# Argument over Replacing Rigging



## Seaside117 (May 29, 2015)

So, I got a free 1986 Capri 18 that's in pretty good shape. It's my boat, my husband isn't really that interested in sailing, but he is very handy and willing to help with the boat. I want to replace the standing rigging and rebed/replace chainplates. We were already planning to remount all the stanchions for the life lines because the previous owner took them off, so it doesn't seem like that much more work to do the chainplates as well. My husband has offered to bottom paint the hull, but thinks it's a waste of time and money to replace "perfectly good" hardware. True, there are no obvious signs of corrosion, but one loose wire and a tiny ding (compressed wires) on the backstay has me concerned. A chainplate slathered with silicone suggests a sloppy attempt to correct a water infiltration issue. Am I being a nervous nelly, or is my husband just el cheapo. Any opinions and advice most welcome. By the way, the young man I got the boat from never sailed her, so I have no idea about the previous level of use. It's a small boat and the battery and cabin cushions were removed, so was most likely used for day sailing.


----------



## bobperry (Apr 29, 2011)

Chainplates should be fine.
Replace rigging. Rigging deteriorates over time, not use.


----------



## overbored (Oct 8, 2010)

When it comes to rigging hardware on an 18 foot boat it's the wire and swage fitting to be concerned about. I you do not know the age of the rigging I would replace all the wire. wire rigging should be changed at ten years or sooner, it is the corrosion that you can't see that will get you. the other fittings I would look over and replace any thing with excessive wear. 
the price of the new wire is well worth the piece of mind.
here is a link to Catalina parts. they will be cheaper then a rigger on this small boat
Catalina Direct: Shrouds
As for bottom paint it is only needed if you are keeping it in the water for more then a couple of week at a time


----------



## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

How about just rebedding the chainplate that you feel had an issue? We replaced our standing rigging on our 22 footer. I didn't think it was that expensive. A "loose wire" would certainly be a reason to replace the backstay in my opinion and if I was going to replace that, I'd just replace all the rigging at the same time.


----------



## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

What Bob said.

Just because there is a generous slathering of silly-cone over a chainplate doesn't mean it's necessarily a bad job, or to fix infiltration. Yeah it doesn't look great, but if it works? 

Still peel all the garbage off them, and rebed the chainplates (should be OK), just make it look more tidy if it makes you feel better about it. Many times the chainplates shift significantly under load, which compromises the silly-cone... Which is why a lot of people swear by using butyl tape (it never really dries so it stretches with the load).

Kinks in the rigging, even on such a small vessel still leave cause for concern. Since the C18 is a nicely supported vessel by catalinadirect, you should be able to get shipped pre-rigged shrouds and stays. (I had to look this up) - so it's a set of single uppers, single lowers, forestay and fixed backstay, looks like later models had an adjustable backstay. Either way, shouldn't be to hard to get all the rigging you need.


----------



## Stumble (Feb 2, 2012)

On my 18' cat I just replaced all the wire standing rigging for $80. For this price I wouldn't own anything that makes me nervous. Rebeding chain plates is a couple of orders of magnitude different however.


----------



## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

When in doubt, throw it out! 

A few years ago I witnessed a destructive test of rigging that was being replaced on a precautionary basis by a friend who was about to go on a long distance cruise. It was an eyeopener. In this case it was rod--not wire--rigging, which I thought was pretty bullet-proof. However, one or two of the rod ends were seriously deteriorated through wear that was not visible without destroying the terminals.

Wire rigging is more susceptible to deterioration than rod rigging. Although this incident is in the category of anecdotal evidence it gave me pause about my own boat. I subsequently replaced my rod rigging at 22 yrs of age, even though it passed visual, non-destructive inspection only a few years before. I might add that I store the boat with the mast up, so the rigging is under stress year round. 

Many years ago I replaced wire rigging on a daysailer that was only about 10 yrs old because of broken strands. I didn't wait for a catastrophic failure.

Given the age of your boat and the apparent lack of maintenance records, you couldn't be faulted for replacing the rigging, especially if you can get the right materiel from Catalina at a reasonable price. Think of it as insurance.


----------



## alternativefueler (Apr 26, 2015)

Hello all,
Fallard expressed it perfectly! 
Tell your husband that you didn't take up flying! LOL
That trailersailor boat is small enough to trailer to explore/overnight in many local lakes, big enough to sail the coastal waters too.
The cost of Capri 18 rigging is about the lowest cost rigging that is sold for sailboats.
It is by far the cheapest part to break and overlook that can cause a catastrophic failure at sea.
Chainplates being siliconed is common and not to alarm anyone except for the lack of cleanup to the excess to the tidy onlooker.
Sometimes people silicone what isn't leaking based upon preconceived leaks.
Sail and camp in the boat, enjoy it and try to get him to understand that you will both enjoy the boat, especially if he gets involved.
A nonsailor will never approve the budget used on a safe sailboat to maintain, if they are not enjoying it.
Sell the sizzling smell, not the idea of having steak for dinner. Tell him about the gunkholing with the BBQ on the stern, with nobody around
Also, don't overlook getting the trailer looked at for bearings, grease, coupler integrity and wiring, much is overlooked when towing.....fair winds and happy seas!


----------



## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

Part of good seamanship is being persistent about proactive maintenance. Even if replacing the standing rigging and chainplates is over-kill, you will not be able to make an argument that it is required again for a very long time. Depending on your use of the boat, I would not replace either chainplates or standing rigging on a boat of that age and size, unless there was evidence that it is needed. That is me. You may feel differently.


----------



## alternativefueler (Apr 26, 2015)

I never suggested replacing chainplates, only to inspect and rebed them with a favorite sealant. 
Unless well undersized, they rarely fail unless fatiqued (many other issues too, but don't open that can of worms).
I won't suggest to anybody not in the rigging field to look at rigging that has been crimped (backstay no less) as she has 
and say "Well, this looks good, I think that it will be fine" . They may share the same fate as bold pilots. 
The saying in flight school is that "There are no OLD bold pilots, they get killed while young and bold"

Short end is that freshwater sailors cannot believe how fast saltwater rigging fails in the hidden recesses of the crimped turnbuckles or across their thread sheaths.
In 29 years of sitting in the salty New Jersey atlantic ocean, this Capri of topic with a crimped, bent, compressed backstay takes the abuse of 8-10 ft seas hammering the backstay as the hull crests each wave. That is not the cockpit to be in at sea, no? 
In the early part of 2003 spring, there was a first annual San Diego race that I skippered a Cat27 for the HM of a well known marina there. The SD Log marine newspaper did an article on that race and me skippering his boat for him. What they didn't report was that before the race, his cursory inspection showed fine rigging, bearings, thru-hulls, no leaks and fine sails. I didn't care, I wanted to sail the course in "the" boat anyway, enough to make Capt Ron blush. I took a new to sailing friend (Johnny DeLuna) with me for a 4 hr intro on singlehanded sailing. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone? About 4 miles offshore, we were on a southbound reaching leg and while under jib and main, the strbrd / weather shroud turnbuckle broke at the threads. As the "gunshot" went off (the snapping of metal sound), I was left hand trimming the jib freely with only a wrap on the winch. As I heard the shot & saw the flying shroud whiz up, I instantly threw/blew the jibsheet straight off of the winch and grabbed the mainsheet out of the cam cleat and it blew free. We were thankfully instantly rolled to strbrd on a 6ft swell as it passed under us from strbrd qrtr taking the load off of the broken shroud for a needed moment. I leapt over Johnny telling him to take the tiller before the boom came over. Before he could ask what happened, i grabbed the shroud as it whipped against my chest & face. The boom followed over and missed him where he was sitting. As we flopped and I held the shroud tight. I reached down to grab the lazy sheet on the weatherside, put two loops in the wire and knowing it was destined for the trash, tied a wrapped hitch with the center of the sheet, rope to wire, then asked him to put a couple of wraps on the winch and trim it in. I detached the strbrd jib shackle after he secured the sheet on the winch. Then I sat down and after the third time that he asked mne what happened, I told him. His answer was that I incredulously looked like spiderman as I leapt over him from the helm. He said that by the time he tried to figure it out, it was over. We dowsed sails and motored back to the dock.
I don't suggest that the soon to be sailor girl above to have to try to replicate that with her doubting hubby aboard. 29yr old salty Standing rigging is too cheap on that boat to overlook a compromised backstay. Sorry I agree to disagree, only if for "Ask me how I know?"


----------



## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

When I bought my 22 footer (I was single at the time), I considered it a training boat not just for learning how to sail but learning how to fix stuff that broke. I didn't pay that much for the boat and I thought that if I screwed up fixing something then I would have learned something without being out a lot of money and I could still sail it. If you intend to some day move up to a larger boat, which means higher costs in maintenance should you pay someone to do it for you, you might consider using your Capri as an investment in learning. It's really a good feeling being confident enough to have a better idea of when to pay someone and when to do it ourselves.


----------



## XSrcing (Aug 22, 2015)

My M25 has the original standing rigging that was installed at the factory. The starboard shroud has a kink in it so I'm replacing it all. But I'm going synthetic over steel.


----------



## JamesRitchie (Jan 22, 2016)

DRFerron said:


> How about just rebedding the chainplate that you feel had an issue? We replaced our standing rigging on our 22 footer. I didn't think it was that expensive. A "loose wire" would certainly be a reason to replace the backstay in my opinion and if I was going to replace that, I'd just replace all the rigging at the same time.


I totally agree with your comment


----------

