Replacing standing rigging

[drb9]

This probably counts as a stupid question, but can I replace my standing rigging a few stays at a time, with the mast up? It seems a little precarious to climb the mast and remove any of the upper or lower shrouds while up there. I was trying to think it through, and it reminds me of the riddles of how to cross the river with the fox, the chicken and the sack of corn. It's a Cape Dory 26, and I may very well have 30-year-old stays.

[Dick Kobayashi]

My suggestion is to replace the fore and aft standing rigging as a priority if you are going down this road - as there is no redundancy. A halyard can be used to keep the mast upright if this is a DIY job. Better to spend a few bucks and remove the mast when doing this though. Too much risk, in my view.

[Steve Laume]

I believe you could but what an incredibly time consuming PIA it would be. You would also need a very competent helper or two. If you ran into any unforeseen problems you would certainly wish the mast was laying on some horses as well.

If you pull the mast it will be very simple to carefully inspect every part of the rigging. You can pull all of the wires and either send them off to be duplicated or use them as guides to make them up yourself. This would also be an excellent time to deal with mast wiring, radar reflectors, spreader boots, mast head lights or instruments, give the mast a good wax job and lube the sail track and shivs. When you consider the ease with which you will be able to do all of this, the cost of pulling the mast becomes pretty insignificant.

I am as cheap and resourceful as anybody but I would not consider replacing all the rigging with the mast up, Steve.

[drb9]

Okay, thanks! I needed that reality check. I guess my question comes from having no idea what it costs to unstep and restep the mast.

[Steve Laume]

You could call or ask around at a few marinas close to your home port. It would be easy enough to motor over and have the mast pulled wherever it was the cheapest and or most convenient.

Myself and many others have had an excellent experience with Rigging Only in New Bedford, Mass. Turn around time was less than one week and reasonably priced. You send them your old rigging with any special instructions and they send the old and new wires back to you. They will quote you ahead of time and are very good about answering questions.

Just consider, pulling the mast as part of the cost of replacing the rigging and the peace of mind that new rigging will bring when things start to get a bit blustery one day, Steve.

[John Stone]

I installed all my rigging with the mast up. I centered the mast with halyards. I measured from the fitting to the top of the turnbuckle. I cut long, spliced one end. My wife hauled me up in the chair. I installed the spliced end. Came back down. Measured. Went back up. Took the wire down. Took the wire home to my shop. Spliced the other end. Went back to the boat. Went back up the mast and installed the top end. Came back down and installed the bottom end. I did two to four wires at a time. Not suggesting you do it that way, but you asked if it was possible. I saved gobs of money in trade for about 4-5 days of work and a bunch of trips up the mast. Compromises. Whatever you decide, be safe.

Edited 13 Jan. Least readers think I just intentionally do every project the hardest possible way (hey, I resemble that remark!) I forgot to explain that rigging with the mast up was the best option for me as the new mast is 3 1/2' taller than the original. Measuring and rigging with the mast up was the most accurate way to get the new shrouds/stays the correct length.

[Jim Walsh]

I replaced all my standing rigging over the winter in 2010. My mast had been pulled for the winter and was in the storage rack so it was available to me whenever I cared to brave the elements. I bought lengths of 1X19 and Sta-Lok fittings and made the replacements up as a winter project. The first one was a challenge but after that it was routine. It's actually a fun winter project and a useful skill if you ever need to replace some standing rigging again in the future. Sta-Lok fittings can be taken apart, inspected, and put back together if you are so inclined. You only have to replace the "wedge" component of the fitting.
I have to applaud John Stone for learning how to splice wire.

[David van den Burgh]

This probably counts as a stupid question, but can I replace my standing rigging a few stays at a time, with the mast up? It seems a little precarious to climb the mast and remove any of the upper or lower shrouds while up there. I was trying to think it through, and it reminds me of the riddles of how to cross the river with the fox, the chicken and the sack of corn. It's a Cape Dory 26, and I may very well have 30-year-old stays.

Yes, as John Stone said, you can re-rig with the mast stepped. It is quite a bit easier to work with an unstepped mast, however. I replaced all of Ariel's standing rigging this past spring with the mast stepped, and working thirty-some feet above the deck slows the process. If you haven't had your mast down in a number of years, I think it would be worthwhile to drop it and perform a good inspection during the re-rig. You may also decide at that time that you want to do some other work or at least give the mast a good cleaning and wax to slow oxidation of the paint (if it's painted).

Rerigging Ariel Link