Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem?

There is no need to replace your rigging unless it is stretched. You are supposed to have some flex to the rigging, it's designed to be that way to prevent catastrophic failure. Don't fix things that aren't broken, you'll have more money for important routine maintenance. Don't waste your money. Brian From: egiajack <jg… [at] melantho.com> Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:45:59 To: <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? Dyer, We have a 1984 Cal 31. Fiberglass is a flexible material, the amount of flex is proportional to its thickness. The thinner, the more flex. It's not a bad thing, even wooden boats throughout the ages have flexed. On my boat, there is lots of finishing trim around the main bulkheads, and when we are healed over, that trim squeaks away as the pull from the chainplates make things move a tiny fraction. The age of the standing rigging doesn't contribute to the noise. Jack --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com> , Dylan Crouch <dylancrouch@...> wrote: > > We plan on having our standing rigging replaced due to it's *age* not it's > condition, the condition of the rigging seems fine upon visual inspection, but > it is time in the next year or so. > > We have a deck stepped mast on a Cal 2-30 & the support under the mast is all in > good shape. > > With that said, I notice that I hear creaking in the cabin at the mast base when > we are under sail. Is this a sign of anything heinous? If that is somewhat > standard no biggie, I just figured I would throw that out there in case the > answer was "heck yes address it now rather than a couple months"... > > I have avoided asking a rigger because I do not know one in the SF Bay area well > enough not to be wondering if the answer was not motivated by someone trying to > drum up business. > > Speaking of which, anybody have suggestions on riggers in the SF Bay area? > > Thanks - > Dyer > 1969 Cal 2-30, Honu. >

On the other hand, rigging should be replaced every 10 years. If one of the fittings lets go on Papoose and my mast comes down, that is $15,000 to $20,000. Just thought I would give the opposing view. Allen On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 4:11 PM, BRIAN HESS <bh… [at] msn.com> wrote: > There is no need to replace your rigging unless it is stretched. You are > supposed to have some flex to the rigging, it's designed to be that way to > prevent catastrophic failure. > > Don't fix things that aren't broken, you'll have more money for important > routine maintenance. Don't waste your money. > > Brian > Sent from my BlackBerry® by Boost Mobile > > -----Original Message----- > From: egiajack <jg… [at] melantho.com> > Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:45:59 > To: <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> > Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? > > > > > > Dyer, > > We have a 1984 Cal 31. Fiberglass is a flexible material, the amount of > flex is proportional to its thickness. The thinner, the more flex. It's not > a bad thing, even wooden boats throughout the ages have flexed. On my boat, > there is lots of finishing trim around the main bulkheads, and when we are > healed over, that trim squeaks away as the pull from the chainplates make > things move a tiny fraction. The age of the standing rigging doesn't > contribute to the noise. > > Jack > > --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com> , > Dylan Crouch <dylancrouch@...> wrote: > > > > We plan on having our standing rigging replaced due to it's *age* not > it's > > condition, the condition of the rigging seems fine upon visual > inspection, but > > it is time in the next year or so. > > > > We have a deck stepped mast on a Cal 2-30 & the support under the mast > is all in > > good shape. > > > > With that said, I notice that I hear creaking in the cabin at the mast > base when > > we are under sail. Is this a sign of anything heinous? If that is > somewhat > > standard no biggie, I just figured I would throw that out there in case > the > > answer was "heck yes address it now rather than a couple months"... > > > > I have avoided asking a rigger because I do not know one in the SF Bay > area well > > enough not to be wondering if the answer was not motivated by someone > trying to > > drum up business. > > > > Speaking of which, anybody have suggestions on riggers in the SF Bay > area? > > > > Thanks - > > Dyer > > 1969 Cal 2-30, Honu. > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > >

We replace at least one shroud per year. We do sail hard. This year 4 required change out. I have little to go on why your mast area creaks. Use a spray bottle with soapy water to see if you can isolate the area, then investigate. Masts coming down can kill. At best are very inconvenient and expensive. Cheers, Timm Lessley (Sent from Blackberry) (503) 863-4019 From: Allen Edwards [mailto:al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com] Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 05:31 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? On the other hand, rigging should be replaced every 10 years. If one of the fittings lets go on Papoose and my mast comes down, that is $15,000 to $20,000. Just thought I would give the opposing view. Allen On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 4:11 PM, BRIAN HESS <bh… [at] msn.com<mailto:bh… [at] msn.com>> wrote: There is no need to replace your rigging unless it is stretched. You are supposed to have some flex to the rigging, it's designed to be that way to prevent catastrophic failure. Don't fix things that aren't broken, you'll have more money for important routine maintenance. Don't waste your money. Brian From: egiajack <jg… [at] melantho.com<mailto:jg… [at] melantho.com>> Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:45:59 To: <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com>> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? Dyer, We have a 1984 Cal 31. Fiberglass is a flexible material, the amount of flex is proportional to its thickness. The thinner, the more flex. It's not a bad thing, even wooden boats throughout the ages have flexed. On my boat, there is lots of finishing trim around the main bulkheads, and when we are healed over, that trim squeaks away as the pull from the chainplates make things move a tiny fraction. The age of the standing rigging doesn't contribute to the noise. Jack --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com<mailto:Cal_Boats%2540yahoogroups.com>> , Dylan Crouch <dylancrouch@...> wrote: > > We plan on having our standing rigging replaced due to it's *age* not it's > condition, the condition of the rigging seems fine upon visual inspection, but > it is time in the next year or so. > > We have a deck stepped mast on a Cal 2-30 & the support under the mast is all in > good shape. > > With that said, I notice that I hear creaking in the cabin at the mast base when > we are under sail. Is this a sign of anything heinous? If that is somewhat > standard no biggie, I just figured I would throw that out there in case the > answer was "heck yes address it now rather than a couple months"... > > I have avoided asking a rigger because I do not know one in the SF Bay area well > enough not to be wondering if the answer was not motivated by someone trying to > drum up business. > > Speaking of which, anybody have suggestions on riggers in the SF Bay area? > > Thanks - > Dyer > 1969 Cal 2-30, Honu. > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links

If you have sailed in the slot in SF Bay in the middle of summer, I think that you might agree...new standing rigging is never a waste of money. Scott 74 Cal29 From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of BRIAN HESS Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 4:12 PM To: egiajack ; Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? There is no need to replace your rigging unless it is stretched. You are supposed to have some flex to the rigging, it's designed to be that way to prevent catastrophic failure. Don't fix things that aren't broken, you'll have more money for important routine maintenance. Don't waste your money. Brian From: egiajack <jg… [at] melantho.com> Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:45:59 To: <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? Dyer, We have a 1984 Cal 31. Fiberglass is a flexible material, the amount of flex is proportional to its thickness. The thinner, the more flex. It's not a bad thing, even wooden boats throughout the ages have flexed. On my boat, there is lots of finishing trim around the main bulkheads, and when we are healed over, that trim squeaks away as the pull from the chainplates make things move a tiny fraction. The age of the standing rigging doesn't contribute to the noise. Jack --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com> , Dylan Crouch <dylancrouch@...> wrote: > > We plan on having our standing rigging replaced due to it's *age* not it's > condition, the condition of the rigging seems fine upon visual inspection, but > it is time in the next year or so. > > We have a deck stepped mast on a Cal 2-30 & the support under the mast is all in > good shape. > > With that said, I notice that I hear creaking in the cabin at the mast base when > we are under sail. Is this a sign of anything heinous? If that is somewhat > standard no biggie, I just figured I would throw that out there in case the > answer was "heck yes address it now rather than a couple months"... > > I have avoided asking a rigger because I do not know one in the SF Bay area well > enough not to be wondering if the answer was not motivated by someone trying to > drum up business. > > Speaking of which, anybody have suggestions on riggers in the SF Bay area? > > Thanks - > Dyer > 1969 Cal 2-30, Honu. > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links

Sea water penetrates swedges and causes deterioration. Hairline cracks form at the lip of the swedge and progress to the eye. Allen is right---Replace every 7 to 10 years! --- On Mon, 7/11/11, BRIAN HESS <bh… [at] msn.com> wrote: From: BRIAN HESS <bh… [at] msn.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? To: "egiajack " <jg… [at] melantho.com>, "Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com " <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Date: Monday, July 11, 2011, 4:11 PM There is no need to replace your rigging unless it is stretched. You are supposed to have some flex to the rigging, it's designed to be that way to prevent catastrophic failure. Don't fix things that aren't broken, you'll have more money for important routine maintenance. Don't waste your money. Brian From: egiajack <jg… [at] melantho.com> Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:45:59 To: <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? Dyer, We have a 1984 Cal 31. Fiberglass is a flexible material, the amount of flex is proportional to its thickness. The thinner, the more flex. It's not a bad thing, even wooden boats throughout the ages have flexed. On my boat, there is lots of finishing trim around the main bulkheads, and when we are healed over, that trim squeaks away as the pull from the chainplates make things move a tiny fraction. The age of the standing rigging doesn't contribute to the noise. Jack --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com> , Dylan Crouch <dylancrouch@...> wrote: > > We plan on having our standing rigging replaced due to it's *age* not it's > condition, the condition of the rigging seems fine upon visual inspection, but > it is time in the next year or so. > > We have a deck stepped mast on a Cal 2-30 & the support under the mast is all in > good shape. > > With that said, I notice that I hear creaking in the cabin at the mast base when > we are under sail. Is this a sign of anything heinous? If that is somewhat > standard no biggie, I just figured I would throw that out there in case the > answer was "heck yes address it now rather than a couple months"... > > I have avoided asking a rigger because I do not know one in the SF Bay area well > enough not to be wondering if the answer was not motivated by someone trying to > drum up business. > > Speaking of which, anybody have suggestions on riggers in the SF Bay area? > > Thanks - > Dyer > 1969 Cal 2-30, Honu. > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links

I've been trying to remember to flush my swedges with fresh water every once and a while, can't hurt. The most important thing is to inspect them for cracks and bulges. I had an aluminum tang that holds my forestay fail (fracture and break where the hole goes thru it) at the top of my mast, and of course, that would drop the forestay even if it were brand new. The repair was to sandwich a pair of new tangs to the higher up hole used to hold the spinnaker block, using 1/8" X 3/4" aluminum bar and a bolt. So far so good. Isn't there a solution you can use to expose cracks in metal? Jerry From: mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 8:48 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? Sea water penetrates swedges and causes deterioration. Hairline cracks form at the lip of the swedge and progress to the eye. Allen is right---Replace every 7 to 10 years! --- On Mon, 7/11/11, BRIAN HESS <bh… [at] msn.com> wrote: >From: BRIAN HESS <bh… [at] msn.com> >Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? >To: "egiajack " <jg… [at] melantho.com>, "Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com " <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> >Date: Monday, July 11, 2011, 4:11 PM > > >There is no need to replace your rigging unless it is stretched. You are supposed to have some flex to the rigging, it's designed to be that way to prevent catastrophic failure. > >Don't fix things that aren't broken, you'll have more money for important routine maintenance. Don't waste your money. > >Brian >Sent from my BlackBerry® by Boost Mobile > >-----Original Message----- >From: egiajack <jg… [at] melantho.com> >Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:45:59 >To: <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> >Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? > > > > > >Dyer, > >We have a 1984 Cal 31. Fiberglass is a flexible material, the amount of flex is proportional to its thickness. The thinner, the more flex. It's not a bad thing, even wooden boats throughout the ages have flexed. On my boat, there is lots of finishing trim around the main bulkheads, and when we are healed over, that trim squeaks away as the pull from the chainplates make things move a tiny fraction. The age of the standing rigging doesn't contribute to the noise. > >Jack > >--- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com> , Dylan Crouch <dylancrouch@...> wrote: >> >> We plan on having our standing rigging replaced due to it's *age* not it's >> condition, the condition of the rigging seems fine upon visual inspection, but >> it is time in the next year or so. >> >> We have a deck stepped mast on a Cal 2-30 & the support under the mast is all in >> good shape. >> >> With that said, I notice that I hear creaking in the cabin at the mast base when >> we are under sail. Is this a sign of anything heinous? If that is somewhat >> standard no biggie, I just figured I would throw that out there in case the >> answer was "heck yes address it now rather than a couple months"... >> >> I have avoided asking a rigger because I do not know one in the SF Bay area well >> enough not to be wondering if the answer was not motivated by someone trying to >> drum up business. >> >> Speaking of which, anybody have suggestions on riggers in the SF Bay area? >> >> Thanks - >> Dyer >> 1969 Cal 2-30, Honu. >> > > > > > >------------------------------------ > >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > >

Yes Jerry there is, You can use dye or x ray. However you will see or feel cracks with your fingernail when you run your finger around the swedge. The area where the wire leaves the swedge should be closely inspected for deterioration, broken strands, corrosion. If the wire has been sailed with no tension as when we release the backstay a lot for downwind resulting in the forestay flopping around and stressing the forestay wire at the swedge, broken wire strands will result. I lost a Cal 20 mast on Rambler in 2010 as a result of this practice. I no longer release the backstay so much that the forestay flops around! My Best, Mike --- On Tue, 7/12/11, Gerald Sobel <so… [at] yahoo.com> wrote: From: Gerald Sobel <so… [at] yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? To: "Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com" <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 1:10 AM I've been trying to remember to flush my swedges with fresh water every once and a while, can't hurt. The most important thing is to inspect them for cracks and bulges. I had an aluminum tang that holds my forestay fail (fracture and break where the hole goes thru it) at the top of my mast, and of course, that would drop the forestay even if it were brand new. The repair was to sandwich a pair of new tangs to the higher up hole used to hold the spinnaker block, using 1/8" X 3/4" aluminum bar and a bolt. So far so good. Isn't there a solution you can use to expose cracks in metal? Jerry From: mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 8:48 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? Sea water penetrates swedges and causes deterioration. Hairline cracks form at the lip of the swedge and progress to the eye. Allen is right---Replace every 7 to 10 years! --- On Mon, 7/11/11, BRIAN HESS <bh… [at] msn.com> wrote: From: BRIAN HESS <bh… [at] msn.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? To: "egiajack " <jg… [at] melantho.com>, "Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com " <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Date: Monday, July 11, 2011, 4:11 PM There is no need to replace your rigging unless it is stretched. You are supposed to have some flex to the rigging, it's designed to be that way to prevent catastrophic failure. Don't fix things that aren't broken, you'll have more money for important routine maintenance. Don't waste your money. Brian From: egiajack <jg… [at] melantho.com> Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:45:59 To: <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? Dyer, We have a 1984 Cal 31. Fiberglass is a flexible material, the amount of flex is proportional to its thickness. The thinner, the more flex. It's not a bad thing, even wooden boats throughout the ages have flexed. On my boat, there is lots of finishing trim around the main bulkheads, and when we are healed over, that trim squeaks away as the pull from the chainplates make things move a tiny fraction. The age of the standing rigging doesn't contribute to the noise. Jack --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com> , Dylan Crouch <dylancrouch@...> wrote: > > We plan on having our standing rigging replaced due to it's *age* not it's > condition, the condition of the rigging seems fine upon visual inspection, but > it is time in the next year or so. > > We have a deck stepped mast on a Cal 2-30 & the support under the mast is all in > good shape. > > With that said, I notice that I hear creaking in the cabin at the mast base when > we are under sail. Is this a sign of anything heinous? If that is somewhat > standard no biggie, I just figured I would throw that out there in case the > answer was "heck yes address it now rather than a couple months"... > > I have avoided asking a rigger because I do not know one in the SF Bay area well > enough not to be wondering if the answer was not motivated by someone trying to > drum up business. > > Speaking of which, anybody have suggestions on riggers in the SF Bay area? > > Thanks - > Dyer > 1969 Cal 2-30, Honu. > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links

On 7/11/2011 7:31 PM, Allen Edwards wrote: > > On the other hand, rigging should be replaced every 10 years. If one > of the fittings lets go on Papoose and my mast comes down, that is > $15,000 to $20,000. Just thought I would give the opposing view. > I'm with you, Allen, except in terms of frequency. Only a decade? Ouch! But my boats are in fresh water and also are only in the water half of the year. Chris Campbell > >

Ruined Main $5,000 Ruined Genoa $6,000 Ruined rig $40,000 Injured sailor $500,000 Money saved not replacing shrouds, $1,000 [cid:image001.jpg@01CC4064.F9DD02E0] From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 6:22 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? On 7/11/2011 7:31 PM, Allen Edwards wrote: On the other hand, rigging should be replaced every 10 years. If one of the fittings lets go on Papoose and my mast comes down, that is $15,000 to $20,000. Just thought I would give the opposing view. I'm with you, Allen, except in terms of frequency. Only a decade? Ouch! But my boats are in fresh water and also are only in the water half of the year. Chris Campbell

Capt. dEmO, This boat looks pretty new, so what actually failed? It looks pretty good even with its rig down. Very Goth! Jerry From: "ti… [at] ch2m.com" <ti… [at] ch2m.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 7:26 AM Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? Ruined Main $5,000 Ruined Genoa $6,000 Ruined rig $40,000 Injured sailor $500,000 Money saved not replacing shrouds, $1,000 From:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 6:22 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? On 7/11/2011 7:31 PM, Allen Edwards wrote: >On the other hand, rigging should be replaced every 10 years. If one of the fittings lets go on Papoose and my mast comes down, that is $15,000 to $20,000. Just thought I would give the opposing view. I'm with you, Allen, except in terms of frequency. Only a decade? Ouch! But my boats are in fresh water and also are only in the water half of the year. Chris Campbell

WTF!!! I concur, My Best, MIKE --- On Tue, 7/12/11, ti… [at] ch2m.com <ti… [at] ch2m.com> wrote: From: ti… [at] ch2m.com <ti… [at] ch2m.com> Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 7:26 AM Ruined Main $5,000 Ruined Genoa $6,000 Ruined rig $40,000 Injured sailor $500,000 Money saved not replacing shrouds, $1,000 From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 6:22 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? On 7/11/2011 7:31 PM, Allen Edwards wrote: On the other hand, rigging should be replaced every 10 years. If one of the fittings lets go on Papoose and my mast comes down, that is $15,000 to $20,000. Just thought I would give the opposing view. I'm with you, Allen, except in terms of frequency. Only a decade? Ouch! But my boats are in fresh water and also are only in the water half of the year. Chris Campbell

Timm, I agree with your thoughts, but the photo does not quite fit. Looks like one of those boats built as thin as possible in as many places as possible including standing rigging. Not sure I'd get on that boat when everything is brand new. I once had a chance to get up close and personal with one of the Volvo round the world boats (70 ft?) at a dock in Annapolis. Wasn't much there. All the rig hardware looked way too small. Kinda scary. One last item. When looking for shroud fish-hooks (a shroud far on the road to failure), use a glove or something. You can really get cut up on those babies. Maybe run a rag along it and see if it snags. Cheers Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of ti… [at] ch2m.com Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 10:26 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? Ruined Main $5,000 Ruined Genoa $6,000 Ruined rig $40,000 Injured sailor $500,000 Money saved not replacing shrouds, $1,000 [cid:283380223@12072011-074F] From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 6:22 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: Creaking Mast - Problem? On 7/11/2011 7:31 PM, Allen Edwards wrote: On the other hand, rigging should be replaced every 10 years. If one of the fittings lets go on Papoose and my mast comes down, that is $15,000 to $20,000. Just thought I would give the opposing view. I'm with you, Allen, except in terms of frequency. Only a decade? Ouch! But my boats are in fresh water and also are only in the water half of the year. Chris Campbell

In a message dated 7/12/2011 7:09:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, hu… [at] bah.com writes: Timm, I agree with your thoughts, but the photo does not quite fit. Looks like one of those boats built as thin as possible in as many places as possible including standing rigging. Not sure I'd get on that boat when everything is brand new. I once had a chance to get up close and personal with one of the Volvo round the world boats (70 ft?) at a dock in Annapolis. Wasn't much there. All the rig hardware looked way too small. Kinda scary. Charlie - I saw an interview with Olaf Harken and he was talking about the specs for those boats and how demanding they (the designers/owners) were about everything being designed to a certain breaking point and not bit over it to keep the weight down. If you go to _www.vor.com_ (http://www.vor.com) and look at the videos of what these boats go thru, they are amazingly strong. That said, you gotta have some serious kahunas to sail them the way they do but in my book they are the real boats/sailors as they play whatever cards are dealt to them. None of this "oh my, the wind is over 17kts we can't race today crap. They can keep the Americas Cup and all their political BS. One last item. When looking for shroud fish-hooks (a shroud far on the road to failure), use a glove or something. You can really get cut up on those babies. Maybe run a rag along it and see if it snags. We call'em meat hooks. One reason why I like rod rigging although apparently there is no warning before it fails. Paul

I really think that rigging should be replaced well before you get meat hooks unless you are talking about a Cal-20 and the wire is way oversize for the loads involved. As I understand it, rigging fails when the fitting breaks and the wire comes out. If the wire itself is failing, wow! Allen On Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 4:17 PM, <pw… [at] aol.com> wrote: > ** > > > In a message dated 7/12/2011 7:09:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > hu… [at] bah.com writes: > > Timm, I agree with your thoughts, but the photo does not quite fit. Looks > like one of those boats built as thin as possible in as many places as > possible including standing rigging. Not sure I'd get on that boat when > everything is brand new. > > I once had a chance to get up close and personal with one of the Volvo > round the world boats (70 ft?) at a dock in Annapolis. Wasn't much there. > All the rig hardware looked way too small. Kinda scary. > > *Charlie - * > ** > *I saw an interview with Olaf Harken and he was talking about the specs > for those boats and how demanding they (the designers/owners) were about > everything being designed to a certain breaking point and not bit over it to > keep the weight down. If you go to **www.vor.com* <http://www.vor.com>*and look at the videos of what these boats go thru, they are amazingly > strong. That said, you gotta have some serious kahunas to sail them the way > they do but in my book they are the real boats/sailors as they play whatever > cards are dealt to them. None of this "oh my, the wind is over 17kts we > can't race today crap. They can keep the Americas Cup and all their > political BS.* > > > > > One last item. When looking for shroud fish-hooks (a shroud far on the > road to failure), use a glove or something. You can really get cut up on > those babies. Maybe run a rag along it and see if it snags. > > *We call'em meat hooks. One reason why I like rod rigging although > apparently there is no warning before it fails.* > ** > *Paul* > > > >

On 7/12/2011 7:09 PM, Husar, Charlie [USA] (ASE) wrote: > > Timm, I agree with your thoughts, but the photo does not quite fit. > Looks like one of those boats built as thin as possible in as many > places as possible including standing rigging. Not sure I'd get on > that boat when everything is brand new. > I once had a chance to get up close and personal with one of the Volvo > round the world boats (70 ft?) at a dock in Annapolis. Wasn't much > there. All the rig hardware looked way too small. Kinda scary. > On the other hand, this reminds us of why our Cals qualify as "good boats." Last night we had a good north wind here. That's the direction that rolls waves right down our Bay. I rode the bike down to the mooring but almost didn't go out because it was grey of sky and a bit cool, and the wind seemed to be building. But I rowed out and it wasn't too bad, so I decided to try a short sail. The first question was full main and storm jib, or reefed main and working jib? I decided to reef mostly because I hadn't reefed this summer. Perfect choice. Once I got past the Interlake fleet that was racing in the worst possible location and got my jib up, ol' Cal 20 #1220 just flew along. I had not brought the GPS or the anemometer so I can't report wind speed or boat speed, but we must have been doing hull speed most of the time despite waves in the 2'-3' range. Whee. There were only 5 other yachts out, plus the tourist schooner and party catamaran, and all the other sailboats had crews of three or more. On my boat there was just me, with wet feet from outboard-well burble and damp t-shirt from banging into the occasional big one. The Cal 20 was happy with reefed main and full jib. Helm pressure was not bad except when I had the main overtrimmed. She hove-to comfortably when I needed to stop & adjust the outhaul. She stayed on her feet but had enough power to maintain good boat speed in the waves. The thought that kept recurring was "this is a really good boat.... Thank you, Mr. Lapworth!" Everything was just right and nothing was breaking. That's a good boat. Chris Campbell

On 7/13/2011 1:05 AM, Allen Edwards wrote: > > I really think that rigging should be replaced well before you get > meat hooks unless you are talking about a Cal-20 and the wire is way > oversize for the loads involved. > My Cal 20 rigging problem was the backstay, which is /under /sized and prone to breakage. On mine, the wire was failing (strands breaking) Steve Seal sells a larger-diameter wire with the proper terminals. And the spreader brackets were /under/ sized, leading to breakage. Chris Campbell