10 year standing rigging, why?

[stevensuf]

Why is standing rigging life span 10 years. In Scotland it has no finite lifespan, so I am guessing it is heat or sun..

[Nicholson58]

In fresh water such as the Great Lakes the life is indefinite.

In salt water you need a rig inspection 2-3 years and replace stuff that looks dodgy. We inspected in Trinidad a few years ago (professionally) and found several 20mm cables questionable. The backstay had a suage split half its length. Just replace the bad stuff.

[Searles]

All standing rigging suffers from harmonic vibration caused by the wind and rain and generally the overall weather ,if you live on board you will be familiar with the noise and vibration on a windy day,unless the rig is down and safely stored the deterioration starts as soon as the rig is standing,slackening the rig just makes it worse ,.… 10 yrs is about it for most S/S rigging .⚓️⛵️

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Searles

All standing rigging suffers from harmonic vibration caused by the wind and rain and generally the overall weather ,if you live on board you will be familiar with the noise and vibration on a windy day,unless the rig is down and safely stored the deterioration starts as soon as the rig is standing,slackening the rig just makes it worse ,.… 10 yrs is about it for most S/S rigging .⚓️⛵️

I suppose if you have a small boat with minimal rigging designed close to max loading and high tension this might be a factor - but I doubt it is a significant percentage of the rated capacity. Ours is 20 mm and we hear zero rig noise. What fails is the ferrels and occasionally a cable strand breaks. Breaks for us have always been at nicks, damage points, that have opened. A full rig inspection will find these and is required for an insurance survey.

[Boatguy30]

The issue is crevice corrosion that is accelerated in tropical conditions. No climate offers indefinite service and I don't believe "vibrations" have any real effect. There are many 40+ y/o rigs that have survived constant vibrations while being ashore all winter in rigid steel cradles in Chicago boatyards.

It's arguable and probably true that current wire from Korea is not as good as previously European and US made wire.

[boatman61]

The Insurance company sez so..

[Tin Tin]

The actuaries in the insurance companies likely have access to all claims made and will likely have drawn a line in the sand at 10 years after which from their perspective the majority of claims of damage and personal injury from rig failure start to rise. They may not be interested in location or location is not a factor - like hurricanes and lightning zones are - fresh or salt water might be factored in - it would be fascinating to know what data these underwriters have (eg Lloyds). All we have to go on are anecdotes, a poor basis for statistics.

[sailingharry]

This is one of those things that gets a life of its own. I suspect there is very little solid research to justify the 10 years. It's kind of like the car manufacturers tell you to change your oil at 7500 miles, but all the enthusiasts say (very loudly I might add) that you're a fool if you let it go past 3,000 miles. No research, no studies, no engineering, just extremely loud enthusiasts.

But unlike cars and oil changes where there is solid research to support the manufacturer's recommendation, when it comes to rigging there is next to no basis for the recommendations.

If your insurance company has a firm stand (mine is silent on the matter), that is at least a solid basis for your decision process. Beyond that, it's all a bunch of opinions.

I suspect that nobody has done (and recorded and analyzed) annual inspections on a thousand boats over a 30 year period and determined a best practices replacement. Anecdotes and individual cases don't form a statistically viable sample.

To be clear, I don't have an opinion to add to the mix. I'm as clueless as the next guy, but I'm not making something up.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by Tin Tin

All we have to go on are anecdotes, a poor basis for statistics.

To be clear, my nearly identical comment in my post right after yours was written at the same time you were writing yours and I had not read yours. But it sure looks like plagiarism!

[tenchiki]

According to the riggers talks at the recent Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show, the biggest issue with SS standing rigging is that it is really un-inspectable. There are too many places that unseen crevice corrosion can happen. A well built SS rig can last 10-15 years IF no broken strands or cracked swages. Mechanical terminals on the lower end are a little more trustworthy, as they are at least theoretically more inspectable than swages..
Brion Toss Riggers has been making fiber (ie: pre-stretched, heat-treated dyneema) rigs for a couple of decades now, and so far seem to have a similar 10-15 year life. In addition fiber rigs are fully inspectable for flaws requiring replacement. They have several boats that have completed circumnavigations with no noticeable issues on inspection after their return. They say that fiber rigs are about 75% lighter, making for better stability and ability to carry sail, and less pitching moment, though professionally make fiber rigs are about 75% more costly (they expect the difference to continue to go down in the future). We got to see the nearly completed fiber rig for the (youtube channel) Tally Ho rebuild.

[thomm225]

Most folks don't replace their rigging every 10 years though.

Many marinas have boats that rarely leave their slips in 10 years much less the owners having the rigging replaced.

I'm in the process of replacing my 20 plus year old rigging now.

A friend of mine bought an old early 70's Alberg 30 that he says has the original rigging still on it.

[Chotu]

Entering into this I think there is also the matter of how hard you push the boat.

you can get away with older rigging if you don’t stress the rig. But if you are stressing the rig you probably ought to have everything in that 10 year window.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by boatman61

The Insurance company sez so..

and the riggers

[apoc]

This is a problem I have done some thinking about. I agree with the above posters that higher stress on the rigging would necessitate a rigging inspection earlier, but also there is the issue of unseen rust and fatigue that may not be easily visible. Additionally, different boats are built to different specifications, so it is possible that some rigging may last for longer than others given the same stressors and environmental factors.



What makes this problem worse is the criticality of the rigging and consequences of a failure. My wife might never step foot on a boat if the mast fell, even if no one was hurt.



If you are not the original owner of your boat, you also have no real idea on how much stress was applied to the rigging by prior owners. Maybe it sat in a slip, maybe did a lot of passagemaking.... you just don't know.



So what's a used boat owner to do? Rules of thumb are helpful, and I guess 10 years for an inspection is as good as any. It would be helpful to know if that rule applies to any sailboat, or was more applicable for long term cruisers doing a significant amount of offshore passages.



Myself, I'm going to get my rigging inspected at the 15 year mark when she is getting hauled out at a marina with more services, to get the keel epoxy redone and some engine work. I have a young family and work, so at best we get the boat out 2-3 times a month. I'll call that light stress on the rig.

[neilpride]

We usually don't give a crap if it is 10 years or 20, more or less we base it on the current state, the risk is on the client's back, if an inspection of an old rigging is done, a report is made, for the insurance company or for a general survey based on the current state.

Whether we recommend 10 or 15 years is non-binding advice.