Installed new rigging, keep old?

[Ryban]

I asked a very similar question a while back about sails, and in that situation I decided to keep the old sails as back-ups. Now I have the same question about rigging.

I'm replacing my swaged shrouds with sta-lok terminated shrouds. I recently learned that the old rigging is only 6 years old, and aside from rust at the top of the swages, doesn't show any worrying signs. I'm not sure it makes sense to keep the whole set onboard, but I could be persuaded into keeping 1 or 2 lowers, and 1 cap as a back up. Though if I lost a cap, it's probably game over.

[JPA Cate]

Save and store your longest wire to use if need be--you can always cut it to size with your hacksaw.

You might consider using the old lowers for your jack lines. You will still have to work out attachment points, but if you run them alongside the house, and tight, they are sorta out of the way, and way overkill for the strength.

It always seems good to recycle useful *stuff*.

Ann

[El Pinguino]

If, 'frinstance, you get a few broken wires in a cap shroud, or any other shroud, you can always cut off the offending end and re-use it with the help of something like this https://www.stalok.com/product/sta-lok-long-stud.

I used something similar last year when one of my 3 year old lowers had a few broken strands where it went into a swage...

It was a bit more than just putting in an 'extender' as can be seen in the pics....but you get the idea

[hpeer]

That StaLoc is a great idea. I can we add a few to my spares list. We have Norseman now.

On our small boat I changed all standing rigging, was and is staloc. I keep a few longest pieces in chain locker coiled up. The rest is in basement. I made some fancy window guards out of some.

[Boatguy30]

That looks like a Hayn hi-mod and extender in pic. Hayn the only one making an actual generic extender that fits all their different fittings

[El Pinguino]

Is Petersen Rigging, UK, Compression Fittings - Petersen Stainless Rigging Limited

[Boatguy30]

Yes, I'd forgotten Hayn markets them in us and implies they also manufacture. Now remember Peterson is maker. Been some time since I've dealt in many as the Sta Lok is better priced better variety of fittings.
Cheers

[El Pinguino]

All my other stuff is Stalok but these were part of a conversion from swaged T-balls to a Tang setup put together and sold by the Rig Shop in Southampton. The Rig Shop Yacht Riggers | Industrial, Architectural & Composite Rigging | Masts & Spars | Southampton

Nothing like have rigging from assorted manufacturers

[Paul L]

Yours is a small boat. Storage space and keeping weight down is going to be really important if you want the thing to sail reasonably. Dump the old rigging and get a piece of dyneema that can be spliced to any stay length as a repair. Light and easy to store, plus it can have other repair uses. See Colligo Marine® for splicing directions and fittings.

[Cheechako]

I kept one long wire and a fitting replaceable at sea.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Yours is a small boat. Storage space and keeping weight down is going to be really important if you want the thing to sail reasonably. Dump the old rigging and get a piece of dyneema that can be spliced to any stay length as a repair. Light and easy to store, plus it can have other repair uses. See Colligo Marine® for splicing directions and fittings.

Agreed! I've known a few folks who kept old rigging (myself included, sadly), but never have heard of any one actually using it for repairs at sea. The Dyneema has a much better chance of being useful, and weighs nothing to speak of and can be stuffed into a shoebox.

IMO, if you start out with newish rigging you will not suffer from broken wire for quite a long time and lots of miles. so, don't waste precious storage space and weight.

Jim

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Agreed! I've known a few folks who kept old rigging (myself included, sadly), but never have heard of any one actually using it for repairs at sea. The Dyneema has a much better chance of being useful, and weighs nothing to speak of and can be stuffed into a shoebox.

IMO, if you start out with newish rigging you will not suffer from broken wire for quite a long time and lots of miles. so, don't waste precious storage space and weight.

Jim

Hmmmmm..... the lowers I had an issue with were 3 yo and only had 12,000 miles on them...

If I had needed new wire the nearest source would have been at least 5000 miles away... as it was the 'tang kit' had to be 'couriered' out from the UK by a chum....

Sure... you can't replace it at sea and should have the kit to sort that eventuality but its also nice to have the ability to do a proper fix in the next port.

Its a small yacht... the wire would also be short and small diam ... 30 foot of 6mm?

I would keep a bit of the old stuff....

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Hmmmmm..... the lowers I had an issue with were 3 yo and only had 12,000 miles on them...

If I had needed new wire the nearest source would have been at least 5000 miles away... as it was the 'tang kit' had to be 'couriered' out from the UK by a chum....

Sure... you can't replace it at sea and should have the kit to sort that eventuality but its also nice to have the ability to do a proper fix in the next port.

Its a small yacht... the wire would also be short and small diam ... 30 foot of 6mm?

I would keep a bit of the old stuff....

Hmm... after some mature reflection (what us old guys say when our memory finally kicks in) I do recall one example of re-use of old rigging:

When we re-rigged Insatiable I before setting out in 1986, I kept the old lower shrouds and used them for jack lines. A couple of years later, en route from Bora Bora we had the baby stay fail at sea... the only bit of wire I hadn't replaced in the re-rig (different size wire from all the rest). I was able to go aloft, remove the upper part of that stay and replace it with one of the old lowers. 'Twas about a meter too short, so some lashing was used to hold everything together, and it lasted to Hawaii, working ok to stop the mast pumping. BTW, that was not a fun trip up the mast! Far better if I had done the job right in the first place...

BUT, if I had had some Dyneema, it would have been a better and easier fix, but this was long before the advent of that wonderful stuff.

Jim

[Ryban]

Using them as lifelines or as jacklines is a good idea. I'm also installing a solent stay, and could use one of the cap shrouds for that purpose, but I don't have any extra swageless terminals on-hand to terminate the stay with, and I think it would be too long as-is.

I carry lengths of dyneema for this purpose, and I agree that this is probably a better to have than the old rigging.

[zeehag]

the old rigging will and does not weigh enough to make a difference in boat handling. does it weigh 1000 pounds? no. save it. you may need it. rig fail happens.
store it low and dry.
there is a tale about the rig fail in dry tortugas we experienced, there is a friend rig fail in mid pacific., and many more.....
if you have more dollars than you need, purchase dyneema, by all means. i keep old rig..i use for dinghy cables , bike lock cables.. it has many uses.