nicopress standing rigging?
 

Hi all, I sail a Nor'Sea 27 which is due for a standing rigging update. The cost has pushed the idea into the back of my mind but the weather today brought it back to the forefront. Due to the cost of swageless terminals I've been hesitant but I really like the idea of being able to replace and maintain the rigging myself. This leads me to nicopress fittings as recommended on the Pardey's Storm Tactics video (for those of us who haven't yet learned to splice). My boat was made with 7/32 1x19 rigging and 3/8 turnbuckles (swaged terminals). I don't see 7/32 offered as an option in Nicopress. Should I upsize to 1/4" 7x7 and two or three Nicopress? Any suggestions, I'm after a bulletproof feeling of security. I've lost a headstay in the past in a blow and am determined that it won't happen again. Any advice for or against welcome. Thanks in advance,

Bill Oyster

please don't
 

Rather than monkey-rig up something with oversized soft wire and nicopresses, get a pro to expain and walk you through setting up a norseman fitting and use those. I find it bizzare that you are concerend about safety but are considering nicopresses. Plus, on a nice boat like a Norsea they will look awful, catch your pants every time you walk by, and detract from performance, resale value, and cause folks to question your sanity. If you are worried about cost, try to save money on labor (which you can do yourself) and not by using outdated and unsafe methods that are more suitable for telephone poles. I'd go to a good reliable rigshop and tell them you want to replace the gang yourself and that you want them to teach you how to install a norseman fitting. Then buy yourself some wire and some fittings and measure carefully and cut and seal and take your time and build yourself a new rig. If you have a furler on the headstay and are worried about norsemans untwisting, either get your headstay swaged or use the manufacturer's reccomendations. As an aside, I can say that we swaged most of the rigs that came through the shop for cost reasons, and this was on SF bay, where it blows like stink all the time, and I don't think we ever saw rig failures due to swage failure. Rigs usually fail because they have been neglected, a spreader fails, or the mast inverts; not because a swage fails. Ask your rigger, get the swaged measured to spec before you use it. But please - please - don't use nicopresses!

I appreciate the opinion and advice. Looks like there's no doubt where you stand on the issue! I may have to look at getting them swaged simply due to cost and based on your experience it doesn't seem to be a bad idea anyway. I'm guessing you're not a big fan of hand splicing either, especially with the softer wire? I only considered the Nicopress after seeing them recommended by the Pardy's and sold on the Brian Toss site. Then I read a review about various mechanical and swaged terminals. They were test breaking them on a hydraulic machine and attaching the standing end with two Nicopress clamps. The whole article was about how great the mechanical fittings were but didn't bother to mention the Nicopress which never failed and in fact weren't even considered. Anyway, I'm not one to turn a deaf ear to professional opinion and I take your comments seriously. Anyone else have an opinion for or against?

Don't do it...
 

I would also agree that good rotary swages or a conventional mechanical fitting (StaLok, Hayn, Norseman) would be far better on your boat.

I have not seen Brion recommending nicopresses for standing rigging...

Just my two cents,

Bob Pingel

Thanks Bob
 

You're right, Brion doesn't recommend them for standing rigging. Looks like I'll be swaging or saving up for mechanicals. Best of all I won't have to worry the "bizarre", "insane", telephone pole", "monkey rigged", "insane" connotations which apparently go along with Nicopress fittings! ;)

Larry's ears are burning
 

Hello,
First, poor Larry Pardey is probably regretting mentioning Nico's as an option. He's an ace splicer, but has also seen lots of boats ó mostly in England ó with nicopressed rigs. And they can work there, where the climate is mild, and the water low-salt, but they tend to fail at sea.
Further, they are designed for 6x or 7x wire, and adapting them to 1x19, though doable, is tricky; it is possible to get something like 100% strength with them, but only for a while. Plus we see problems with collapsed thimbles, poor fit in turnbuckles. So really, not the best for anything but their original intended purpose, which is halyard wire.
As for the alternatives, if you go with swages I prefer rotary swages, if the machine is in spec and run right. Otherwise Hayn or Sta-Lok.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

I'm suprised!

I thought nicopress swages were supposed to retain 100% of the strength of the wire and more if you use two. Has anyone seen them fail? Plus there is less risk of crevise corrosion compared to other swages.

Hello Surprised
 

The idea of using Nicropress fittings is to affix a wire which is around a thimble. It is the use of a thimble which degrades the ultimate strength of the end result. A thimble can collapse and the wire must have a very large thimble in order to approach the wire's maximum strength. with a swaged termination no thimble is necessary and maximum line strength is approached to the point of an effective 100% strength.

Good point. Thanks

More
 

Hello,
Even large, and large-radius thimbles will leave you with other problems: there is, to my knowledge, no improvement in preventing crevice corrosion; the terminals are designed to approach 100% efficiency on 7x19 wire, but you will need two for anything like that on 1x19, and then you are into the tricky work of getting an even load on both sleeves; and no matter what, you still have a snaggy, ugly terminal that is no more efficient than a swage, and not a lot cheaper. You can certainly use them, but I see them as being the wrong tool for this job.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss