Rigging Maintenance Guide & Links

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Rigging Maintenance Guide (page 2)

Insurance companies are now starting to recognise these potential problems and are starting to insist on regular inspections and maintenance. Can you convince them that you have a regular maintenance schedule? Ask yourself these questions?

When was the rig last inspected?
Are there any signs of rust on the wire rope?
Are there any signs of rust on the fittings?
Are there any broken strands of wire in the rope?
Are the wires tensioned properly? (Strain gauges are available form other manufactures)
Are chain plates inspected or are they out of sight out of mind?

If the answer to any one of these is yes then you need to inspect, overhaul or replace the items concerned.

You should never use ordinary lubricants on standing rigging as they will not prevent salt water penetration into fittings only Rigging Guard can prevent water ingress. If you do use ordinary grease or lubricants you could be speeding up the corrosion process by introducing unwanted chemicals that will react with the stainless steel and salt water.

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Maintenance Tips

If you have plastic sleeves fitted to any of your rigging wire rope remove them now. It will cause rust on the wires which will run down into your fittings and make them rust from the inside. Its better to have dirty sails than rusty wires.
If your sails chafe on the rigging why not put a reinforcing patch on the sail where it chafes. You can then replace the patch when it wears.
Never clamp anything to your standing rigging that is not 316 stainless steel and never introduce pressure points. If you do clamp 304 stainless to your rigging then these items can rust quite quickly. The resulting rust will run down the wire rope and start corroding the fittings from the inside.
To test for 316 or A4 stainless always keep a magnet in your tool box. These grades of stainless are non magnetic but 304 stainless is magnetic. Reject anything that has magnetic attraction as it will corrode rapidly in the marine environment. (See the links on the previous page for in depth information from other sources both from the UK and USA).