Acceptable installation of rigging terminals

[royt]

I have a 43 cruiser that I am busy refitting. This includes installing a new solent style inner forestay. This has been done professionally by a rigger here in Cape Town. But I am a little concerned by the quality of the job and wonder if anyone can comment on whether I am correct in my concerns?

The new wraparound on the mast has been fitted so that it overlaps the cap-shroud fitting, and I assume this would make it a weak attachment, but more importantly, the swaged terminal has been bent during fitting.

In the picture, the bend is visible, but does not show how bad it is. The eye is bent by at least 10degrees from the shaft. To me that creates a weak point as the load on the rigging wire would be uneven as it will concentrate the tension to one side. If you were planning passages into high latitudes - Is this not asking for trouble leaving it like it is?

The rigger of course claims that both items are fine as they are.
Sorry - cant seem to upload the pic, but can anyone comment on whether there is a 'rule' about how straight a terminal must be?


Thanks for any comments

[Tartan34C]

The straightness of a swage terminal shank is measured in thousandths of an inch. But more importantly the wire MUST exit the swage in line with the shank of the terminal. The head of some swage fittings, other then a MS eye or jaw, may not be in line with the shank. A fitting similar to a T-Ball from Gibb is one example of a fitting with an offset head. Can you post a picture of the fitting somewhere? I am curious to see what you are talking about.

The hound you describe also doesn’t sound very good. Can you also post a picture of it somewhere?
All the best,
Robert Gainer

[sailingdog]

A bent swaged terminal is definitely a problem. If this is the kind of work the rigger has done, I'd highly recommend inspecting the lower end of the solent stay attachment at the deck. Is that properly backed and reinforced. Ideally, IMHO, a solent stay lower fitting should be tied into the hull and not just the deck, since it needs to transmit the load down through the deck to the hull itself, rather than relying on the strength of the hull-deck join to give it proper support.