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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Standing rigging

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steephen
Navigator

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100 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/24/2003 : 19:33:58

Greetings to all. I have heard that all standing rigging should be replaced every seven years. I just bought a 1980 Ca25 and am unsure of its history. But the fittings and stainless going into the swages looks fine, with no rust or corrosion, and not one meathook. Do they still make that stuff you spray on to detect internal rust? Is there any other way to inspect shrouds? These look fine and I don't want to spend the money unless I have to.

Stephen Z.

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Shawn
1st Mate

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USA
62 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2003 : 23:01:41

I have never heard of a spray to detect rust. Sounds interesting though.
Your rig sounds like it should be ok from your description. For peace of mind though, try to track down the po and ask. If all else fails, hire a professional rigger or surveyor with a good rep. Considerably less exspensive than replacing your rig.
Enjoy your new Cat. They are great boats.
Shawn
1980 C25 tr/fk #1960

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Dave B
Admiral

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Mali
863 Posts

Response Posted - 05/24/2003 : 23:13:10

Hi Stephen...

First, I'll offer the opinion that seven years is VERY conservative--double that is conservative, even in salt water. But inspection is key, at any age. Meathooks are totally unacceptable except maybe on a halyard (which undergoes a lot of flexing)--if you ever see one on an stay, drop everything and head for the dock!

One technique that's been discussed here involves the most common point of failure--inside the swage above the turnbuckle. The first sign of trouble is when the cable slips a tiny bit out of the swage, indicating that the fitting has cracked or one or more of the strands has broken so the the swage no longer has a good grip. If you use some nail polish to paint a small stripe around the cable where it enters the swage, then if a gap appears between the stripe and the swage, the cable has slipped and trouble is ahead.

Now, as to your 1980..... If you have no way of determining the vintage of the standing rigging, you might want to start replacing it at least a little at a time. You can buy individual stays/shrouds from Catalina Direct, sized precisely for your boat, with nice open-body turnbuckles--or you can have them made up locally. Just remember, the first sign of trouble could be a catastrophic failure from within a swage. If you don't want to spring for the whole set, I'd start with the forestay, then the two upper shrouds, then the backstay, and finally the lowers.

Fair winds,

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 #5032 "Passage" SR/FK/Dinette/Honda in SW CT

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steephen
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100 Posts

Response Posted - 05/27/2003 : 20:31:03

Thanks, boys. I'll keep a sharp eye on the swages.
SZ

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.