My boat is 27 years old and like you I have little knowledge of what the
two previous owners have put her through.  I need to redo the entire mast.
Paint, wiring, spreaders, pretty much everything.  Not because anything is
giving me problems, simply because it is old and I had never had the rig
inspected.   I decided that the single most important AND vulnerable
component was the headstay.  Just like you, I was unsure if it was rod or
wire.  During the rig inspection almost everything came back as being in
safe condition.  The only "critical" comment was a "spot" on the headstay
(which turned out to be rod).

Extensive discussions with the shop brought up some important points which
ultimately led to my decision.

-Navtec recommends replacement of rod rigging every 10 years.

-This particular rigger had only ever seen 2 rod failures in his 20 or so
years of experience.

-Both failures were immediate and total with no warnings at the head.  Both
were over 10 years old and nearing 20.

-This rigger explained that a best case inspection of the rod requires
removal and even with a die penetrant the rod is no less likely to fail.

-The loss of a shroud or backstay can be addressed and is significantly
less likely to result in the loss of the mast.

-Replacing the furler rod with wire was estimated at $1400.  Replacing and
up sizing was estimated at $1600.  Replacing the furler with a new Furlex
(which would include a new wire headstay) was estimated at $4500.  My
existing furler was perfectly functional.

So all of those points being taken into consideration I elected to have the
headstay REPLACED with a size larger rod for added safety margin.  I'll
have the rest of the rig done and the mast re-fit during subsequent
seasonal maintenance windows.  For now, I'll have much more peace of mind.

Hope this info helps you make a decision.

Josh Muckley
S/V Sea Hawk
1989 C&C 37+
Solomons, MD
On Feb 1, 2016 4:18 PM, "kelly petew via CnC-List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com>
wrote:

> My 30-2 is now 25 years old [wish I was, too!!], and has rod rigging,
> except for the split backstay and probably the forestay [has a Harken
> furler on it].
> The 30-2 is a double spreader rig.
> About 2 years ago, I paid for a rigging inspection [mast stayed UP].  All
> was reported as OK.
> I have not raced the boat, nor have I sailed her "hard" over the past 12
> seasons [i.e., reef early, keep her "on her feet" in higher winds].
> However, I have no idea how the POs used the boat, but I suspect some
> racing was done.
>
> That said, I am thinking the prudent move is to have the rod rigging
> terminals "re-headed", both top and bottom terminals [I hope my use of
> terminology is accurate, and if not, at least understood].
> I would appreciate any and all feedback from this group on what
> maintenance I should consider.
> --Does this make sense to have this done when I've had no issues?
> --Can it be done without removing the mast?
> -- If I do it, should I replace the forestay?
> --What should I expect to pay roughly?
> --Can you recommend a rigger [I'm on lower Chesapeake Bay, in Deltaville,
> Va.]?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Pete W.
>
> Siren Song
> 1991 30-2
> Deltaville, Va.
>
>
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