Dear Ribbony,
Everyone is on a budget, even the America's Cup boys!
Do not get seduced into thinking that your still shiny 15 year old turnbuckles are something that is to be relied upon.
They may be, but how do you know.
Ronstan make some of the very best, high quality marine fittings, but even they will council replacement after 15 years with no service history.
No-one I know can reliably predict fatigue to a factor better than 50% either way. The British Atomic Energy Commision spent tens of millions of pounds in the mid seventies to work out when components in their reactors would fail. The best they could come up with was regular replacement and destruction of the old gear. And this was with a very comprehensive service log with known and plotted load patterns. Aeroplanes have a similar regime of replacement after a certain amount of hours.
More importantly, If you lose the mast due to a third party, say a collision, your insurance company will ask some awkward questions about what exactly was replaced and what was carried over from the, I say again, 15 year old rig!
As an aside, have you inspected the chainplates? Usually these are conveniently ignored and given a coat of paint to hide rust etc.
Bite the bullet and replace all with new Ronstan gear ( you know it will fit ) from a reputable rigger, there are several in Sydney, and sail in the knowlege that there is no weak link in your rig.
Remember, a standard day off the Heads is 25 knots and a 3 metre swell with nowhere to run and hide!
Regards,
Joe Henderson.
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