sleeving bent boom, fasteners, rod v wire etc

[John DeLong]

Brian, thanks for your reply.

Our mast was constructed by MetalMast in Connecticut ans was OE on our Shannon 43 ketch. I don't know if it was designed for either rod or wire but the rod is original. A number of these rigs have been converted to wire but I don't know what modifications may have been required.

I'm interested in your comment on rivets v screws. The mast has a number of fittings that were riveted including the boom fitting on the main mast, the staysail sheave fitting and the spreader bases. I've heard that rivets are stronger in tension than screws but that screws are stronger in shear. The advantages of being able to regularly service the fitting (and it's sealant) is the main reason I'm interested to change over to screws (although the additional strength is a plus). But then some people argue that threads will corrode more quickly than rivets. Our experience with this spar suggests that rivets are not a problem as we pulled fittings off that are almost twenty years old with more more than 60k miles in mostly tropical waters with very little corrosion. But maybe we were just lucky!

Do you have a rigging consultancy or are you a dealer. We'd be happy to get a quote for rod and wire from competent riggers in the NE.

Best regards, John DeLong