----- Original Message -----
From: Michael
Newsgroups: alt.sailing.asa
Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2004 4:08 AM
Subject: Sailing Seminar Tips

(snipped)


3) Running Rigging - As a rule of thumb figure they will last 30,000 nm.
Cut
them at least 10' longer than normal. Then every 3,000 nm cut off a foot
and
move everything along the route, through the blocks etc, to a new sport.
(snip)

Well, I don't think that is a good idea at all.
Have you considered the nuisance value of an extra 10' or so on every piece
of running rigging
cluttering up your cockpit and deck and impeding safe movement about
the vessel?
Also, if it is wire, it is going to overfill your winch drums and I would
not trust wire that has spent a considerable time lying tightly wound on a
drum, cut off from air circulation and probably retaining damp most of the
time.
The idea of moving the wire to a new spot is also flawed. A wire that has
lain in a tight curve on a sheave until its fatigue life approaches is not
going to be reliable if you move it to a new position and expect it to
undergo a new life cycle when you subject it to stress in a straight line. I
believe in keeping all running rigging as short as possible and then you
always know where to look for signs of fatigue, as it will always be the
part that goes over the sheave.
I also have doubts as to whether miles sailed is the right criterion for
rigging replacement.
Edgar