[Public-List] Check that standing rigging-- especially this kind of terminal

[Glenn Brooks via Public-List]

Hi Randy,  your paint job sounds like it came out nice.  These nico press fittings and thimble ends were the only wire you could get in Alaska during the 70's and 80's- widely used and made up with no issues on hundreds if not thousands of sailboats and commercial fishing boats.  No one had swaging machines locally in those days, so this is all you could get.   My old 62' wood ketch was rigged this way, and also had some really old hand made wire splices looped around the mast.  The thimbles and swagged fittings never failed, even when the wire strands started to break.  It's probably good to change them out, but there is plenty of history of successful service with this design and I am sure you where never at risk - whereas swayed fittings (shipped in from Seattle) of that era failed regularly at a given age, and probably still do.   Sta lok or hi mod are undoubtedly superior to all, even though more way expensive.  

BTW, I saw a guy in Everett Marina today working on some sailboat masthead with a small boom truck and gantry.  Owner was sunning himself on the deck whilst the guy in the gantry replaced wires.  So at least one local rigger  makes house calls.

Glenn
Dolce 318

Sent from my iPad

> On Jul 14, 2014, at 2:49 PM, Randy Katz via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
> Greetings, All,
> 
> Besides the painting upgrade, I was able to meet up with Don Yager of Yager
> Sails  (in Spokane, WA. at http://www.yagersails.com/). He makes occasional
> trips to Bellingham where we keep the boat, this time to deliver a new sail
> to a customer there. He generously offered to take a look at my Profurl set
> up to advise re: the life expectancy of the forestay.
> 
> The forestay's good for a few more years, but he pointed out one thing that
> I was REALLY glad to hear about-- this is especially relevant to some of us
> with older boats. (Well, I guess that's ALL of us, eh?)
> 
> While the lower ends of all the rigging had a variation of a Norseman
> mechanical compression fitting, the upper ends nearly all consist of wire
> wrapped around a SS thimble and crimped with Nico-press types of fitting.
> Don declared these to be no-no's and dangerous, to replace right away. This
> thought was seconded by Pete, the rigging expert at Fishery Supply in
> Seattle. Raised eyebrows all around!
> 
> So, we're dropping the mast tomorrow in order to remove all that stuff and
> replace it with wire from Fisheries Supply. Chinese-made wire is,
> apparently, to be completely avoided. US-made is best, though it can be
> hard to find. (I checked with a dozen places in western WA and found one or
> two sources: West Marine-- expensive-- and NW Rigging in Anacortes at about
> half the price. Let me know if you'd like a copy of my notes about this. Or
> photos of the fittings.)
> 
> We're going with Fishery Supplies Korean wire made by KOS but stranded
> together in the US. A good reputation, supposedly.
> 
> You may want to check you own rigging to be sure you don't have those
> crimped terminals. (The rigging is not original; it spent some years in
> Portland, OR. before I bought it in 2000.)
> 
> This puts the sailing trip back another week, but heck, I'm glad to know of
> it. I can only imagine how lucky we've been, having sailed through all
> kinds of weather with those fittings over the last dozen years!
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> Randy Katz
> #249 Simple Gifts
> Bellingham/Seattle
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