So as a pro rigger may I ask you this:
Is it only about age or about condition too?
My rigging looks great, no visible corrosion, just some light tarnishing on the bottle screws and the wire still gleams. Everywhere. All the bottle screws are open and the threaded bits of the ends are visible and no signs of corrosion. I also loosened them one by one to seal the chain plates and under the bottle screws the threads all still looked great.
But as far as I can tell the whole rig is now 25 years old (on the assumption that it is original).
Is the age reason enough to be nervous?
Short answer, YES.
Long answer, it depends, like everything else. But at 25 years old I'd replace it. Heck, I'd replace all standing rigging at 20 years old, no exceptions. Stainless steel rigging is very hard to determine whether it will fail or not. Very small cracks or hidden corrosion can cause a failure in what appears to be solid rigging.
In some places they recommend 10-15 years in the tropics, saltwater environment. That's pretty good. In brackish you can stretch it to 15-17ish if the boat is lightly used. In fresh water, up north, you can get 20. But even then, that's if it looks great. If the boat is in a windy venue, (Australia as opposed to the Chesapeake) then that will shorten the life. There are no hard and fast rules. Sometimes a rig tune that won't hold is a good indicator that the wires are slowing giving it up.
Moral of the story, if you think it should be done, do it. And I'm not saying that just b/c I'm a rigger. 1200-2500-or even $10,000 is very cheap insurance when you start pricing out new masts and installation costs for an appropriate size rig. Not to mention the damage to the furler, mainsail or halyard, electrical, etc. Better to prevent it from failing all together. But I still run into owners that want to save a few bucks, not replace a turn buckle with new wire. I also meet people who say my rigging has worked for 30 years, so it's probably good to go. The things people try and justify never ceases to amaze me.
