I use cotter pins and curl the ends inward with the needle nose pliers on my Leatherman - cheap, fast, easy and dosen't require rigging tape.

 

I have old-style turnbuckles that have a stop-nut on the top and bottom. I understand that the newer-style open body turnbuckles with pins are a desirable upgrade, but I'm not sure why if the pins aren't easy to re-use.

What do you think?

Aboard Indigo

 

Stop nuts can work loose, cotter pins are more secure. Easy enough to re-use if you can straighten them out. Cheap enough to replace them if you can't, less than a cup of coffee at Tim's.

 

We us cotter pins but shape them into a "C" that goes from the top stud to the bottom stud and bridges the cross bar in the middle of the turnbuckle. I'd use stainless welding rod if I could find it when I need it but this solution has been working for us. And just think of the money we save on cotter pins by only using 1 per turnbuckle!!

Ike
S/V Indigo

 

I use largish cotter rings. I look at them enough to notice if they are moving, or have gone entirely.

At sea I would use cotter pins/split pins. All mast and related clevis pins use cotter pins to secure them. Tape well, and then if you don't see the tape, check out the pins!

 

I use cotter pins as well.

 

Since we adjust them before each race, we need something easy to undo. Luckily the bases for our uppers and lowers are right next to each other. You just feed a piece of line through each turnbuckle and tie a square knot in it.

 

I use cotter pins for most of them, but rings on the ones that I tend to have to disassemble occassionally. I don't believe in taping turnbuckles or turning cotter pins in to curliques... 20˚ of split is all that is needed, and allows you to drive the pin out easily in an emergency, but will not shake free. A dab of silicone or other sealant on the tips of the pin keep it from snagging anything. Bending the tips inward and filing the corners also helps.

 

I tune my boat for the wind conditions before each race. I use "wrap pins" which are essentially cotter pins secured to a velcro strip. You press the pins through the holes in the turnbuckle stud and simply wrap the velcro onto itself. You can get a couple wraps and it's very secure.

I got mine from Layline and I paid about $20 for 8 wrap pins.

Another advantage is that you don't have to tape them. They will not tear a sail.

 

While these are great for racers, since you need to adjust your rig tension for each race's conditions... they're probably less than useful for long-term cruising boats... where the boat's rigging is left the same for extended periods of time and the wrap pins are far more likely to be stolen than cotter pins are.

 

The square knot through the body of the turnbuckle does not keep the wire end terminal from backing out and the wire from unraveling. On race boats I have used ringdings that are run around one leg of the turnbuckle and through the eye in the terminal thereby tieing the terminal to the turnbuckle. It is really quite easy to undo without tools. I tie a light line above and between the adjacent turnbuckes to prevent the sheets from dropping into that space and face the ringdings into that space.

Locknut type turnbuckles should be avoide except on the smallest rigs. When properly tightened, the locknut adds quite a bit to the stress on the threads and is more likely to result in a rig failure. If not tightened enough, when the rig is fully loaded there is a small amount of elongation of the stud and the lcoknut is likely to loosen and allow the rig to slack.

Jeff

 

...When properly tightened, the locknut adds quite a bit to the stress on the threads and is more likely to result in a rig failure. If not tightened enough, when the rig is fully loaded there is a small amount of elongation of the stud and the lcoknut is likely to loosen and allow the rig to slack.

Jeff

Thanks for this info Jeff; I'd never considered the elongation of the stud causing the nuts to loosen up. Maybe I'll more seriously consider upgrading.

 

Interesting wrap-pin design, but I can just see the velcro closures of my boat sandals snagging these each time I pass one.

 

I'm not a big fan of rigging tape. Taping your rigging is just asking for trouble. I've seen too many cases where turnbuckles corroded under the tape and nearly gave way...gave way in one case... and could have lost the mast. I'd rather orient the cotter pins so that the pointy ends are pointed away from the sails and lines and put a dab of sealant on the tips as insurance.

 

I use cotter pins and curl the ends inward with the needle nose pliers on my Leatherman - cheap, fast, easy and dosen't require rigging tape.

Ditto

SD - you don't seriously spend an afternoon filing and sanding the ends of your cotter pins do you ?????

 

No, I file the ends as needed. I got better things to do than make a nice neat pile of cotter pins.

 

I like the wrap pins, but use plain cotter pins or (gasp!) plain old seizing wire, aka baling wire. Cut it and toss it...I think a buck or two still buys 50-100 feet of it?

 

Hello pauses awaiting the inevitable question regarding what type of stainless steel bailing wire he uses and what grade of stainless is used. A roll of galvinized picture hanging wire and a Hershey's with Almonds at the checkout will leave you with newspaper change left out of two bucks. (g)

 

The way the wrap pins are constructed is very basic. It is simply a strip of velcro tape with a cotter pin secured in a dob of high strength adhesive. Thickened epoxy would work fine. The adhesive does not bear much load as it's the velcro strip that holds the pin in place. It really is a brilliant idea.

 

Sailaway-

"Hello pauses awaiting " the hell he does.<G>

Baling wire, made from scrap metal possibly zinced after begin formed, the kind you get at any old fashioned hardware store for fixing anything that chewing gum can't fix. It takes years to rust, one season won't matter.

It should be monel, not stainless, if you want to get picky. But monel seizing wire you either get at estate sales or at pricey catalogue metal stores.<G>