like there may be more to this story. Doing 1 at a time has always felt pretty safe.

I've not heard of this incident yet but if I were to hazard a guess...
Most likely caused by improper forward support when changing or removing the headstay.
We always use a static line (piece of dyneema cored halyard material) tied around the mast and then trucker hitched to the bowbeam when changing cat headstays, that along with a solid halyard, or two if possible.
Just one halyard can stretch far enough to let the rig lean too far aft and jump off the step, or just overload the single halyard and then the rig drops.

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by The Yacht Rigger

I've not heard of this incident yet but if I were to hazard a guess...
Most likely caused by improper forward support when changing or removing the headstay.
We always use a static line (piece of dyneema cored halyard material) tied around the mast and then trucker hitched to the bowbeam when changing cat headstays, that along with a solid halyard, or two if possible.
Just one halyard can stretch far enough to let the rig lean too far aft and jump off the step, or just overload the single halyard and then the rig drops.

That's excellent information regarding the subject.