Page 179 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

• Someone else gets properly applied terminals That’s why, if you are planning on a tropical
but accelerates metal fatigue by neglecting to cruise, you will want to consider using Type 316
use toggles, and neglecting to tune. If the wire stainless, which is highly corrosion-resistant. Type
is alloy it will harden up and break if it isn’t 316 is also usually 15 to 20 percent weaker than
replaced in time. 302, as well as costing considerably more for a given
• Another party gets a beautifully spliced 7 x 7 rig diameter, so south-bound boats have historically
but uses truly lousy wire because it was available gone up a size in standing rigging, and gone cor-
cheap. The mast goes over the side and people respondingly down in their bank account balance.
blame the splices. But this is not always necessary, because strength
• Some owners get on the Spectra bandwagon, and cost are not entirely about materials properties.
but use Amsteel for their standing rigging rather As of this writing, the wire we use in our shop is
than HSR, because Amsteel is so much cheaper, a highly polished Type 316, which is cheaper than
and it’s all Spectra, right? In short order they many brands of Type 302, and which gets consistent
encounter vast stretch, alarming mast shape, independent break tests near–or even exceeding–the
and rapid fiber creep. Amsteel is an excellent rated strength of 302. The point is that it can pay
material for many applications, but standing to shop around when selecting standing rigging. In
rigging isn’t one of them. this case, our 316 makes more sense in any climate
than 302 does.
Having the right material in the wrong place Navtec uses another alloy, called Nitronic 50.
can also reduce cost-effectiveness. An alloy at home Extraordinarily strong and corrosion-resistant, it
in Maine might not want to spend too much time can be drawn with the high uniformity that rod rig-
in Hawaii; charter boat skippers there change rigs ging must have.
every three to five years. Private vessels, sailed less, In times past, it was my practice to urge clients
can expect longer service—maybe 10 years with to consider galvanized wire rope. My enthusiasm for
maintenance. The best thing to do in Hawaii is to it tended to be met with incredulity by most sail-
invest in a highly corrosion-resistant alloy and take ors, yet galvanized steel is possessed of virtues that
good care of it. The tropics are one place where rod make it ideal for the running or standing rigging
rigging is a sensible choice for non-race-boats. Mini- of many vessels. Specifically, it is less elastic and
mum surface area and excellent metal beat the heat. more fatigue-resistant than any alloy. It also used
Maintenance and regular inspection (more on to cost far less than stainless. It still does, sort of.
this in Chapter 7) are crucial even for stainless steel; The problem is that it is extremely hard to find it, in
“stainless” is a relative term, applied to a whole fam- good quality, in the 7 x 7 and 1 x 19 constructions
ily of alloys with widely differing levels of corrosion needed for standing rigging. You can track it down
and fatigue resistance. Rinsing the rig with fresh in Europe, but by the time it gets here, freight and
water whenever you hose down the deck can greatly duty make it more expensive than stainless. Many
prolong rig life, but if the vessel is in a particularly traditional vessels, faced with this problem, revert
hostile-to-wire environment or if you simply want to 7 x 19, which means they get a heavier, stretchier
the rig to last the longest possible time, it’s a good rig that is also corrosion-vulnerable. Much better, I
idea to give some thought to the alloy it’s made of. think, to move to HSR or the like.
For example, Type 302 is a high-carbon alloy If you do use galvanized wire, note that while
with good fatigue and corrosion resistance. This wire it is strong and resilient, it requires maintenance,
has low initial cost, high strength, and will outlast which for a boat owner can be like saying that it was
many other alloys. It is best suited to temperate cli- a pleasant trip except for the hurricane. But I’ve seen
mates, though, because it is vulnerable to corrosion, enough 20-, 40-, and 50-year-old rigs in perfect con-
which is always worse where things are hot and salty. dition to know that galvanized wire is underrated.

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