Pinning turnbuckles

[Dean Abramson]

I have a dirty little secret. I am now halfway thru my second season of not pinning any of my turnbuckles. Wasn't a plan, really, just sort of seemed to work out that way, what with all the other projects and chores.

So it kind of begs the question: is this really necessary? Generally, I am a pretty prudent guy. But my observation is that those suckers just don't want to revolve. Many are pretty hard to turn when I tune the rig. When I use the boat, I am constantly hanging on the rig as I move about, and if things were loosening, I would notice.

Keep in mind that my mast is up for only five months at a time. Obviously if it's going to be up for a long time, then, sure, why not pin and be done with it. But in my case, I have yet to notice any movement in a few months, and my sheets, sails and ankles are less likely to get gouged. (No, I am not a big fan of taping and untaping either, but I did do it when I pinned, which is most of my sailing career.)

I find the process of pinning and unpinning turnbuckles to be a particularly irritating pain in the butt. So I am thinking about just saying no. Actually, come to think of it, maybe I already have. I do not want to promote unsafe practices, but I am wondering how many others "don't get around to it."

Dean

[bottomscraper]

We usually rough tune wait a couple of weeks, retune then pin. We don't tape, I just bend the ends in real good so they don't catch on anything.

Once every couple of days I spend a few minutes checking all of the standing rigging and running rigging that I can inspect from the deck. We did have a lower stay come off (lost pin) on a charter boat once. That's when I started doing this.

All of our shackles are safety wired. I personally thing that this may be more important than pinning the turnbuckles.

[Clay Stalker]

Hi Dean:

I do a similar routine as Rich....tune, check a couple of weeks later, tune again, then pin. I have never had a problem with turnbuckles coming loose, but I do know that if not pinned, they can very well loosen up and surprise you at the most inconvenient time. If you are closely monitoring them, you would surely notice them getting loose, so you should be okay....but they do turn on their own, so I personally think it is worth the effort to put some pins in and just bend them over....like Rich, I don't tape either. Shackles are quite another story...they will assuredly work loose quickly if not wired....the harbor floors are filled with anchors that are a testament to that!

Hope your summer is going well and you all have a nice Maine cruise....wish I could join you, but not to be this season.....

[Dalton]

I run a strong piece of line through them. A bowline one one end and a clove hitch on the other. And the do try to turn but the line stops them.

GD

[Tod M]

I safety wire all turnbuckles except the backstay because it is the one that I loosen for lowering the mast.

Over the course of a two week cruise, I find that I have to tighten it a couple of time because it does unscrew itself.

[miguel mascaros]

What if...if...if.??????
When ever I can..... I like split rings instead of cotter pins....
Cheers/Mike

[Oswego John]

I have always tried to use cotter pins of the same metal family as the turnbuckle. Second choice is SS pins. Round them over to prevent snags. I get a nice curve with needle nose pliers.

An alternate method is to use a hex jamb nut on the threads. Easy does it when you sock them up. Snug is enough. RH threaded nuts are easy enough to come by in all metals. LH threads are available but take some searching to find them.

A dab of anti-seize does no harm.

As Bryll-Cream used to say. "A li'l dab'll do ya."

[Al Levesque]

Every boat I've had or used had turnbuckle screws backed off against the pins. I never tape for the reason that I want to see the status of the screw. When making adjustments I have no qualms about paying for new pins. They are much less expensive than having the rig go over the side. Besides, having no pin means having no reference as to the previous setting.

[Dean Abramson]

You guys have convinced me. I'll be pinning tomorrow.

Thanks for all of the help.

Dean

[marka]

I use copper wire for pinning the turbuckles. It's cheaper and softer than cotter pins and bronze is a copper alloy

[viejo]

I sailed offshore in a Tarten Ten one time and had the skipper ask me to go "pin the turnbuckles". He'd left them unpinned to do some rig tuning, got finished with that and didn't replace the pins.

I went below as we were working close-hauled in about four foot seas (a combination of chop and groundswell) and watched the weather turnbuckes back off the rods about an eighth of a rotation every time we charged over a swell.

Needless to say, I made short order of replacing the pins.

At the race series the skipper had entered, one of the competing skippers (on the last day of the regatta) asked why the top of the mast on our boat leaned more towards starboard than being straight up. All we knew was that on port tack we were a dog, while on starboard tack, we could sail alongside of anyone.

Pin those puppies.

[Leonard Lookner]

A couple of years ago I started using plastic wire ties. They have held well and are easy to install and remove. I certainly check them often and wonder why it hasn't become more popular. I guess if I was blue water sailing I might use pins.

[Dean Abramson]

Well, I didn't get to pinning last Sunday. But it was fate. I was wondering if anyone had ever tried wire ties. Leonard, thanks for the input. I'm probably going that route now.

Dean