Great video, Berthon is certainly a name that keeps poping up (even on youtube:-)!) but you really teased us with the story of how good the rake looked and then no picture :-)!
An apprenticeship yarn for you. Before working on torpedo guidance systems in "Gosport-not-Portsmouth", my mate's apprenticeship included a job of sorting a massive box full of capacitors, resistors, diodes, transistors and other such PCB components into electrical properties just by their coloured marking bands..... and make the tea every 20 minutes. It took him 5 solid days by when he knew the whole MoD yards tea order by rote. Next shift he noticed the thousands of components were all back in the bin and everybody grinning for the day. He told me this on an MoD secret squirrel data centre project. The complex network infrastructure was out of balance and we'd just sent the lad from Swansea University down to stores for a long weight to balance it. Stores phoned and asked how long? We said half an hour ought to knock the biggest corners off. At the end of the internment we sent him off with an inflatable sheep from a sex shop and a well rounded sense of humour, team and camaraderie. Ironically, that lad now works with Artificial Intelligence and industrialisation systems.
A recommendation like this is priceless for the yard and we committed to them before seeing this video. Great workmanship and all under "one roof". Nice yarn and I must research Dyneema as mentioned below, although not mentioned by the yard as an option.
I had the same problem: what to do about replacing an old stainless rig. I was fortunate to have access to an old style bosun who taught me how to splice one by nineteen wire. One of the many benefits is that there are no hard points with a spliced rig. But the bigest benefit is that you avoid having to deal with riggers.
I was racing across Dublin Bay and down to Bray about twenty years ago in a thirty footer that a friend of mine had just bought. Of course he had no idea how old the standing rigging was, or whether it had ever been replaced. So we were close hauled just inside the Muglins in a fresh breeze when, in a second, the whole lot came down and the aluminium mast sheared and shot across the deck. So lucky the jagged end didn't hit anyone. Next thing, someone turned on the engine and the halyards wrapped around the prop, stopping it dead. we had to be towed into Bray in the end. A couple of crew got a right shock, but no one hurt, which was the important thing.
I had to re-rig a boat I bought in Antigua back in the 1990's and so brought in a new mast and all the rigging. The problem arose when the only rigging company there gave me a ridiculous quote and as they had access to the crane I had to accept. But still they didn't come to do the work. So I assembled the mast and the rigging myself which was surprisingly easy and finally they came and with bad attitude installed the mast and left. So i had to cut and install the standing rigging myself and even they demanded full payment. So don't use riggers in Antigua because they're still there
Thanks, Tom, I always enjoy your vlogs. I don't have the Beneteau anymore, but I do have a lovely Yamaha FJR1300. I can't sail it to Catalina Island, but I can hustle it over Angeles Crest Hwy and Mulholland Rd.
They are having the same problem with the cables on suspension bridges. I have heard that if you put your ear to them you can hear the individual strands pinging as they break :)
Thanks Adam. There's much in what you say. I'd probably do the same for diy and I'm sure there's no lessening of strength or quality. The pros who did my job go with the swage and one thing I've learned is that if you're going to pay somebody, you either take his advice or find someone else. The boys did a fine job, but folks should hear what you say. Tom
Would you have considered a Dyneema/synthetic rig rather than wire? It seems this approach is just about coming into the cruising market now. I like the idea that such modern materials could be used in a way to get a more traditional look. But then again it may end up looking more modern and hitech. Interesting to see if rigging does change.
Been reading into this myself. It seems it's more expensive than stainless and prone to bad chafing. They also only recommend a 2 year service life due to UK degradation so it's only really suitable for race boats.
I agree that the inability to inspect stainless wire rigging for wear and defects is frustrating. I detest hydraulic swages because you just cannot inspect them and take it on faith that the rigger applied the tool correctly. I am no rigger or expert but I re-rigged my entire 30 footer with Hayn Hi-Mod compression fittings and a spool of wire, by myself. Hi-Mod fittings are nearly idiot proof and can be disassembled for inspection or replacement.
@@TomCunliffeYachtsandYarns I jumped from a plane once (that was enough). After the training and just as we went up, the jump master said he admired me for doing what he never does. Jumping with a parachute packed by someone else. Sobering.
@@lubberwalker Good point well made. After many years I have concluded that there are some jobs that professionals do better than I can. When confronted by one of them, I find the right man through recommendation, then I ask if he minds me working with him so I can learn. Invariably he's happy with that. Then I can query anything I'm unsure about and I can generally see if he cuts corners, - which he doesn't because he comes well recommended. He'll do the job in less than half the time it would take me and do it better. I do most of my own work, but nobody can be the best at everything. Tom
@@TomCunliffeYachtsandYarns Heheh... The skydivers point was black humour. He was saying that in that world, only a fool would trust their lives to a third party packing their chute properly. I had no quick slick response because I was bricking the thought of climbing out of a flying plane's door in 150knots of wind using the diagonal wing strut, standing on the landing wheel and jumping into oblivion. My thoughts though, were "I'm glad somebody that knew how they work, packed this bag of silk". Also during emergency chute procedure training dress rehearsal; we shook out packed foam from dummy chutes. The last in the group shook out a real silk life saver. The instructors said "oh, we've lost a dummy" and looked quizzically at each other and the racks of kit packed for our jump..... "oh it'll turn up some time!". More black humour. The land based heads were well used.
Great stories Tom thanks 😊. Not everyone likes stainless steel wire: I certainly don't like it. I now have dux synthetic rigging on our steel Colvin Gazelle ketch.
@@TomCunliffeYachtsandYarns Tom, the dux material has been around for a fair while now, with no adverse outcomes to date that I have heard. By chafe, do you mean within the material itself, or on other materials?
@@rodshehan3886 Chafe on the rigging itself. It sounds such a great idea, but I have terror of it chafing through on a rogue sheet in the dark on a long passage. Could this happen, in your experience? Tom
One problem with stainless steel; it work-hardens and that's the sort of thing that could happen where the rigging emerges from the swage as the swage is rigid and the wire isn't. That's possibly the spot at which the rigging wire will break. In one of his books Moitessier writes about DIY rigging using galvanised wire and he was living proof that what he did works well. First problem in re-rigging; take the mast out of your boat. Second problem; Occupational Health and Safety regulations written by people who don't know what they are doing and therefore don't trust DIY yachties to know what they are doing................
15 years (about) is a good span of life for standing rigging. 15 years time to save up the pennies. Quite right, old rigging, new rigging, no-one has put his finger on it yet when to renew. However when a stay goes slightly slack after 8 - 15 years which by experience of the boat can be felt by hand, time coming to renew.
Time is a horrible metric for working equipment. Is it 15 years of marinas and weekend sails or 15 of cruising the world? Sails and rigging wear out the more you use them.
Well spray has been recreated by the apprentices on the isle of wight college, old jim did my rig for 650.00 and in the dutch ship museum theres a little british scow that dutch kiDs love to sail
As a base rule, and as all too frequently is required by most insurers these days, at a minimum 10 years is what seems to be recommended. Of course the rigging might be still ok and could last for longer, but if it’s 20 yrs old, the general advice I have seen is, definitely replace it. The consequences of not doing so are a somewhat risky to say the least afterall.
Should it not be de rigeur to keep a maintenance log on a yacht? Surely it improves the value when one comes to sell: Two identical yachts, one with a full history, I'd take that yacht and pay more for the peace of mind. DIY work could be verified by appending the parts invoices.
Thank you very much Sir. I have worked at sea for a long time now and do love it. I do truly enjoy your reports. Now on a salvage tug in West Africa. Last of the American.
