Understanding rigging failure + HOW TO PREVENT IT

Nick Cook from Technical Marine Supplies (TMS) explains what affects rigging lifespan and what to look out for

- Nick Cook

Most sailors will probably have seen or experienced a stranded wire, or a failed swage, or the catastrophic results that a failure of a single rigging part can lead to. There are many reasons for these failures, and this article will outline the most common.

It's unfortunately not correct to assume that stainless steel rigging will go on forever. Your rigging should be seen as a consumable item on a boat, much like antifouling or sails. Its lifespan will be dependent on the type, distance, and frequency of use.

This is not limited to just sailing miles, either. The standing rigging is still working when the boat is sat on a mooring, or even when ashore in a cradle.

In fact, the only time the lifespan clock stops ticking is when the mast is unstepped. At all other times, the clock is ticking, but simply at different rates. For instance, the clock ticks faster on a boat on an exposed mooring than on a boat in a protected, sheltered marina berth. As such, it is impossible to simply say standing rigging lasts 10 years, as every boat will experience different levels of use. Some rigging should be changed after as little as five years.

As a material, there are also many different grades of stainless steel and not all manufacturers use the same types or quality of raw material to make their products. Stainless steel is an alloy, and the different quantities of the base elements mean different types of stainless steel. Most manufacturers will choose a grade with a high enough chromium level to provide good corrosion resistance, but this will affect other properties and the potential strength of the material.

Some stainless steel is good to machine, some is better to forge or cast, so choices are made depending on what product is being made.