Application of synthetic rigging
 

On another forum, a discussion has wandered into the use of synthetic line for standing rigging and questions I can't confidently answer.

1. What issues has experience raised with sharp edges? (knives, broken bits, vandalism)

2. How well do they hold up to rope burn and chafe? How often does the jib sheet rapidly "slice" past a single spot on the standing rig while coming about in a stiff breeze?

Hi,

I've just cruised from SF to Panama over ten months with synthetic rigging, and have had no troubles with it yet. I used polyester covered Vectran to insure against chafe, but the poly still looks real new, not fuzzy. As to coming about in a stiff breeze, I so ordered my rigging that lines don't scrape on each other when doing so.
So far, HM gets my thumbs up.
Best,
Ben
Oh yes: I try to refrain from scraping at my shrouds with knives and sharp bits of glass, and vandals seem mostly to be after the outboard engine--they are not there for gratuitous damage but to get stuff.

Thank you Ben. Anyone else?

It's rope
 

Hi there,
I'm heartened when opponents to HM rigging get down to the prospect of vandals with knives, as it indicates that they have run out of rational arguments. People sailed with rope standing rigging for thousands of years, and I don't recall this being a problem. For that matter, just about all running rigging has never stopped being made of rope, and the vandals, despite this tempting target, still seem to prefer tagging subway cars.
As for chafe, please refer to the first rule of rigging.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

Thanks Brion.

My BCC Shanti just went through Hurricane Earl. During the storm Shanti was pushed into the mangroves with about 4-50kts of wind. The Dynex Dux chafed against the mangrove trees for about 3 hours. Tore up the mangrove trees but only raised a little bit of fuzz or nothing at all on the rigging.

I have more details and a photo over at http://garyfelton.com/shanti/ if your interested.

But I have extreme faith in the synthetic rigging now as far as chafe goes!

Cheers,
Gary

bears in the woods
 

Just to add some more spice:
I read on one site ( www.moonblink.info/fibres.html ) that quote "apparently bears can chew through Vectran, but not Spectra" I wonder where they got that info?
David

Just follow the link on that page. It leads to a blog about bear-proof bags for backcountry campers. Apparently the Vectran ones got chewed up pretty easily, but not the Spectra ones.

One concern that I have not seen addressed... When I built our boat, I was an ABYC member, and I "lightning grounded" the mast and rigging according to ABYC standards. In the 15 years "out there" since, I have known of dozens of boats that were hit by lightning, and several within 100' of our boat. (Talk about a sphincter factor of 10)!

If one uses non conductive rigging, does the risk of side flashes killing the occupants, go up or down? How about melting the top 1' of synthetic rigging? (I have seen melted VHFs, & tricolor lights).

Have enough boats rigged with synthetic rigging, but otherwise having a WELL grounded Aluminum mast, been hit by lightning, to see a pattern of the rig remaining intact?

In my neck of the woods, over the lifetime of the boat, it has about a 40% chance of being hit! I've just never seen it discussed...
Mark

leather
 

Fervently hoping never to get struck, I have no path to ground at all on my mast. Where the HM shrouds loop around the mast, the eyes are leathered. It is my hope that if struck, the leather will keep the heat off the lines, much like a welding glove does, until the aluminum can cool. How many of your oft-struck neighbors had halyards melt in a strike? It would be interesting to know.
Incidentally, is it possible that so many people your way get struck BECAUSE they ground their masts to ABYC standards? Two schools of thought here, but something to chew on.....