Vinyl Coated Cable, a cautionary tale

[Mark Gudschinsky]

I have The Flyer rigged with vinyl-coated cables for stays fastened with cable clamps. After two plus years the sun has turned the vinyl a nice golden hue and the constant rattling of the wind has apparently caused the cable clamps to finally cut their way through some of the vinyl.

I had The Flyer out in a solid stiff breeze racing along at her very best just off the rails of another boat. Now the other boat was larger and carried more sail but The Flyer was doing a tremendous job holding her own. I was feeling about as good as you can with the sails stretched tight and the wires singing. Suddenly a loud bang and a jerking of rigging shook The Flyer. The starboard rear stay had let go. We were still on course and sailing fine so I pressed on with only one stay. We were still neck-n-neck with the other boat and I wasn

[Charlie Jones]

Glad you decided to stop before you lost the rig.

Actually, vinyl coated wire is the pits. You can't tell if it's corroding inside the vinyl. Most saltwater sailing people with any savvy are even replacing vinyl coated lifelines with bare wire. Some of the racing groups require it in fact.

Also, IF you ARE going to use vinyl coated wire, strip the coating off where the clamps are going to sit. I've seen unstripped wires slip right out as the cable clamp, etc, simply cannot grip well with the coating on.

I suspect you were lucky that it hadn't happened before.

[Pat Mellema]

Mark

I had a simmular problem this summer. The forward shroud let go and really messed up the sail shape. I managed to get the sails down and fire up the moter and got to shore and put it back together with no problems but it sure shocked me.

[Dave R1]

Mark, glad you didn't have the mast go by the board. It's a good thing you point out. Cable clamps should be checked first for proper installation and second to make sure they are tight.

I rented a swaging tool when it was time to make my standing rigging. You still have to strip the coating off the wire but the swages are secure.

[tdrown]

I've had a similar problems with my stays, not while sailing though. This stuff does turn orange and sun rots. After you strip the bottom and run it around the thimble the best thing would be to splice it. I can't offer any advice on splicing though, that's something I still need to figure out.

[capt jake]

I used SS wire and the vinyl 'chafe' guards thet you install after the fact.

[umop_apisdn]

What is the working load of the shrouds?

Mine are currently done with 1/2" nylon rope, and I'd like to re-do them with some nicer looking low-stretch rope.

Noel

[Dave R1]

Noel, I expect you could get away with StaSet-X if you put proper eye splices in. The 9mm stuff has a tensile strength of 5500 pounds. The 6mm stuff has a tensile strength of 2700 lbs.

With proper eye splices (and smooth thimbles) instead of tied knots/hitches, the eyes will approach 100 percent of the strength of the line.

Not that it matters too much on a Weekender but wire with the same strength would be smaller in diameter and create less windage. It would also be less susceptible to chafing.

[Frank Hagan]

What is the working load of the shrouds?

Mine are currently done with 1/2" nylon rope' date=' and I'd like to re-do them with some nicer looking low-stretch rope.

Noel[/quote']

On a Weekender, I suspect its pretty low, but I've never seen an actual number. I'll bet nearly any size of the new high strength, low stretch line like Vectra would work, and would be a better choice for it than vinyl coated cable.

Traditionally, gaffers used rope for shrouds that was wormed, parceled and coated with a tar like substance (something like Stockholm Tar, IIRC). The result was almost as stiff as steel rod after years of re-application of tar.

So I think a Weekender with rope shrouds, attached with eyes around the mast instead of to a throughbolt, as shown in Rigger's Apprentice, would not only work well but would be more in keeping with the boat's appearance.

[capt jake]

I have been told that the loads are no greater than about 600#, but I have no way of verifying this. I have SS cable attached to the deadeyes and the deadeyes have 3/8 or 1/2" rope through them. Of course with three turns on the eyes, it distributes the load.

[Steve Downs]

Thanks for the info. I'm just about at that point where I'll start my rigging and getting materials together. It has been that way all along it seems. I just get ready to make a move and someone talks about it and makes a good case for doing it another way. I appreciate the forum Frank.

[Mike Pennington]

Glad to hear the mast didn't get wet Mark. I had the same thing happen with my furling jib's cabel. Lucky, I had the stock jib rigged or I would have lost the mast. Sure gave me a start when she let go.

Mike

[capt jake]

Lucky, I had the stock jib rigged or I would have lost the mast.

I have a forestay and a separate luffwire swen into my jib. I guess after reading this it's nice know I have a back up up front.

I have plans to sew a standard jib with wire also; for those stormier days.

[umop_apisdn]

Looks like 1/8" vinyl coated wire has a tensile strength of about 2000lbs.

5/16" polyester yacht braid is a bit over 3400, and comes in every color imaginable. Even allowing for a knot (I suck at splicing 12 strand rope) I think I am still ok.

Noel.

[Barry Pyeatt]

I think Capt. Jake finally had a good chance to really feel Fire Escape out last Sunday. He had about a 3-4 mile broad reach run that looked like he was tuned about as nice as it gets. Only thing missing is photos so he could see what it looked like. Mighty pretty picture.

[Stump]

But Barry, He got out of sight sooo fast, didn't get much chance to watch him!!!

[Dave R1]

Noel, don't use Yacht Braid. It has too much strecth. Use something like StaSet-X which has little or no stretch. Eye splices are easier in the ropes with stranded cores than in double braid. If you want, sent the rope to me and I'll put the eyes in it for you.

[capt jake]

Heck I have a set of fids and a Brion Toss splicing wand you can borrow. As Dave said, they aren't that hard to do, just time consuming. All of my lines have eye splices (except one that I had to change out recently).

[Dave R1]

Those splicing wands are great, aren't they Jake? I've got the small and medium sized wands. I never thought about it but I guess an eye splice takes a little longer than a knot. But, if you can get nearly 100% of the strength of the rope as compared to the 60-80% with most knots or hitches, it seems like the right way to go.

[capt jake]

I 'found' the wand after I had spliced all of the ends with the Sampson or New England set (can't remeber which I have).

You know when you go on a plane and they take away things you shouldn't have? Well, all of that 'stuff' makes it's way to the federal surplus depot in Auburn. I buy brand new Fiskars scissors for 10 cents each. I spotted the Brion Toss wand in a barrel and started looking at it. One of teh employees aked me what it was. I told him. He said since I knew what it was for (and he didn't) that I could have it! My lucky day! :)