How long will my cable rigging last?
The lifespan of rigging depends on 4 factors: Its quality, age, use and whether it was installed correctly. Rigging that has been installed properly can have a useful lifespan of 15 years if it is high quality. Rigging should be replaced every 15 years or 30,000 nautical miles.
How can I identify rigging in poor condition?
Wire rigging consists of 2 elements: the cables and the terminals.
The way to identify wire rigging in poor condition is to look for rust stains or leakage and in extreme cases broken wire filaments.
Cables only oxidize when they are low quality or have aged.
In either case, the rigging must be replaced.
To check to see if the terminals are in poor condition, you should check their appearance. Excessive rust may indicate cracks in the terminals.
To revise the terminals correctly, you should first clean the terminals with an anti-rust product to make identifying cracks easier.
If cracks have appeared, the damaged terminal must be replaced immediately.
Even if only a single crack has appeared, this means the useful life of the piece is over.
How often should I check my rigging?
If your boat is less than 10 years old, you should have it checked every 5 years or less.