"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
"Capt. JG"

I can get my rigger/climber for less than that ($110) , and she'll do the
work while there.


Well, if you trust her to check the swagings for cracks while she's
hanging there and maybe take a dye kit up there...

Just remember, it's really expensive when the mast comes down
unexpectedly. If it's the rigger who comes down unexpectedly, then it's
really, really expensive.

Do you have wire jib halyards? My sheaves were badly torn up by them and
would have chewed through the new rope one pretty quickly. I made an axle
out of a bolt, chucked it into a drill clamped to my workbench (this was
before I had my drill press) and cleaned them up with a round file and
sandpaper. Worked great.

Having had a friend and client die in front of his wife and children on
his birthday when a mast came down with him on it may have colored my
viewpoint a bit.

I just spent $160 to have all my standing rigging gone over. They spent
two full hours on it with it stretched out on a bench. Everything looks
good for another 2 -3 years when the recommend replacment of the whole
lot. Since I probably would have done the uppers this year without the
check, I'm money ahead. Money well spent for the peace of mind when the
water is foaming along over the toe rail.

--
Roger Long

I have rope halyards. The previous owner did the conversion, and when I had
my furler and lifelines replaced, the rigger checked everything. All the
sheaves were either new, replaced (one as I recall) or pronouced fine. They
were all lubed. So, this was purely a maintenance question. Did you take
pictures of the masthead?

My only concern at the time of purchase was some discoloration on the bottom
of the spreaders, which was due to the removal of lights. I had someone take
a look, and there was no rust, so I had the spots cleaned and painted. The
tangs also got a look, btw.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com