Old fittings or new when changing wire

[ribbony]

We have an Adams35 cruising yacht, cutter rig of unknown rig age (most likely 10 to 15 yo) that has been Sydney based for most of its life, and sitting on a mooring for almost a decade. We have nearly completed the restoration and now need to look at the rig. Replacing the wire is a obvious step in the near future, but should we replace the ronstan sealoc turnbuckles on the ends (8mm wire on #10 sealoc's) ?

Visually they look OK and the threads run smooth on all but two and I can not access the one under the furler (unknown brand).

Regards

Mick

[Brian Duff]

Unknown age + full refit = NEW

[Robbie.g]

I agree, new rig is a must.
The ronstan rigging screw's should be ok with a little love n lube, although they are single action so i don't think you get the same range of adjustment as you would with a 'normal' double action rigging screw. i've seen many boats with these on and they're fine, they also look neet n compact.

[ribbony]

New wire and ends are planned, it was a question as to use the Sealoc's we have or go for a new turnbuckles, perhaps of a different design. The Sealoc's certainly do appear to be a robust design and we did not want to discard them if they still were deemed to have more life in them, as they are quite expensive to replace and we are on a budget. If we did replace them then is would have to be with something other than Ronstan sealocs, perhaps with a mechanical fitting on the end so we can service them ourselves.

[Stumble]

My feeling is that whenever you replace the rod/wire all of the end fittings get replaced as well. I understand budgetary issues, but just think about the cost of replacing the rig due to a buckle failure. Basically this is just the wrong place to save money IMHO.

[Joe Henderson]

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.

[knothead]

Originally Posted by Joe Henderson

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.

Don't forget to address the chainplates.