Do you wash your running rigging?

[sailcrazy]

At seasons end, both when we were in the Medd and now here in the Caribb, we strip our lines before we go up on the hard for the hurricane season. We just use 5-gal buckets, soak the line in freshwater and a little dish washing liquid, agitate them as often as we remember, and let them soak for a day or 2. Then we hose them off, and let soak another day or so in clean fresh water. And then hang them on the safety lines to dry (less than a day). Once dry, we recoil, pack them away down below(out of the sun, dirt, and wx), until next season. We run small rat lines as we remove the lines, so reinstalling goes pretty quickly. We've not noticed any degradation of the lines, but they come out flexible and easy to use...and the salt-water stiffness is gone!

[sazarac]

I go to a laundromat, wash it all.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

I'm back from my 1st 6 months cruising and making my list of projects for the summer. I replaced every bit of string on the boat when I bought it last spring.

Is it reasonable or necessary to take down the running rigging (my sails are coming off anyway) to wash out any accumulated salt and grime?

If so, how? Detergent?

My standing and running rigging plus dock lines hanging off the granny-bars are washed every time it rains here in the Pacific Northwest which is more frequent than I would like. However, every spring my preparation usually means that the mainsheet and one other gets placed in a five gallon bucket with a bottle of hydrogen peroxide because of the seagulls.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[waterman46]

I think we only hear from those who wash. I'm not afraid to say, I don't wash lines or sails unless I can't stand how bad they look or feel. Too many more important maintenance jobs on my old boat.

[sailorboy1]

Don't you running rigging washing people have any real projects needing to be done?

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I think if you're somewhere there's jet fuel droplets and brake dust, or spiders, washing them is a really good idea. (Spiders don't like soap.)

Ann

My varied background tells me any oil, including diesel would ruin the line and it should be replaced.

True? Different for different materials?

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Don't you running rigging washing people have any real projects needing to be done?

hahahah way too many! But I've got to take the sails down anyway for some minor repairs. They can soak while I PM the engine, and tranny, and generator, and windlass, and winches, and install new USB power, run cat 5, install new GPS and VHF, and fix some fiberglass and.....

[Kd9truck]

I just herd a rigger tell a boat owner to wash the stiff new line he purchased as his spinnaker halyard in a washing machine with fabric softener……I do not think that was good info.

In a previous carrier I was responsible for buying an array for rope,( yes I said rope) for the life safety operations of the largest fire rescue municipality in the country (FDNY). Many ropes are treated using fabric softener strips the rope of these treatments.

The manufacturers directions for most rope is to put into a bin, bucket, or container of cold water with a mild dish soap, agitate as needed with hands, heavily soiled rope will need rinsing and repeating.

I replace in mast lines with thin chaser lines in the winter, to protect from sun and water, synthetic lines deteriorate from sun, and wet line that freezes should not be trusted for life safety….all the lines I run up my mast I consider “life safety” lines.
I am a little over the top with my attention to detail in this respect, I push my vessel in wether conditions when most stay home,and that is when things fail so I like to limit the possibility of things breaking and falling or flailing.

[thomm225]

My boat sat on the hard for 5 years before I bought it.

After the purchase, I removed and washed the running rigging in the bath tub with dish washing detergent letting it soak over night.

I never washed them again but did replace them 10 years later

[Lake-Effect]

Smaller boat, with light halyards (just polyester, not Dyeema or Spectra), and in freshwater. Still, the halyards get stiff and dirty after a 6-month season, so I remove any clips or hardware, throw the halyards in a mesh bag, and wash in the machine in cold water and just a bit of laundry soap. And I just let them air-dry afterwards. They're stored over winter in our basement. This seems to prolong their life and appearance.

[davenrino]

Year round marina in Hawaii mostly day sailing. Electric pressure washer stored in dock box. ��

+It does rain here.

[wrwakefield]

We don’t wash running rigging very often as it rains a lot in the NNE Pacific.

However, we do treat the lines each year- washing first if soiled by something.

The first treatment is a soak in a NikWax Polar Proof solution to help prevent the lines from freezing in winter [we are full time cruisers.]

The 2nd treatment performed after the lines are dry from the first treatment, and typically done late in the fall, is to mitigate the green growth that pervades everything- even clean lines- in this damp climate. We use Wet and Forget. We also use it on the deck, sails, etc. with great results.

In case this is of interest to anyone.

Cheers! Bill

[IanTrail]

We usually soak our ropes in the tender when we are alongside a quay or in a marina for a while and the tender is in the water. Just throw all the ropes in the RIB, fill it up with a hose and leave it to soak for 24 hours or so; maybe stir around occasionally. It gets all the salt out and you get a nice clean RIB!

[seanallen]

Unless you’re sailing in a very dry climate and smooth waters, the fabric softener effect wont last long. As mostly recommended a wash with detergent and good rinse will do the job. The sun is a killer with most materials, so removing headsail sheets when not using the boat for any decent period will add significantly to their lifespan.

[pbmaise]

One racer I know removed washed and stored all running rigging and halyards after every race. His races tended to be about a month or more apart and he wanted to keep his lines out of the sun.

That is a bit extreme.