to seal or not to seal marine eyes?
 

Hello. I am a new member of SparTalk, having been referred to Brion Toss by "the professor" of the Sparkman and Stephens Swan Association discussion forum. We have a 1979 Swan 41 that we recently had re-rigged in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our question is whether or not the swage fitting, where the wire enters the marine eye on our D1 and D2 shrouds, should be sealed? Currently there is no sealant where the 5/16" wire enters the swage fitting and salt water seems to be able to accumulate in the small spaces between the sleeve and the wire. The prior rigging (original) did have sealant at the swaged joint. Navtec technicians we consulted indicated that there are two schools of thought - one recommends sealing the other does not. Nigel Calder writes that the fitting should be sealed with beeswax before saltwater gets in. We've cruised down the coast with the new rigging and so saltwater has entered the fitting. The professor has suggested experimenting with sealing with tefgel.

So our long-winded question is, should we go ahead and seal the joint where the wire enters the sleeve, or should we leave it unsealed? If it should be sealed, then with what substance? And how should we try to remove the salt and moisture that has presumably penetrated the sleeve around the wire (perhaps by rinsing with fresh water or salt away and applying gentle heat before applying the sealant?)

Any and all insights will be much appreciated.

Mark Baker (s/v Anthea)

I feel compelled to give a generic answer, as I do not have experience with the fittings in question. My generic answer is that you cannot seal anything sufficient to keep water out. To do so would require a hermetic seal and they are very difficult to make. You can seal it to keep water from getting in faster than it can get out. But if you have a little cup that has no drain in the bottom, you will just be sealing the water in. I guess that puts me one of the two categories.

Don't
 

Hello,
I'm with Allen here; water will get past whatever you apply. If it is salt water, salt will accumulate as the water vaporizes inside, over time. The only successful sealing I know is done before the swage is compressed. That way the sealant is squeezed into the wire under pressure.
The good news is that, if you sail in north-ish climates, fatigue will kill the swage before corrosion does. Probably.
Fresh water rinsing is always a good idea.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

Sealing Swages
 

Gosh , wouldn't we all like to have successful seals against stagnant salt water accumulating in the swage fittings ???

Marine surveyors say to just replace the SS wire and terminals at 10 year intervals ,,, kiss principal !

Brion always recommends , "Build In A Reserve of Neglect" ,,,,, such V Good Advice !

Even that you are considering and thinking about this problem ,is a great step ahead of most .

I use Sta-Locs , so that I can disassemble them for wire corrosion inspection when needed, but my question is how to keep the core wires inside 1 X 19 316 SS , from rusting ??? I purchase the highest quality 1 X 19 , I can find locally , here in S E Asia , but alas , the rust at the core is still there , eventhough it doesn't bleed to show or daylight !!!
Any Helpful Ideas out there ???

Details
 

Hi,
What sealant are you using? Have you tried 3M's 4000?
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

Question not directed at me, but I may offer some input anyway. I assume the 3m 4000 is a polyurethane based sealant and will stick and work well.

However, I'm also using swageless terminals (like Sta-loc) and plan to open them every couple of years or so. In which case I thought of using a butyl mastic sealant that may adhere less than polyurethane when it comes to undo the terminal, while remaining soft and flexible for many years.

Could be good
 

Hi,
That could be great; it sticks to metal really well, which is why it is often used to seal chainplates, so if it is soft enough to spread out and fill the terminal, it ought to work well there, too. Note: I like 4000 in part because it is not too tough to prevent terminal disassembly, but still sticks to metal better than, say 5200.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss