to seal or not to seal marine eyes?

[Mark Baker]

Hello. I am a new member of SparTalk, having been referred to Brion Toss by "the professor" of the Sparkman and Stephens Swan Association discussion forum. We have a 1979 Swan 41 that we recently had re-rigged in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our question is whether or not the swage fitting, where the wire enters the marine eye on our D1 and D2 shrouds, should be sealed? Currently there is no sealant where the 5/16" wire enters the swage fitting and salt water seems to be able to accumulate in the small spaces between the sleeve and the wire. The prior rigging (original) did have sealant at the swaged joint. Navtec technicians we consulted indicated that there are two schools of thought - one recommends sealing the other does not. Nigel Calder writes that the fitting should be sealed with beeswax before saltwater gets in. We've cruised down the coast with the new rigging and so saltwater has entered the fitting. The professor has suggested experimenting with sealing with tefgel.

So our long-winded question is, should we go ahead and seal the joint where the wire enters the sleeve, or should we leave it unsealed? If it should be sealed, then with what substance? And how should we try to remove the salt and moisture that has presumably penetrated the sleeve around the wire (perhaps by rinsing with fresh water or salt away and applying gentle heat before applying the sealant?)

Any and all insights will be much appreciated.

Mark Baker (s/v Anthea)