Scott wrote:
Yes, it's a good idea before starting out on any long voyage to take
a few practice strokes on the rigging.

Actually that would not be such a bad idea, though it would be a lot
cheaper to try it on a piece of spare wire.
And also remember that doing it in the workshop, is not the same as
doing it on a jerky boat at night when exhausted, cold and wet and
every second might count.

When we lost the mast last year, and had to cut the wires, the guy who
cut most of the wires had to use all of his power to cut the thicker
wires, and he actually damaged a chest-muscle doing the job, though he
didn't feel it at the moment with all the adrenaline pumping.
So I think that, even though a large wire or bolt cutter is a rather
inconvenient and heavy thing to carry on a boat, one should carry one
and one shouldn't settle
for the smallest size that can cut the wire in ideal conditions.

Doug wrote:
I've tried to hacksaw 1x19 SS wire, it's a
PITA and you'd grow a long gray beard before you got the wreckage
cleared with a hacksaw... maybe one of those hi tech blades...


When changing the rigging I have used a hacksaw to cut the wires (1x19
SS), and
that worked quite well in the workshop with a vice when you have the
time, but on a boat moving about and a mast threatening to damage and
possibly hole the hull, I think a hacksaw would be next to useless.

Peter S/Y Anicula