I got caught offshore in a squall that caught me by surprise , it blew up to 40 knots really quickly , and I had a full main and headsail up. As we were scrambling to get some sail down, I looked up at the mast , it was tilted forward, with no backstay, no vang on, the full main pinned against the spreaders, and a full headsail and running with the wind I was just waiting for the rig to go.
Two things sprang to mind at the time when everything seemingly had gone to poo in mere moments:
-I just had the mast stepped and tensioned by a guru , and:
-I'd gone over every inch of the rig learning how it all went together, so I could visualise every component.
This gave me a massive confidence boost and with a clear mind we got sails off her calmly and without injury to anyone. Panic or being frozen through fear offshore is to be avoided like the plague.
If you plan on going offshore a lot SS, I'll respectfully change my opinion. Pull the rig , having it down and spending time checking every facet will pay for itself a hundred times over.
Good luck regardless of what/how you do!
You cannot see whether SS rigging is ok by looking at it. Even crack testing won't help as any rigger (or me as I have a couple of old turnbuckles and swage fittings with broken wires) will show you that most wires fail inside the swage.
While a very experienced person might be able to rerig their yacht to a high standard, it isn't in my view a suitable job for an inexperienced amateur.
MB is currently being rerigged by Joe Walsh. The quote is $6,800. It will cost me a bit more as the tabernacle had to be removed by the chippies and we need a sparkie to finish installing the new wind instrument.
The mast came out, all the sheaves have been drilled out and replaced. The paint has been stripped off which allows a good check of any damage. It won't be repainted but finished in an oil finish.
The chain plates have been removed and new ones fabricated. All the wire and turnbuckles etc are replaced. The tabernacle has been removed, blasted and rebuilt with new sheaves. A rig survey report will come with it.
All for about $7,000, every 10-12 years.
DrRog, Havefun and I can sleep easily on our Lord Howe trip.
That's good mb. I think 7k for all that is reasonable. Its like a new engine! I will do the same next year.
Select to expand quoteMorningBird said..
You cannot see whether SS rigging is ok by looking at it. Even crack testing won't help as any rigger (or me as I have a couple of old turnbuckles and swage fittings with broken wires) will show you that most wires fail inside the swage.
While a very experienced person might be able to rerig their yacht to a high standard, it isn't in my view a suitable job for an inexperienced amateur.
MB is currently being rerigged by Joe Walsh. The quote is $6,800. It will cost me a bit more as the tabernacle had to be removed by the chippies and we need a sparkie to finish installing the new wind instrument.
The mast came out, all the sheaves have been drilled out and replaced. The paint has been stripped off which allows a good check of any damage. It won't be repainted but finished in an oil finish.
The chain plates have been removed and new ones fabricated. All the wire and turnbuckles etc are replaced. The tabernacle has been removed, blasted and rebuilt with new sheaves. A rig survey report will come with it.
All for about $7,000, every 10-12 years.
DrRog, Havefun and I can sleep easily on our Lord Howe trip.
Can we have details on this oil finish please?
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
That's good mb. I think 7k for all that is reasonable. Its like a new engine! I will do the same next year.
I have dropped the mast on my previous boat, M&W26 which is about the same size as a Tophat using the same system as in the video above. I did the job by myself on the mooring and with a single spreader rig it is surprisingly easy. With the props secured well fore and aft the whole unit is easily managed.
I have dropped the rig on my 31' boat using the main halyard from a 38' boat rafted alongside. surprisingly easy. just attach the halyard about 1/3 the way down the mast, take up some weight, pop all the clevis pins and lay it down. same method used to step the mast as well.
I then got a rigger to supply all new fittings, checked all spreaders, replaced some sheaves and all electrics - all done in less than a week.
take plenty of photos and keep receipts for parts replaced and provide these to your insurer.
I also replaced the rig on my 40' boat but left the rig standing - removed 1/2 the rig, got replacements fabricated and installed using mast steps and bosuns chair.
If you have some mechanical aptitude, then doing your own repairs great - if you have repaired motors then you definitely belong to that category. don't be scared to ask for assistance where you are not sure - this forum, another experienced sailor or a rigger can help enormously.
The two things you can't do without at sea are your rig and rudder. You can't spend too much on these.
Rigtech at the Alfreds are very professional and very expensive.
I would vote for Joe Walsh. You take the boat there and help/learn. He tries to keep his overheads down and his prices fair.
Since the mast is deck stepped, it wouldn't be too hard to drop it yourself using one of the several methods suggested.
One more method I've used is to find a high wharf in a quiet bay, tie the boat well alongside at low tide and with the help of say 3 mates lift the rig up and lower it onto your pulpits that have timber bearers lashed horizontally onto them.. Since the rig is deck stepped and therefore probably around 26 feet, you may be able to borrow a boat trailer and take it home. If you do it this way you'll get a slow but useful lesson in refitting a rig as well as keeping the costs down.
Really if you are thinking of sailing offshore, and Baker built boats are solid then I'd pull the rig and do everything. There is nothing like the feeling of a super low friction halyard too.
I will pull the rig. Bit scared to do it so im really gonna have to nut it out. I called the owner who sold it to the guy i bought it from today. Managed to get his number. He replaced all turn buckles and swages 4 years ago. The owners before him(who bought the boat new and travelled to asia in her) put all the current stays and chain plates on 6 years ago. They over rigged her with 6.5mm stays. Ive still got more questions for him but he said i could call him tonight as he was at work.
I'll get a photo and details when I am next over at Joe's. Essentially strip all the paint off and apply a product I know nothing about that provides a clear (ish) finish over the aluminium. It looks good (not as good as a new white paint finish) but saved me $4000 for a mast and boom paint job. It also means as the mast paint ages you don't get covered in white paint going up the mast.
Your comment above about doing it yourself, you are a very experienced sailor and few have your skill set. Where I go, and with my experience level, I want it done professionally. My mast is also heavy and I reckon would be hard to control. I helped Joe lift it out and it required 3 or 4 of us to get it done and control the mast.
