# Price of New Standing Rigging



## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

Looking for some rough ballpark thoughts on the cost of new wire standing rigging for a 1987 Catalina 36. I understand there are a thousand variables which can impact the price I was just wondering, for planning purposes, if this tends to be a $2000 job, a 5, or $10000 job.


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## DropTop (May 7, 2009)

depends on the spar manufacturer... you may want to call and ask the manufacturer directly. 

If you have ZSpars/USSpars they will sell you entire kits for whatever part of the rigging, poles, spars you need, with mounting hardware, rivets, screws, bolts etc included. You'd have to get a custom quote from them though.

As for other companies, you may want to talk to a local rigging shop, they can probably give you a ballpark number with a simple phone call.

on another note, weren't you recently talking about taking your C36 to bermuda on another thread, professing how sound she was? What happened that you're now looking at new standing rigging?


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## SVCarolena (Oct 5, 2007)

We are doing the wire on our 30 ft. boat and it came to around $1,000 plus shipping for the wire and fittings from a professional rigger (stays, shrouds, swaged turnbuckles and marine eyes, and toggles). We did the measurements and will do the install ourselves. That said, I would guestimate that you will come in around $2000 to $3000 if you have a rigger do the work, maybe a little more. Lots of variables involved. PM me if you want a referal on a professional rigger to make the wire so you can install yourself - we've had an excellent experience and it isn't all that difficult if you take the time to study and have the right climbing equipment.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

If you're just replacing the wire and do the work yourself not that expensive. Swages at the top and order a bit longer than necessary. Use Sta-Loks or similar for the bottom. If you're replacing the turnbuckles as well add those in. For turnbuckles and wire probably 1500 to 2000. If done professionally add lots of labour.


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## olson34 (Oct 13, 2000)

*It's a Maintenance thing*

Odd that someone is giving you grief about the fitness of your boat because you are doing some preventative maintenance. 
If you are still using the wire and fittings from 1987, it's time (and past time, imho) for a re-rig.
I have an '88 boat with a double spreader rig and we did all new wire and turnbuckles in '02.
This subject comes up regularly at the Ericson site, and here is a recent thread with good links to other relevant threads in reply #3.
Replacing Standing Rig -- Costs? - EY.o Information Exchange

Some folks with short seasons in cold fresh water get 30+ years out of their rigging, and some in hot salt water in the south go 5 to 10 years. 
Lotsa variables and some sailors rely mostly on luck and insurance. Having been thru a rig crash at sea a long time ago on another boat, I prefer *not* to repeat the experience.

L


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## DropTop (May 7, 2009)

olson34 said:


> Odd that someone is giving you grief about the fitness of your boat because you are doing some preventative maintenance.


wasn't giving greif for doing PM. was wondering what happened that just days ago he was saying the boat was in great shape and ready to head to bermuda, and now he's getting prices for replaing the standing rigging.

Did the boat get damaged somehow?


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## rayncyn51 (Aug 8, 2008)

Check Catalina Direct. They did all new standing rigging for our Catalina 30 for less than $800.


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

> . If you're replacing the turnbuckles as well add those in.


IMHO, replacing the wire and not the turnbuckles is like taking a shower and putting on dirty underwear. 

We've started a multi-year program to replace our lifelines and standing rigging on our '84 Sabre. We did the lifelines this year and the uppers are planned for next year. We used Rigging Only (http://riggingonly.com/), sending them the originals, no measuring on my part at all. They did an excellent job and all replacement parts were as good as or better than the original hardware, using 316 SS throughout.

I agree with all the recommendations and in my case, it was the opinions expressed on Sailnet that got me moving. While I *think* that our rigging is ok, the wire *is* 26 years old.


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## brak (Jan 5, 2007)

I paid about $6000 for a total replacement of all standing rigging (including fittings, turnbuckles etc) on my 35' boat. Of course a brand new turnbuckle failed right away (story elsewhere on this forum). Moral - it's not always better because it is new. Be careful and check the work - many companies would do a poor job if not constantly supervised.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Sounds like a good reason to do it yourself. Nobody cares as much about your boat as you do. Bonus #1 - you will know your boat better. Bonus #2 - you will save a lot of money.


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## brak (Jan 5, 2007)

mitiempo said:


> Sounds like a good reason to do it yourself. Nobody cares as much about your boat as you do. Bonus #1 - you will know your boat better. Bonus #2 - you will save a lot of money.


That's true - though some of the items are hard to do yourself without a machine shop handy. That is to say - occasionally you are forced to delegate work to others  Just expect to keep an eye on them and clean up the messes they create.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

You can do a lot of the work yourself and save quite a bit of money. A good way to get the stuff replaced is to ship the old stuff to a good rigger, like Riggingonly.com and have them make up replacements using swaged top fittings and leaving the bottoms unfinished with mechanical fittings for you to put on. 

For mechanical fittings, I highly recommend the Hayn Hi-Mod rather than the Norseman or StaLock as they are usually less expensive, and IMHO a much better fitting.


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## sailor50 (Aug 26, 2009)

If you already have the rig off the boat, why would you pack it up to have it duplicated? The shipping costs are going to cost you double - outgoing and inbound. Why not measure it yourself?


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## sailor50 (Aug 26, 2009)

As SDd says, check out Rigging Only, Get the terminology for the parts you need, they have an excellent web site for people trying to educate themselves. Then ask your local rigger for what parts you can't identify, they will usually give you a bit of their time. Ask them also about Staloc, Navtec, and Hayn mechanical fittings, they are going to cost a lot more than swage fittings.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Here's the link for Pyacht in Annapolis for Hayn fittings. Prices aren't too bad.
Hayn Hi Mod Eyes


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

creedence623 said:


> Looking for some rough ballpark thoughts on the cost of new wire standing rigging for a 1987 Catalina 36. I understand there are a thousand variables which can impact the price I was just wondering, for planning purposes, if this tends to be a $2000 job, a 5, or $10000 job.


Dude, you need to PM Knothead. He's an _actual rigger_ that's also a longtime member on this forum. And he's a great guy to boot.

He can give you all the info you need - and maybe even help you get it done.

Never trust those online businesses. Oh...wait....

Heh-heh.


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## patrickstickler (Dec 2, 2008)

I'm also looking at replacing all standing rigging on a 32' ketch, and am considering learning to splice wire, buy a spool of wire and assorted hardware and go at it one by one over next winter.

Foolish? Smart?

Anyone here do the same?

Patrick


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

Olson, thanks for the help on that one. Droptop, can a boat not be sound with standing rigging on the latter portion of its usable life? I am taking it down to Florida now rather than Bermuda (significant change of plans with work which I detail in the Bermuda thread) on its current rigging which I had professionally inspected last year with no significant issues found. 

It's called sound maintenance practice, and it is because of the preventive maintenance I perform on it that I am able to be confident in its seaworthiness. When you suggested that you weren't giving me grief, I have to say the way you phrased your first post with "professed, etc" came off as pretty diminutive and is not really appreciated.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Unfortunately I have to bite the bullet and need to have someone else do it as I am going to be away on business for the few months following my arrival in FL.

Smack, thanks for the suggestion, I'll shoot him a PM.


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## DropTop (May 7, 2009)

creedence623 said:


> Olson, thanks for the help on that one. Droptop, can a boat not be sound with standing rigging on the latter portion of its usable life? I am taking it down to Florida now rather than Bermuda (significant change of plans with work which I detail in the Bermuda thread) on its current rigging which I had professionally inspected last year with no significant issues found.
> 
> It's called sound maintenance practice, and it is because of the preventive maintenance I perform on it that I am able to be confident in its seaworthiness. When you suggested that you weren't giving me grief, I have to say the way you phrased your first post with "professed, etc" came off as pretty diminutive and is not really appreciated.
> 
> ...


my apologies, I did not intend to sound critical or diminutive. I guess I didn't word my post very well as my mind was elsewhere. I was actually a little concerned for you as I was recalling the bermuda thread, and thinking that if you were now looking for new standing rigging, what happened? If you were asking because something you had thought was sound had just failed on you, I was imagining what would have happened if that had occured 200 miles offshore in heavy weather. I would not wish that fate on anyone.

I grew up with one particularly unforgettable story of why your rigging (both standing and running) needs to be in good shape. My father was a delivery skipper in the 70's, on his 2nd trans-atlantic crossing he brought a 1st mate with him (his 1st was a single handed crossing) to make the trip a little easier, about 400 miles from Spain heading in the general direction of New York, they had a line snap (possibly a sheet line, I forget) and the recoil of the line knocked the 1st mate off the cabin top and aside from knocking him unconcious, he also suffered a compound fracture of his leg (that's where the splintered bone comes out through the skin in case anyone is not familiar with the term). The rest of the voyage the poor guy was strapped to his bunk while my dad single handed the boat, and cared for the guy keeping him alive.

I don't think anyone here, espicially myself, would ever intentionally give someone a hard time for doing preventative maintenance on their boat, espicially on something as critical as the standing rigging.


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## creedence623 (Mar 8, 2006)

I guess it's true what they say, noverbal communication accounts for about 60 percent of what we intend to say. That of course doesn't translate well to a forum. I guess I misinterpreted your intentions, certainly no hard feelings. Anyhow, thanks for the input!


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## ccriders (Jul 8, 2006)

*Swage on top mechanical on bottom*

A few years ago when I replaced standing rigging, most advised swagged on top and mechanical on bottom. And it has been stated again on this thread. Is that still the best advice? Haven't mechanical fittings proved equally suited for top and bottom?


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## knothead (Apr 9, 2003)

ccriders said:


> A few years ago when I replaced standing rigging, most advised swagged on top and mechanical on bottom. And it has been stated again on this thread. Is that still the best advice? Haven't mechanical fittings proved equally suited for top and bottom?


The only real drawback to mechanical fittings is cost. There is no reason not to use mechanical fittings if you have the money and the inclination to do the work yourself. 
If you are using a rigger to fabricate the rigging, then it doesn't make much sense to use mechanical terminals in my opinion.


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## SVCarolena (Oct 5, 2007)

knothead said:


> The only real drawback to mechanical fittings is cost. There is no reason not to use mechanical fittings if you have the money and the inclination to do the work yourself.
> If you are using a rigger to fabricate the rigging, then it doesn't make much sense to use mechanical terminals in my opinion.


When we decided to replace our rigging, we considered mechanical lowers but, as Knotty said, the cost was substantially more than swaged. Unless you think you will own the boat long enough to have to replace the rigging again, or plan to be on a long cruise in far-off locations where there is no access to spares if something breaks, swaged makes more sense IMHO.


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