Rigging cutter question
 

I'm locked out of my boat and have to cut the small pad lock off the
companionway.

If I invest in a bolt cutter, will it be useful as emergency gear in
case of a dismasting or do I need a different tool to cut S.S. rigging
wire quickly?

--

Roger Long

In "Roger Long" writes:

I'm locked out of my boat and have to cut the small pad lock off the
companionway.

If I invest in a bolt cutter, will it be useful as emergency gear in
case of a dismasting or do I need a different tool to cut S.S. rigging
wire quickly?

If the cutter is good enough for the padlock it will cut the ss-wire
aswell. I would expect the padlock to be hardened so that it is tougher
and if you buy the cheapest bolt cutter you might get a dent in the
blades of the cutters while cutting the padlock.

- Lauri Tarkkonen

The situation now is you have to get inside your boat.
First borrow a good bolt cutter and get a hacksaw with a bi - metal blade.
I do not know the type of padlock you have. Usually on boat they are not
very big and are preferably made out of brass. If the bolt cutter does not
cut through you will have to finish off the job with the bi - metal blade.


As for your question is" If I invest in a bolt cutter, will it be useful
as emergency gear in case of a dismasting or do I need a different tool to
cut S.S. rigging
wire quickly?"

A good bolt cutter may do the job?? To cut the rigging quickly on a
dismasted boat a special tool loaded with a 22 Caliber round is the best
device to use. That's what the around the world racers are carrying.
Other cutting tool maybe available.







"Lauri Tarkkonen" wrote in message
...
In "Roger Long"
writes:

I'm locked out of my boat and have to cut the small pad lock off the
companionway.

If I invest in a bolt cutter, will it be useful as emergency gear in
case of a dismasting or do I need a different tool to cut S.S. rigging
wire quickly?

If the cutter is good enough for the padlock it will cut the ss-wire
aswell. I would expect the padlock to be hardened so that it is tougher
and if you buy the cheapest bolt cutter you might get a dent in the
blades of the cutters while cutting the padlock.

- Lauri Tarkkonen

The other repliers to date have brought an interesting question:

I have both the bolt cutter (came with the boat) and cable cutter (bought
because it wasn't on the boat), 24" handles. Having already bought the
cable cutter, I don't know if I'd buy the other, but...

How much are the explosive cutters, and where does one find them?

L8R

Skip, not yet ready to hit the refit again, but champing at the bit

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

In "Skip Gundlach" writes:

The other repliers to date have brought an interesting question:

I have both the bolt cutter (came with the boat) and cable cutter (bought
because it wasn't on the boat), 24" handles. Having already bought the
cable cutter, I don't know if I'd buy the other, but...

How much are the explosive cutters, and where does one find them?

You mean really explosive?

- Lauri Tarkkonen

L8R

Skip, not yet ready to hit the refit again, but champing at the bit

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

One of the most popular Sail Rigging shop in Eastern Canada are using the
Felco cutter every day.
They have to be selected to the right size of cable to be cut.
Check the following site for more information.
http://www.felco.ch/fr/produits/Gamme.asp?IdGamme=1
I just finish talking to the manager of this rigging shop and he stated that
Felco cutter are used every day. They will cut fine as long as you have the
correct size to match the cable to be cut.
In a workshop environment Felco cutters work fine. Having been dismasted
once the manager stated that after having survived a storm you seldom have
enough strength to use a Felco cutter. A good hacksaw with a high quality
blade works as good.
I myself prefer the B- Metal saw blade.


"Lauri Tarkkonen" wrote in message
...
In "Skip Gundlach"
writes:

The other repliers to date have brought an interesting question:

I have both the bolt cutter (came with the boat) and cable cutter (bought
because it wasn't on the boat), 24" handles. Having already bought the
cable cutter, I don't know if I'd buy the other, but...

How much are the explosive cutters, and where does one find them?

You mean really explosive?

- Lauri Tarkkonen

L8R

Skip, not yet ready to hit the refit again, but champing at the bit

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

In "Denis Marier" writes:

One of the most popular Sail Rigging shop in Eastern Canada are using the
Felco cutter every day.
They have to be selected to the right size of cable to be cut.
Check the following site for more information.
http://www.felco.ch/fr/produits/Gamme.asp?IdGamme=1
I just finish talking to the manager of this rigging shop and he stated that
Felco cutter are used every day. They will cut fine as long as you have the
correct size to match the cable to be cut.
In a workshop environment Felco cutters work fine. Having been dismasted
once the manager stated that after having survived a storm you seldom have
enough strength to use a Felco cutter. A good hacksaw with a high quality
blade works as good.
I myself prefer the B- Metal saw blade.

Havin experienced one dismasting and having to get rid of the mast
before it came throught the hull because in the waves the mast with the
sail and boat seemed to live separate lives with desire to meet once a
while, I would say that a hacksaw is very slow device. I have about 30
inches long tongs for pressing "nicro sleewes" for wires, with cutting
jaws as well. Besides I am quite a positive you need a bunch of blades
for your hacksaw before you have some five or six wires cut apart,
because when you have it half a way done, it is very easy to crack a
piece of the blade or break it completely.

- Lauri Tarkkonen

In Red Cloud© writes:

On 14 Sep 2005 16:43:32 GMT, (Lauri Tarkkonen)
wrote:

In "Skip Gundlach" writes:

The other repliers to date have brought an interesting question:

I have both the bolt cutter (came with the boat) and cable cutter (bought
because it wasn't on the boat), 24" handles. Having already bought the
cable cutter, I don't know if I'd buy the other, but...

How much are the explosive cutters, and where does one find them?

You mean really explosive?


Yep! They use a SQUIB for power. Sort of like a blank cartridge from a
starters pistol. The firing of the SQUIB drives the cutter. Goes
through a shroud as fast as you can pull a trigger without using any
great amount of physical strength. If you can load and fire a small
rifle, you can do this, even hanging over the side of a boat using one
arm.

I've seen them advertised in the classifieds and small display ads in
the backs of major sailing magazines.

Thanks, I was curious, because I have seen some reference to these
things very long time ago, and I assumed they were forgotten. I have
been using a "nailing" gun, that shoots the nail or bolt through a steel
baar and into hard concrete and thought that a similar idea could be
used for powerfull cutting device. But looks like not too many have been
available because you were enquiring about them.

Anyway, I have experience of some 30 inch long cutters that work very
well and the power needed is not excessive.

- Lauri Tarkkonen

I have used my ACE HArdware bolt cutter to cut off locks, to cut bolts,
and to cut 1X19 shrouds. It works for me. If you have a choce, buy
the better one.

What size did you buy?

I bought a 24 inch one. It went through the lock so easily I felt
silly and regretted not going smaller. OTOH, the S.S. shrouds will be
a lot tougher if I ever have to cut them. I also bought larger,
better, locks so the cost of the cutter won't be wasted the next time
I lock myself out:)

Actually, I did stow the cutter inside the boat but I also had a half
dozen keys made for the new locks. I'll keep one in my wallet and one
in my car.

--

Roger Long



wrote in message
oups.com...
I have used my ACE HArdware bolt cutter to cut off locks, to cut
bolts,
and to cut 1X19 shrouds. It works for me. If you have a choce, buy
the better one.

Interesting, I tried to rent one when I lost my key to the outboard padlock.
They wouldn't rent it to cut off a lock, said destroys the cutting edges. I
ended up using a cutting wheel on an angle grinder.


"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
What size did you buy?

I bought a 24 inch one. It went through the lock so easily I felt silly
and regretted not going smaller. OTOH, the S.S. shrouds will be a lot
tougher if I ever have to cut them. I also bought larger, better, locks
so the cost of the cutter won't be wasted the next time I lock myself
out:)

Actually, I did stow the cutter inside the boat but I also had a half
dozen keys made for the new locks. I'll keep one in my wallet and one in
my car.

--

Roger Long



wrote in message
oups.com...
I have used my ACE HArdware bolt cutter to cut off locks, to cut bolts,
and to cut 1X19 shrouds. It works for me. If you have a choce, buy
the better one.

"Red Cloud®" wrote Padlocks on a hatch only
keep honest people honest and very young kids out of trouble...

For sure. The real purpose of the lock is to force someone breaking
in to leave some immediate evidence so that, if someone from the
marina happens by, he can't say something like, "It's my cousin's boat
and he asked me to pick up the widget." It also raises the ante if he
gets caught from entering to breaking and entering. The police are
more likely to pursue it if they get a B&E to put on their body count
than someone just going into an unlocked boat.

If someone really wants to get in, they'll just beat in the plastic
hatch which would cost me more than much of what they could steal.
From the theft standpoint, there probably isn't any point in locking
it at all.

OTOH, homeless people and other odd characters do get in the marina
occasionally. They'll generally bypass a locked boat.

Mostly, the lock just makes me feel good when I open it up. It's a
basic, primal, thing and assures me that I won't find any unpleasant
surprises inside.

--

Roger Long

"Red Cloud®" wrote

I'm pretty sure that's what I was saying.

Yup, it is. I just can never help embroidering. If I didn't like the
sound of my keys clacking, I wouldn't be he)

I would be careful about characterizing homeless or "odd" people as
generally dishonest.

I don't want even the honest ones tempted to sleep on my boat.

From what I've seen of the rich in a life devoted to very expensive
things like boats, I'm sure the distribution of honesty is fairly
constant across income levels.

--

Roger Long

I know it's not what you were asking, but my experience is that it's much
easier to cut a brass padlock body in two with a hacksaw than it is to cut a
hardened steel shackle.

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I'm locked out of my boat and have to cut the small pad lock off the
companionway.

If I invest in a bolt cutter, will it be useful as emergency gear in case
of a dismasting or do I need a different tool to cut S.S. rigging wire
quickly?

--

Roger Long

Roger Long wrote:
What size did you buy?

I bought a 24 inch one. It went through the lock so easily I felt
silly and regretted not going smaller. OTOH, the S.S. shrouds will be
a lot tougher if I ever have to cut them. I also bought larger,
better, locks so the cost of the cutter won't be wasted the next time
I lock myself out:)

Actually, I did stow the cutter inside the boat but I also had a half
dozen keys made for the new locks. I'll keep one in my wallet and one
in my car.


Did you buy multiple 'keyed alike' padlocks?
I bought a four pack recently. One for the trailer coupler, one for the
outboard, one for the companionway hatch and the 4th ???.

Did you buy multiple 'keyed alike' padlocks?

Yes.

--

Roger Long

Roger Long wrote:
I'm locked out of my boat and have to cut the small pad lock off the
companionway.

If I invest in a bolt cutter, will it be useful as emergency gear in
case of a dismasting or do I need a different tool to cut S.S. rigging
wire quickly?

Cut the hasp, they're generally a lot lighter duty than a
padlock. Dremel tools with fibre reinforced cut off wheels
will go through thin s.s. like butter.

It will have to be a pretty good bolt cutter to cut through
rigging wire 1/4" thick.

Evan Gatehouse

Not all padlocks are created equal. Some are not very tough at all.

Padlocks on a hatch only keep honest people honest and very young kids out
of
trouble. A real crook doesn't care how big or strong your padlocks are.
They
can smash or crowbar the hatch or whatever is needed to gain entry. They
don't
care about causing severe damage... It's not their boat!

rusty redcloud

I work on the theory that if I can make it look secure, they'll pick
another boat

Reminds me of the guy who said the nice thing about having a
convertible was never having to lock it.

"What do you mean?", I asked.

He said, "Nothing I would ever carry in the car would cost as much as
replacing the top so I want any thieves to go in the door instead of
cutting their way in."

--

Roger Long

Cut the hasp, they're generally a lot lighter duty than a
padlock. Dremel tools with fibre reinforced cut off wheels
will go through thin s.s. like butter.

I second the Dremel tool proposal, very efficient in my experience and
a useful tool for many other purposes, just be careful to wear safety
glasses.

Since I have the dubious benefit of a dismasting experience, my
recommendation for shedding the rigging quickly is to knock out the
clevis pins with a drift pin and hammer. It's much quicker than
cutting unless you have one of the explosive gizmos, and can use it
properly in adverse conditions.

On Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:32:06 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I'm locked out of my boat and have to cut the small pad lock off the
companionway.

If I invest in a bolt cutter, will it be useful as emergency gear in
case of a dismasting or do I need a different tool to cut S.S. rigging
wire quickly?


Bolt cutters make handy dandy wire ferrule crimpers, if a circular
bite is ground in the jaws.
They will cut cable, though I think the most prefered device looks
like a branch clippe on steroids with its short scimitar shaped
scissor jaws.

Brian Whatcott Altus OK
p.s. Should you be hand-wringing about a device that can cost $15 or
$20?