Leisure Rigging diagrams

Over the last year or so I’ve replaced most of my standing rigging, mast hardware, and chainplates on my 1979 Leisure 23 “Malaika”.

If your standing rigging is over 15 years old then it is advisable to replace all of it. Regular rigging inspections should be done whenever you are out for a sail, and any broken strands in the wires or cracks in turnbuckles or other hardware are grounds for immediate replacement.

On the L23, shrouds are 4mm 1x19 SS316 wire. The forestay (and often backstay) is 5mm. 

Forestay and backstay and split backstays should be 5mm wire with the lower split stays Talurit on both ends for greater range of motion. You can get away with 4mm wire here but it is better practice to have the same diameter as the forestay and backstay  for more safety while tuning.

The terminals originally used were Talurit (crimped) terminals but more modern types may also be present.

In your area there should be a local rigger, and if not, then a local chandlery often will be able to handle replacement of wires and terminals.

If neither of these are possible then Jimmy Green offer a service where you can send them your old rigging and they send exact replacements back to you. Their website is also a gold mine of useful information.  

There are 4 lower shrouds of about 6m length. The cap shrouds are about 8m. If you are using Jimmy Green then my choice would be:

Upper Termination: Narrow fixed eye terminal (StaLok 039N-04, machined) pressed onto 4mm wire on a Wireteknik roller swager - eye internal diameter 8mm - eye thickness 5mm

Wire: KOS 4mm 1x19 construction wire manufactured using 316 bright polished stainless steel - Break Load 1280 kg

Lower Termination: 4mm wire turned around a Hamma stainless steel closed thimble (HAM62344004) and terminated with a copper ferrule compressed in a Talurit 25 ton hydraulic splicing press - thimble length 32mm 

In my case I replaced all the stays. I specified swaged terminals on the masthead (upper) ends of the stays – as these are stronger – and Talurit on the lower ends.  My forestay is part of a Rotostay furling system so it had a different lower terminal – this will be different depending on your own system. When in doubt, ask your rigger.

It is very important that all clevis pins and split pins are replaced with new even if the originals look fine. There may also be a shackle here and there (e.g. for the split backstay) – replace with genuine WLL rated stainless ones (e.g. from Wichard). 

Any toggles (especially for the forestay) should be replaced. All toggles and shackles should be moused with Monel wire.

Cost

Each shroud will be about £60-70. Wire lengths vary slightly so you MUST measure the old ones as accurately as possible while the mast is down. 

The total cost for replacing my standing rigging with the above was about £600

Turnbuckles 

Don’t forget your turnbuckles (aka rigging screws). The originals likely have chromed bronze bodies which will last forever. Any issues will be with the forks, which will be stainless and they may have work hardened over the decades or suffered corrosion. 

You can just replace the forks and save money. Mine were 5/16” UNF RH/LH; be sure to check exactly. My original turnbuckles were made by Hasselfors, who are now part of Selden.

For me, exact replacements were Selden Article Number 174-322-01 and their catalogue is a great reference.

The aft turnbuckle for the split backstay is a special case - use an eye for the lower part (instead of a fork) if new shackles and toggles won’t fit, and be sure you can generate sufficient tension so the forestay does not sag.

One nice upgrade that I did was to use Blue Wave "Smart Pins" for locking my turnbuckles instead of using split pins - which makes adjustments a lot easier. 

You should cover turnbuckles with chafe preventers – Plastimo make these – and rollers on the guardrails or where appropriate to ease the Genoa over when tacking. Turnbuckle protector - 

I went for entirely new turnbuckles so this was an extra £200. Make sure you and your rigger are very accurate in measurements, and you should take many pictures. Document everything and save your receipts as your insurance company may ask for these in the event of an incident.

Mast  Step and Mast Base

The mast step on the deck was bent, corroded, and had a crack. It was anodised aluminium. I also replaced this with an exact copy - the new piece was 5083 marine grade alloy that I left bare. It is attached to the deck by some M8 countersunk set screws which screw into some original “female” inter-screws embedded in the deck.

My mast base itself is ok but I don’t trust it and I am keeping an eye on it. Other members have reported that they can crack over the years. New ones can be fabricated, of course, but it’s a complex construction so it will be more expensive.

I cleaned up and reused the original bolts, but I replaced the nuts with new ones. You will have to use a drill press again carefully to reproduce the holes for the split pins to go through.

As with my earlier work with the chainplates, I had new tangs made up - make sure the fabricator follows the old angles exactly as the angles are critical for the rigging geometry!

I had mine made very slightly thicker than the originals.

Mast Spreader Replacement

Also check the spreaders for integrity and correct fit. They are 25mm (1”) inner diameter, 3mm walls if I recall. The tips will be impossible to take apart, due to corrosion, don’t even bother. I had my metal shop replicate the originals as well.

When you are putting the spreader base back on, use Monel rivets with a Lazy Tongs riveter. This goes for any riveting you are doing on the mast!

Use Duralac or Tefgel between stainless and aluminium to prevent future galvanic or dissimilar metals corrosion.

When you are putting the tangs back on remember the tangs are supposed to be able to rotate freely so be accurate and dry fit before making any holes for the castle nuts.

I also replaced my electrical wiring, lighting, and masthead hardware while I had my mast down. In general this work is quite time-consuming with many details to be mindful of – so employing a good local rigger will likely save you money in the long run.

 Tools Required:

Usual hand tools – hammer, chisel, hacksaw, pliers, wrenches etc,

Portable power drill with usual bits,  

Lazy Tongs Riveter

Materials:

Monel Rivets, LocTite, Duralac / TefGel, Split Pins, Clevis Pins

Useful References

--"This Old Boat" by Don Casey  

--"The Complete Riggers Apprentice" by Brion Toss

--"Hints and Advice" by Selden 

-- Blue Wave Marine Catalogue: 

-- Plastimo Catalogue: