Have you had your rigging checked recently? Are you looking to buy a yacht? If so it’s very wise to consider a rigging check from a specialist rigging company. Maybe it’s just a case of not looking up, but somehow the mast and rigging seems to get forgotten by many owners or purchasers which can be an expensive and dangerous mistake.

Getting a rigging check is especially important if you are looking to buy a yacht – most surveyors only survey up as far as the chain plates. Anything above that is beyond their reach in more ways than one.
Boatshed Dartmouth office is located at Baltic Wharf Boatyard in Totnes, a full service boat yard where specialist rigging company Harris Rigging are also located. Graeme Harris was able to explain to Boatshed Dartmouth Broker, Paul Singer two examples of why rigging checks are so important.

On a recent walk around the busy yard, the first example Graeme showed Paul was the spreaders from a mast that had recently been checked over by him. The owner had heavily taped up the shroud end guides – fairly standard practice of course to protect the sails. What was forgotten was to allow any water that did get into the inside of the spreaders to be able to find a way out. As can be seen from the photograph the result was devastating with a large area of both spreaders completely eaten away by corrosion caused by salty water being trapped by the tape.

Thinking that was pretty bad Graeme then directed Paul to a really serious fault that had come to light on a Sadler when he conducted a rigging check for the wise purchaser. The mast was now removed from the yacht and in Graeme’s workshop and he showed Paul the foot of the mast where two eye guide fittings had been removed. “See all that corrosion on the floor – that’s just some of what came out when these fittings were removed,” explained Graeme. When carrying out the rigging check Graeme had noticed the corrosion around the fittings and a slight distortion of the mast section. Realising the seriousness of what he saw it was all duly removed and the real horror revealed.

As a result of insufficient zinc chromate paste, coupled with the warm and dry Mediterranean climate a massive amount of corrosion had built up between the fittings on both sides and the mast. In fact, so much so that the pressure caused by the build up of corrosion had actually been pushing the mast section inwards and deforming the section. “This would have ultimately caused the mast to fail with catastrophic and expensive results,” said Graeme. In fact because of the seriousness of this at such a critical structural point I’ve had to condemn this mast.

At Boatshed Dartmouth as well as taking up to 80 photographs of our boats we we’re here to help our owners and customers and guide them through the buying or selling process and make it as effortless as possible.
Contacts and links:

Graeme works across the UK and can be contacted on 01803 840160 Mobile 07970 712877

Link info:
Boatshed Dartmouth
Baltic Wharf Boatyard
Contact Paul Singer