Spar and Rigging Department
Sailboats are complicated machines. They have many systems and the most sensitive is the mast. We are generalists when it comes to rigging. We can repair what you have and make suggestions for changes or improvements. However, the safety and sizing of a boat's rigging is ultimately the responsibility of the owner.
Considering that the mast and sails are the most important component of propulsion on your boat, it should be given the utmost attention when weighing the costs and risks of what to maintanin and what to defer. The industry standard of rigging life is 15 years in salt water and 20 years in fresh water.
It is also vital to coat all stainless fasteners with a dialectric grease, such as Tef-Gel or LanoCoat, to prevent galvanic corrosion. Use this everywhere dissimilar metals meet.
Seizing Wire
This is an vintage rigging hardware and is definitely something to look after. Surprisingly it is still being used!
Aluminum and Cable
This is the most common mast we see today, whether you have a 1970’s full keel passagemaker with original rigging or a 2018 racer cruiser, you will find aluminum spars held up with stainless steel cable.
Aluminum and Rod
The next most popular rigging style is the very low stretch characteristics of stainless steel rod and aluminum. This is a mainstay in the racing community and has proved very reliable. It does fail from time to time and it is prudent to take your rig down at least every other year and have all the fittings visually inspected. Also, keep after the turnbuckles and spreader-bases and tips.
Carbon and Rod
The racers edge, this combo is popular all over the word and is now affordable due to the abundance of manufacturers. Despite the fact that carbon fiber is glass reinforced plastic, the presence of carbon makes stainless attachments a source of galvanic corrosion, so keep the Tef-Gel handy. In many cases, the mast is carbon and the spreaders are aluminum and that means galvanic corrosion.
