Spars and standing rigging is usually inspected during a pre-purchase survey, or during a specialised rigging survey. By request of an insurance company when the rigging is between 7 and 10 years old or as a result of a grounding or collision. Standing rigging rarely fails because the wire rope parts. It usually fails because of a problem with the terminals at either end of a shroud or stay.
Unless masts are unstepped at the time, most surveys only include inspection of standing rigging from the deck level, and this should be noted in the survey report. BMS surveyors inspect the rigging aloft when practicable and safe to do so. This type of limited survey, from deck level only, may or may not include close inspection for cracked terminals, turnbuckles and associated forgings at deck level. Problems with wire rope tend to be visually evident in the form of kinks or whiskers. Galvanised wire rope is usually more honest in revealing its faults and, as well as being kinked or whiskered, shows obvious corrosion, over-strain, separated strands and loose thimbles. However, what no surveyor knows is the condition of the swaging inside each terminal and whether corrosion, broken strands or the wrong sized terminal for the size of wire rope, means that the whole terminal, and therefore the whole shroud or stay, is suspect. Below are two photo examples from recent surveys.
Our full pre purchase and rigging surveys will also identify any problems with the spars themselves, as the above right photograph shows. The cracked spreder was only visible from aloft and requires replacing. This would not be spotted by a "deck level only'inspection.
BMS surveyors are FULL (Small Craft Surveyor ) members of the International Institute of Marine Surveyors (I.I.M.S.), hold Diplomas in Marine Surveying (DipMarSur, accreditation in Small Craft, vessels under 150ft) issued by National Sea Training Centre NSTC an associate college of Greenwich University, London and hold professional indemnity insurance to marine survey world-wide of £ 250,000 pounds sterling underwritten by Lloyds of London. We are the only British, I.I.M.S., Y.B.D.S.A. , MCA and RYA accredited, qualified and internationally PI insured marine surveyors in Turkey.Please see some client recommendations
