This RIGGING INSPECTION could SAVE your MAST

A rig check is a full check of all components of the mast and rigging from the step of the mast up to the top. We're looking for signs of movement or stress, issues with split pins, etc.

A common problem is strands breaking inside the terminal when it’s crimped. You can check this by trying to insert a screw driver between the strands to see if any are loose.

The rig terminals should look homogenous without any signs of dark brown marks indicating corrosion and possibly cracks. When you press a terminal, the 2 clamps of the press leave a crimp line. It’s better only to do this once, some riggers like to re press for aesthetic reasons but this can make it weaker because you stress it too much causing it to crack .

When stainless steel interacts with oxygen it’s forms a protective layer of oxide which is the yellow you can see here. This reduces the chance of corrosion.

Timo climbs the mast on one side and comes down on the opposite side. This technique helps prevent the halyard from getting tangled with the stays and ensures nothing is missed during the inspection.

On the way down, he discovers something important, so stay tuned to learn how to identify weaknesses in the rigging and other components.

Another key part of the rig check is inspecting all electrical components, including their attachments. If these aren't properly isolated, they can cause the paint to delaminate, and if left unresolved, may lead to mast corrosion. Here by the spinnaker pole attachment Timo found some exposed aluminium which, with no primer left, so it’s not longer protected so more likely to corrode The opposite side was very good but this bolt you can see here has been tightened too much and cracked the fibre.

Next timo checks that the pulleys are spinning well and examines the attachments for the running backstays.

Finally it’s important to check the associated hardware and their attachments.

In the end, Timo found a small crack in one of the terminals, which he could feel with his cutter blade and see with a magnifying glass. Naturally, this crack is likely to worsen over time. He believes it was caused by the terminal being crimped twice, as the crack is located exactly in the middle of one the crimps.

00:00 Intro
00:52 How to attach the harness
02:50 The rig components
03:03 Beginning by checking V1 & D1
04:08 How to check if rigging strands are lose
04:27 Timo's mast climbing technique
05:17 Checking for corrosion
05:51 Inspecting electrical components
07:33 Checking more of the rig, spreaders, etc
10:50 Our drone out for its maiden voyage...
11:03 RIP drone :(
11:28 Checking more of the rig around the head of the mast, eg forestay and backstay attachments etc
13:13 Finding the crack in one of the terminals
14:00 Inspecting associated hardware and attachments
14:21 Inspecting the bottom of the backstay and chain plates
14:51 Conclusion
15:05 (Unsuccessful) Drone hunt...

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#boatrepair #boatlife #rigginginspection