Jury Rig Temporary Back Stay

[Brion Toss]

Over here at Raffles boat yard , the cost of mobilizing a crane is SD $ 600.00 to pull the mast , and another SD $ 600.00 to mobilize it again to replace the mast , plus the yard fee for the storage/work space , and that amount of cash , just wasn't in the budget , this time

Yikes, they must be very proud of that crane.

Well , the job went well , probably because we followed your instructions from your prior talks and seminars , phew ! It was a "Heap of Work" , no wonder rigging costs so much .

You are too kind. It is really heartwarming to know that the talks and classes we do, which are much harder work than rigging itself, might make a difference.

Re-using the old Sta-Loks was not easy , first disassembly was tough enough , and removing the old silicon packing wasn't easy either , but the polishing and inspection was gratifying .

It's a learning curve, sometimes a steep one. With really ornery rigs, where the strands have seated extra-firmly, it is sometimes necessary to cut the wire just above the terminal, and drive out the cutoff bit with a drift punch. Did you try this?

I did use a SS pickling paste on all the SS parts before final mirror polishing , hoping that would remove any iron contamination from my tool bits .

More trouble than most take. Good for you.

Often I worried about the Gauling Problems associated with SS and threaded parts when dry fitting to form the wire ends around the wedges , have you noticed problems like this ?

Yes and hell yes. That's why we always put the Loctite on before first assembly, so it can act as a lubricant, before it acts as a glue. This is one of the biggest details missing from the instructions, which of course are incomplete in five langurages.

During cyclic loading on our 1 X 19 SS standing rigging , have you ever noticed that the Sta-Lok terminals have a tendency to un-screw , thus the reason Sta - Lok mfg recommends using Locktite on the threads ?

It is rarely a problem, but happens often enough to justify the procedure. Many riggers even use red Loctite instead of blue, especially on furler jibstays.

I also wonder if Sta - Lok should specify using Left Hand Lay , wire , as right hand lay tries to unwind a bit during the forming sequence .

One advantage of Sta-Loks is that they are less sensitive to lay direction than are Norsepersons. But left-lay is still always easier. If you get too much yarn twist, it is sometimes good to file, and even tap in the ends, before forming. If you do this, mind the filing dust, which can promote galling.

Another nagging question that is on my mind is what grade or alloy are our clevis pins , and are 304 SS cotter pins the standard to use ? The bronze pins I installed back in 1998 , have serious corrosion problems .

Bronze clevis pins should be silicon bronze or aluminum bronze, usually. Occasionally one finds manganese bronze, which is actually a brass, and that will degrade in a relative hurry. But even bronze is less noble than stainless, so it can have issues, if kept wet regularly enough. But then almost all turnbuckle barrels are bronze, on stainless studs, with no problems, so I suspect either bad metal or stray current...
Stainless clevis pins must be type 316.
Bronze cotter pins as for clevis pins. But again, immersion rules them out, as at the lower end of the bobstay.

Again Thank You , as I couldn't have had my cruising dream come true , without your advice and help , may God Bless you , " Mr knot " , as L & L have named you !

It is my great pleasure.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss