How to look after your rigging

Rig inspections are essential to maintaining your sailing yacht's overall safety and performance. Rig failures can be costly, dangerous to your crew and may cause damage to your boat and others. Still, by identifying weak spots and having the rig professionally repaired before it breaks, mast failure can usually be avoided. Most yacht insurance policies also require that your rigging is in a fit and seaworthy condition, so it's essential to ensure your mast and standing rigging are safe and secure at all times.

Split Pins and Rings

Check that there aren’t any split pins or rings missing. All split pins should be open at a 20-degree angle and split rings should be tightly coiled to prevent movement.

Optimum split pin opening angle 20O ►

We recommend that a professional rigger checks all of your rigging periodically. But here are a few things you can check yourself every time you go sailing to help prevent problems. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it covers a few of the basics. Always seek professional advice should you uncover any concerns.

Shackles

All shackles should be seized and locked to prevent the bolts from unwinding. Seizing wire or cable ties can be used to secure the shackle.

Wire Rigging

Check all wire rigging for signs of wear and breakages. If a strand is broken or missing, this can seriously undermine the strength and integrity of your rigging and may lead to failure.

Guard Wires

If guard wires are bent, kinked or frayed in any way, they should be replaced to prevent failure.

Book a Rig Check

Get your boat ready for this season with a professional rig check. Even if you haven't done much sailing or your boat has been sat ashore, movement from the wind and waves can cause fractures in the terminals over time.