Mast wires

[JD-MDR]

I was hoping to never unstep the mast again .If I do I'll consider Hilbert's.The photo shows how I did it. It should be good.Also my quick and
Cheap paint job. Oh this is for an earlier thread,(or whatever you call it).I don't know why it came up new.

[Jim Walsh]

Please don't trust those lifelines. 1X19 SS replacements are very reasonable. If you prefer Dyneema is acceptable also.

[Frenchy]

Your boat is coming along nicely, J.D. The only thing I'm curious about is the lack of handholds on the cabintop. There are varnished battens there that look original but if the purpose is to keep you on deck, I'd replace. Anyway, keep up the good
work. I'm a bit envious of the beautiful weather you have out there. We still have some snow on the ground and temps are
in the 30's. - Jean

[Steve Laume]

The hand holds on the cabin top are how Cape Dory did them on the earlier boats. I kind of wish I had them on Raven. They would be much easier to varnish than trying to tape off all the little loops on the later versions. They also seem safer as they present one continuous hold that you could slide your hand along and you would never have to be sure you grabbed then where there is a loop. They also seem stronger than the latter and more common design you see on most boats, Steve.

[JD-MDR]

Thanks. Guys. Yes my running rig and lifelines are Awful. On my list. I gave myself 5 years to prepare it's been 1-1/2. New sails ordered,canvass soon after,then lifelines, running rig,travelers,dodger,auto pilot,etc. I'm literally spending all my income on this. I'm lucky for my health and can still work. The clock seems to be ticking a little faster.

[robh]

The hand holds on the cabin top are how Cape Dory did them on the earlier boats. I kind of wish I had them on Raven. They would be much easier to varnish than trying to tape off all the little loops on the later versions. They also seem safer as they present one continuous hold that you could slide your hand along and you would never have to be sure you grabbed then where there is a loop. They also seem stronger than the latter and more common design you see on most boats, Steve.

I have this type, and I often wish I had the newer looped kind, I suppose one always wants what one doesn't have. You cannot tie anything off on the older type, but varnishing it is indeed WAY easier! I've had to snag a hold of it when working on reefing the main, and while you can indeed slide your hand up and down, it feels less secure a hold than being able to wrap your entire hand around the handhold.

[JD-MDR]

They don't bother me at all. I want to keep things stock as much as possible except technology upgrades. I've had the loop kind and I was always afraid of breaking them by stepping on them or tying something like a fender that could rip them off.

[Steve Laume]

I try to never tie anything to my hand holds. They are hand holds and not tie down points. anything that is fastened to them gets in the way of their intended purpose.

I have used them to tie things to but I certainly don't like to do it, Steve.

[John Stone]

I try to never tie anything to my hand holds. They are hand holds and not tie down points. anything that is fastened to them gets in the way of their intended purpose.

Concur. That’s often a problem with the more common upright “grab rail” teak hand holds. They become a storage rack for boat hooks, oars, etc. You go to grab hold and you find yourself clawing at the cabin top ‘cause you can’t get your fingers through the open part of the grab rail.

Not using them for storage is a good idea.

[JD-MDR]

Your boat is coming along nicely, J.D. The only thing I'm curious about is the lack of handholds on the cabintop. There are varnished battens there that look original but if the purpose is to keep you on deck, I'd replace. Anyway, keep up the good
work. I'm a bit envious of the beautiful weather you have out there. We still have some snow on the ground and temps are
in the 30's. - Jean

Yes I love the weather here. I can't say much for the taxes though. $400 tax on my new sails and I also got hit with 10% user fee on the purchase of the boat . They added a late fee and interest. I tried to contest the late fee cuz I didn't know, but they said that's no excuse. It's not their responsibility to inform us.

[JD-MDR]

Please don't trust those lifelines. 1X19 SS replacements are very reasonable. If you prefer Dyneema is acceptable also.

Hi Jim. If I get the SS replacement lifelines. should They have the plastic coating. This will be my next project after I get my taxes paid.. Earlier posts have stated that SS should not be sealed. Thank you.

[Jim Walsh]

Please don't trust those lifelines. 1X19 SS replacements are very reasonable. If you prefer Dyneema is acceptable also.

Hi Jim. If I get the SS replacement lifelines. should They have the plastic coating. This will be my next project after I get my taxes paid.. Earlier posts have stated that SS should not be sealed. Thank you.

When you replace your lifelines they should be uncoated 1X19 stainless. A coated lifeline can hide breakages and corrosion beneath that nice white coating. Very dangerous situation.
Dyneema is a suitable alternative but not my personal choice for lifelines. They have poor abrasion resistance compared to 1X19 stainless wire.

[JD-MDR]

Thought I was good to go with my new lifelines.NOT! This loop on the pulpit broke at the dock. I barely pulled on it. It snapped like a pretzel. Now I'm wondering about the other three. How can I test them? Should I grind them all off and put the clamp on type like the lowers? I got the new midship cleats done. I used 1/2" g-10 backing with layers of leftover hull liner pieces for build- up all epoxied in place. I still need to get more dyneema for the port side. I think I can do that next week,

[John Stone]

John
Nice work on the cleat.

In the past, when I had pulpits on the Far Reach, I terminated the lifelines around the larger tube with a cow hitch running the tail back through the welded loop. That way there is little to no stress on the smaller welded loop.

I think the ORC no longer (if they ever did) allows dyneema as a life line. But I use them. They are super strong. You can splice them yourself. Never have meat hooks. But what I like most is you can inspect the termination. You can’t do that on 1x19. Just like standing rigging, it’s the swage or chainplate that fails. In your case, the wire did not fail...the termination weld failed.

Jim’s correct, as usual, that dyneema is less abrasion resistant than wire. You can mitigate it by using leather chafing guards around the dyneema where the line passes through the stanchion. And Jim is also correct...no plastic coated wire if you go that route.

[JD-MDR]

Thanks. Actually, I don't think the weld falied the wire loop snapped. I got another clamp- on fitting and fixed it just like the lowers. I already replaced the starboard side with dyneema. . I like dyneema its so easy to splice. getting the length correct was a little difficult for me. I will get another 60' of dyneema and do the port side next weekend while I'm out on anchor. I like to go out and anchor and piddle around the boat all weekend. It's only 4 hrs to The closest place, " Little Scorpions Cove", on Santa Cruz island. My Stanchions have a plastic insert/cap that the lifeline passes thru to protect from fraying and also a piece of tubing runs thru some of them like your leather. Cow hitch looks good but how do you put the turnbuckle in? I think I will redo the starboard side and make it more nicer.