Enigma converted to a power boat
The mast of a sailing yacht is quite an important piece of machinery, yet it is all too easy to assume that it will continue pointing skyward ad infinitum. Left to its own devices a modern aluminium alloy spar probably would, but since most yacht masts are supported by a network of stainless steel wires, these need to be checked and maintained otherwise your sleek yacht can be unexpectedly converted into an embarrassingly slow power boat.
Enigma converted to a power boat
Stainless steel shrouds and stays appear solid enough, and apart from the slim
chance of obvious visible damage caused by some unfortunate altercation, most
rigs will continue to appear sturdy and safe way beyond their sell by date.
'But how does a piece of stainless steel wear out?' I hear you croak defensively
as you instinctively hide your wallet from view...
The problem is caused by actually going sailing.
Metal fatigue
is defined as "failure caused by a repeated or varying load, never reaching
a high enough level to cause failure in a single application", and
its easy to see that the boats motion underway and the pressures of strong gusts
of wind on sails could easily be described as 'a repeated or varying load' on the rig.
Even in light airs, the helmsman's momentary lapse of concentration causing
a bone jarring all standing gybe will do more than spill the crews G&T...
the life of the boats standing rigging just got shorter.
Ever since school I was warned that 'they' said that every cigarette you smoked
and every pint of beer you drank took five minutes off your life, and I always
thought that with something as random and indeterminable as the length of a
human life this whole theory was utter piffle, and 'they' could procrastinate
to their hearts content whilst I smoked fags and drank beer in such heroic quantities
that it was generally felt that 'they' owed me something of an explanation.
Twenty years later it is now considered highly unsociable to smoke and it's
not even fashionable to drink beer in large quantities anymore, so since I clearly
couldn't beat 'them' I joined 'them'.
Maybe 'they' got their own way after all.
Unlike
human life however, the expected life of a man made piece of rigging of a given
diameter under specific loads can not only be predicted with more accuracy that
'they' could ever manage, but that prediction can actually be proven under test
conditions in a laboratory. Because of this knowledge the boffins predict that, for an average UK cruising yacht, a
life span of ten seasons sailing is considered normal and safe. Though this is
assuming no gale torn circumnavigations around the Southern Ocean are included,
and collision damage from banging into quay sides, lock walls, other boats and
the like is kept to a maximum level of none.
When your rig has done its service therefore, it is time to get it replaced,
whether it looks like it will last another season or not. However although it is convenient to imply
that after nine years and eleven months all is well, but the day ten good years
have passed you need to throw it all away, we all know that that is not really how life works.
So how can you check that 'the little blow' you were manfully tackling the other
weekend hasn't done irreparable damage to your rig well before it's time is officially up?
It is no surprise to learn that as with all things on the boat, regular maintenance is essential for the
continued safety of you and your guests.
A routine inspection should consist of visually checking for...
Well there's a whole topic right there, so its probably enough to say that
if the rig is loose or baggy it needs attention, but it is just as easy to over
tighten. A rig tension gauge is a useful piece of kit to keep on board. Even
if you have no interest in tuning your yacht to Admirals cup standard, a note
in the log of the most recent reading and at least you can check for significant
changes over time.
An additional benefit of owning a gauge is the fun you can have on a Saturday afternoon checking your
rig tension and sucking through your teeth whilst tapping
gently on the shrouds with a screwdriver and listening intently for the correct
note. It wont take long for some gullible fool to show some interest and you
can waffle on about pre-bend, V1's and D2's whilst your crew get on with the
washing up.
Most modern marina rules and regulations probably forbid you to do anything
more practical than filling the water tanks without wearing steel toe cap boots,
a hard hat and a hi vis vest, so removing your mast without the aid of a crane
is definitely one to make the company lawyers sift through the small print. You cant
have people tossing bloomin great toothpicks around. After all it is a Marina, not the
Highland Games.
If your marina has a travel hoist then you can probably get the mast stepped
at the same time as you get lifted out, and although the additional charge will,
at the time it is quoted, appear unjustifiably obscene, it will be a steal when
compared to the absolutely breathtaking costs associated with crane hire.
Crane hire holds its own extra level of buttock clenching tension, as if the
wind gets up they will cancel the job AND still charge you, so you will find
yourself watching the forecast closer than if you were taking your notoriously
sea sick Mother-in-law on her first Round the Island.
If you want a job doing properly, then do it yourself, and if you have a small enough yacht with a tabernacle stepped mast then it is quite possible to get the spar
down without accidentally pole axing passers by, but if your mast is longer
than about 8 metres then its just too cumbersome to be anything more than a
weapon of mass destruction unless you have your own crane and twenty or more
years of experience rigging yachts.
This is one job not to try doing DIY, so whilst you are about it get the experts
to do a full rig check and provide you with a quote for everything. They will
almost certainly be able to provide the materials cheaper than if you bought
all the wire your self and got the swages terminated at your local chandlers.
They will probably be a massive reduction in the crane hire costs, and the best
bit is that you will be able to sleep easier.
Removing the mast by crane
You might want to save yourself a few quid by removing the sails, boom and running rigging yourself, and then you will know exactly how it goes back on. Nothing more frustrating than in the shake down sail in a stiff breeze you confidently let go the kicker in readiness for hoisting the main and with an unexpected bang the headsail begins to drop out of the headfoil into an ugly heap on the foredeck.
Enigma had her rig replaced
in February 2004 and Southampton based rigging legend Harry James from The
Rig Shop provided an excellent and complete service. The initial quote was
for around £1,500 to cover the labour, the crane costs, and completely
new standing rigging including all terminations and new turnbuckles for a 9 metre boat with a 14 metre mast. However when
the mast was down there were some additional surprises.
The two masthead sheaves
required replacement, at £14 each, the headsail halyard sheave also required
work, as the pin had worn loose and would need re fitting at a cost of £38.
A more expensive problem was down to a small crack that had been found in the
mast structure around where the spreader entered the mast tube. This was easily
rectified using a 'doubler' to strengthen the hole and tighten the join between
spreader and mast stopping. The cost for this was a further £200, and there was also £75
on a new VHF aerial which was required as the old one literally crumbled to dust when it was removed.
Once I had recovered from the shock, and sold one of my kidneys to pay the bill, the mast was removed mid week conveniently allowing me a weekend to fit the
new VHF aerial, and Harry and his team had the new rig fitted and the mast back
on and ready for sailing the following weekend.
Apart from the obvious replacement of a potentially fatigued rig, and subsequent reduction in the likelihood of losing it all over the side, the difference in performance was significant. In the shakedown sail the following weekend me and the boys went out to do some 'Mans Sailing' in winds gusting up to 36 Knots and the improvement was immediately noticeable. The mainsail set much easier, quicker and flatter, with adjustment of the lines visibly moving the position of the draft of the sail. The jib was far better balanced than it had been previously, and again set significantly flatter causing less back winding on the main. When rolled in a little to reef the sail down, the sheet car position visibly changed the shape of the sail, which was also something that had been much less obvious before the new rigging had been fitted.
All in all the performance improvements were noticeable even to a clumsy cruiser skipper like me, and the added bonus that my mast was less likely to drop into the ocean was strangely reassuring. When justifying the considerable cost it may be worth dwelling on the safety aspect for long enough to be almost convinced, but if you then add the thought of turning your dogged old cruiser into a thoroughbred racing machine, even the most tight fisted old curmudgeon would feel an urge to take the padlock off the wallet and call up the experts.
