View Single Post
  #9 (permalink)  
Old 11-18-2009
KeelHaulin's Avatar
KeelHaulin KeelHaulin is offline
STARBOARD!!
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,052
Rep Power: 5
KeelHaulin will become famous soon enough
Quote:
Originally Posted by paulk View Post
Our insurance company didn't say anything about that when we bought our boat 12 years ago, and it was 16 years old then. We replaced the forstay this year when we installed a roller/furler. Rod seems to last a long time, but we do inspect it regularly.
Depends on the policy; my first policy with Farmers wanted to know how old the standing rigging was. I had to get receipts from a PO that showed a complete re- rig 2 years prior. I don't know what the age limit was but I think it was more like 15 or 20 years.

At 27 years old; your rod rigging should definitely be x-rayed, mechanically tested, or replaced. At minimum it should be dye penetration and/or load tested. Both require removal from the boat to do. The problem with rod rigging is that the fractures are microscopic and grow into one another. When the fractures get large enough in quantity the reduced cross section that is strong will then not be able to carry the load and then you have an instantaneous failure that results in a snapped rod. Visual inspection cannot tell you if it is fatuiging in this way.
Reply With Quote