rigging news

OFFLINE

2015-02-06T15:17:00.002+00:00

There is nothing worse than an 'out of date' blog. Since the launch of Rigging Projects Ltd, we have been very busy managing our business which took a lot of focus off this site. To simplfy matters, we will mothball this blog and move all our news over to our already very popular facebook page.

Be sure you continue to mail, share, link, etc YOUR rigging news to us and we will do our best to publish it on Facebook.

Also, please take the time to like Rigging Projects Ltd on Facebook! Thats where our own projects and news will be reported.

Thank you for your visits over the last few years and remember, this is not the end, we are just moving to another platform!

All the best.

Tobias Hochreutener

Rigging News & Rigging Projects Ltd.

BIG NEWS

2014-11-05T21:50:00.001+00:00

This has been brewing for a while and its now official. The two biggest players in the composite rigging industry are now one and the same:

NORTH TECHNOLOGY GROUP TO ACQUIRE FUTURE FIBRES

(Source: Southern Spars) North Technology Group (NTG) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Future Fibres by Southern Spars. Founded 20 years ago by Tom Hutchinson and based in Valencia, Spain, Future Fibres is a marine industry leader in high performance carbon cables, masts, booms, spreaders and custom components.
Combining these two industry leaders allows Southern Spars the ability develop additional technology for their impressive list of products, services and high performance solutions, in the marine industry and beyond.
“Future Fibres has long been an innovator in the field of advanced fibre rigging” said Tom Whidden, CEO of North Technology Group. “With NTG’s support, Southern Spars now has the resources to provide our customers with a wider range of advanced rigging options. Future Fibres has been built on three main brand values: performance, innovation and dedication. We see the same values within the companies that derive North Technology Group. This made acquiring Future Fibres a natural fit,” Whidden concluded.
Future Fibres first entered the composite rigging market after Tom Hutchinson devised a way to better terminate composite fibres by continuously winding PBO fibre around two titanium thimbles at any required length. Future Fibres’ approach has allowed composite rigging to be used on every area of the boat and not restricted to just aft rigging as it historically was before.
“The team at Southern Spars is excited about the acquisition of Future Fibres,” said Richard Lott, CEO of Southern Spars. “The mast and rigging market is quite depressed after the GFC which has been putting pressure on Southern Spars and Future Fibres’ business. However, the Future Fibres team have developed some advanced mast moulding technologies which complement our advanced computer-based rig design tools,” said Lott. “The combination of technologies and engineering excellence will provide a refined and optimised rig solution for every customer in the future.”
“Future Fibres’ DNA is technology based and customer friendly,” explained founder Tom Hutchinson. “The ability continue to innovate with North Technology Group is something that will allow my original dream to prosper. I very much look forward to working with all at Southern Spars and all of NTG.”

Impressive

2014-11-02T13:10:00.000+00:00

With the Route du Rhum kicking off, Lorima Masts have put out an impressive summary of the masts carrying their logo in this years' event. Check it:

Rigging Projects: The Ultimate Spike

2014-09-18T10:37:00.000+01:00

(Source: Rigging Projects) We have taken the ordinary spike and turned it into a work of art. Beautifully machined out of grade 5 titanium, this spike will be last one you'll ever buy, provided you securely fasten it to you harness using the recessed lanyard attachment!

GBP 77.00 (excl. shipping)
Delivery world wide

Stepping Day

2014-07-28T08:44:00.000+01:00

(Source: Rigging Projects) Friday was stepping day in ’72 Alley’, after a busy week at the STP boat yard in Palma de Mallorca. 'Shockwave' kicked off proceedings early in the morning, stepping their Future Fibres mast in preparation of Copa Del Rey.

'Jethou' followed with their Hall / Carbo-Link package and 'Bella Mente' finally released the crane in the afternoon after making quick work of stepping their Hall mast.

The other two 72' mini maxis in the yard, 'Robertissima' and 'Ran', who both sport complete Southern Spars packages, didn’t unstep between the Rolex Giraglia race and the upcoming regatta in Palma, complete the line up at STP boatyard.

The boats will be launching today except for ‘JV72 Ran’ as the crew is competing in the TP52 Super Series instead. All the boats are scheduled to re-measure, suggesting significant changes. We also expect the arrival of 'Alegre' today in Palma, who will complete the 72’ fleet for Copa Del Rey.

Bring on the racing!

Tobias Hochreutener

Rigging Projects

Carbo News

2014-06-30T16:22:00.000+01:00

(Source: Carbo-Link) Lionheart fitted Carbo-Link’s carbon standing rigging in April and has won both regattas sailed this year. She followed up her convincing win in Mahon, to win the J Class Superyacht Cup in Palma.

The rigging cables are smaller in diameter and the cable stiffnesses are considerably higher than the rigging used by the other J Class yachts competing.

The custom designed rigging package resulted in a low windage solution using internal diagonal terminations.

A fibre optic load sensor is incorporated in the headstay. The data produced has been useful to confirm design loads and analyse the load variation while sailing in waves.

Dr. Andy Winistörfer, CEO of Carbo-Link, spent several days leading up to both regattas with the Lionheart team providing technical input to optimise rig tune.

“It has been exciting to be part of a motivated team leading up to their second consecutive win. The team has been receptive to advanced ideas and technical concepts in order to achieve considerable performance gains”

By choosing Carbo-Link, Lionheart has joined a prestigious group of champions which includes the current winners of the Americas Cup, Louis Vuitton Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Transat Jacques Vabre and the C Class World Championship.

Carbo-Link’s reputation for engineering excellence and Swiss manufacturing technology resulted in all four AC72 America’s Cup teams choosing Carbo-Link for their platform and Wing rigging, where performance and reliabiablity are paramount to success

Carbo-Link has been manufacturing and developing rigging since 2001.

In 2003 Carbo-Link supplied rigging to the Orma 60 Banque Covefi which become the first full carbon rigged yacht to race across the Alantic Ocean.

New (Flatten) Batten Development

2014-05-10T09:04:00.002+01:00

Dan Primrose from Primrose Fry Technologies shares an exclusive update of their 'Flattens' development with Rigging News:

For those who only have a few spare moments in the day, here is a quick overview of the key points that have come out of the last two years of development that Dan and Simon have done, that ultimately led to a J-111 in the USA, called "Spaceman Spiff" winning her class at Quantum Key West Race week earlier this year, with a full set of Flattens in their Light-Medium Jib. The feedback from the trimmers and sail makers on and off the boat was nothing but extremely positive and the Flattens had allowed them to trim the sail in ways that were not possible with existing furling battens systems. The full story can of course be seen on previous posts here.

Here are some of the images from that week, from North Sails library:

J-111 "Spaceman Spiff" with NS L-M Jib with full set of Flattens

Close up of Lower Flatten on J-111 "Spaceman Spiff"

Furled jib on J-111 "Spaceman Spiff" with full set of Flattens

Up until Key West, most of the work done was on J-111's and J-109's in the UK, where the unique design of the sail pocket allows the Flattens to be simply retrofitted to any appropriate sail.

2 off 1000mm Furled Flattens

When Simon and Dan started this project, they were pretty sure that the furling ability of the product would be good, but were not 100% sure about the sailing performance. However, these doubts were very quickly dismissed when images of the J111 sail were compared to the original design files, and showed to be "almost spot on".

So here are some images that we can show, that will hopefully show why PFT's confidence level is so high. Most of the testing that has been done has been in lighter winds, which as anyone who has used a furling batten knows, is the hardest conditions to get them to work as they should (i.e. produce a tight furl whilst still giving the correct profile for the flying sail). Testing has of course been done in all conditions up to near gale force and were all very successful; "the Flattens were faultless and very good value" to quote the owner of the boat that was racing, shorthanded, offshore. In these extremes of conditions, the simple fact that the Flattens are "stable" in both sailing and furled forms, makes them unique and will give the end user the advantage they are looking for.

J-111 Code 3.5 Jib Furled with Full set of Flattens

J-111 Code 3.5 jib Upwind with Full set of Flattens in 9kn TWS

This sequence of images were taken in early 2012. They clearly show the sail shape, both furled and unfurled.

Here is a clip, again from the J-111, sailing and furling with a full set of Flattens in about 9 knots TWS.

As mentioned, Dan & Simon have also been developing the Flattens for In Mast furling. This testing is still on-going whilst they concentrate on the final spec for the baseline Jib Flattens but is a short clip showing some of that work, done at Seldon Mast in the UK on their test rig.

New Pros

2014-05-08T09:03:00.000+01:00

Southern Spars announces new management team for Rig Pro International

(Source: Southern Spars) Southern Spars is pleased to announce the new Rig Pro International management team, led by Des Davis and supported by Gavin McPherson. Both Davis and McPherson are extremely passionate sailors and have a wealth of experience in the yachting industry that will see them take Rig Pro from strength to strength. The duo is committed to continuing to grow the existing market share and reputation of the global Rig Pro network.

Des Davis (left) and Gavin McPherson (right)

Having worked for Rig Pro International for over a year, Davis will now oversee every aspect of the Rig Pro International operation, managing the Rig Pro International team with efficiency and ensuring a smooth experience for customers. Hailing from the South Island of New Zealand Davis cites sailing as his true passion, and also rebuilds classic yachts in his spare time. “I am looking forward to leading Rig Pro International to being the ultimate solution to all things above the deck,” he says. Customer service is a passion and in his time at Rig Pro International to date Davis has been focused on growing the business into a more customer focused service network with the introduction of the Infusion management system. “The Infusion system has increased the customer service by better database management, financial tracking and pricing, which in turn has allowed for better planned lead times and customer management”, he says. “I am confident with the support of Gavin and Southern Spars that we can manage emergency work, planned warranty work, rebuilds, change outs, design and manufacture far more efficiently than we have done so in the past”.

Supporting Davis in his role, McPherson’s main remit will be to manage the planned and emergency work for Rig Pro International customers, facilitating co-ordination between the customer and Southern Spars and Rig Pro International teams. A background in engineering and sailing, together with extensive knowledge of the products and how they are used and abused places him in good stead for this role. Having learnt to sail in Tauranga, McPherson began his sailing career racing One Design models, before progressing to working with some of the world’s most prestigious yachts and marine companies, including a stint as boat captain on Alpha Romeo II. “I have always seen Southern Spars as a great company with excellent products and I am delighted to be a part of it and help make a great company greater,” he says. “My goal is to help build the service department into a recognised and integral part of the Southern Spars brand, providing the best mast solutions in the world as a whole.” McPherson says his long-term focus is to continually increase the high efficiency and effectiveness of the company to make it easier for staff and customers to achieve the best solutions.

Rig Pro Auckland

A division of Southern Spars, Rig Pro International provides a comprehensive mobile refit and repair service for all yachts and rigs with service points in New Zealand, South Africa, the USA and Spain. The team regularly work with some of the world’s most spectacular yachts. An impressive new base in the heart of Auckland’s marine district has meant invaluable increased capacity and waterfront access for the Rig Pro NZ team.

Rigging Projects Update

2014-05-07T10:32:00.000+01:00

(Source: Rigging Projects) With the European Regatta season firmly underway, its time for a quick update. Since launching Rigging Projects, the response and the subsequent work load has been phenomenal. Our biggest project to date - the deck hardware and rigging replacement / service / refit of the JV72 Mini Maxi 'Jethou' came to a successful conclusion with their first outing at the 2014 Gaastra Palma Vela Regatta.

The JV72 Jethou supplied by Rigging Projects

Rigging Project supplied a large number of new deck hardware from various suppliers, including Winmar blocks, take-down connector bullets from TT Rigging and a full complement of Xtreme Series KZ furlers and swivels along with all the uni-direction cables and strops requirements. In all, no less than 18 new cables, ranging from steering to vang to furling, grace this stunning yacht. Rigging Projects, working alongside the sail design team for the furling cables and the boat crew for all the other stays, was responsible for the length and interface specification for all these cables.

Alongside this, we're also helping a TP52 in the decision making process on their composite rigging retrofit, supplied the furling cables to a new performance 60' day sailor and are specifying a new furling system (furler and cable) for a 100' cruising yacht amongst other projects.

Maintaining complete independence, Rigging Projects has supplied all our clients with information and options from all the suitable candidate suppliers, furnishing them with only the hard facts, pros and cons and our unbiased opinion, making it easy and anonymous to choose the product that best suits their requirements, regardless whether it is performance or budget based. If you would like us to help you with your project, do not hesitate to contact us or look up Tobias Hochreutener who will be in Capri, racing on 'Jethou' for the Rolex Sailing Week.

Happy Sailing!

Back in (more) black

2014-04-07T12:14:00.000+01:00

After a winter in a shed in Palma de Mallorca, the 'new' JV72 Jethou mini maxi is ready to return to her water front base at STP and a regatta packed season. Previously known as 'Stig', the boat has undergone a major refit with a big focus on the hardware, systems and aesthetics. As with all the previous generation 'Jethous', this boat is now also entirely black - and she looks stunning.

The team is working overtime to have the boat ready for Palma Vela in 3 weeks time.

More to follow.

Box of tricks

2014-03-21T16:47:00.000+00:00

(Source: VSpars)

VSPARS is pleased to announce the release of our latest product – the VSPARS Wireless hardware pack!

Designed for boats of all sizes, the pack comes pre-configured with everything you need to run VSPARS. The system uses custom-configured GoPro cameras which are wirelessly controlled by the control box. An internal WiFi and PC run VSPARS RealTime software and send the outputs wirelessly for display on any PDA.

To see the spec sheet for the Wireless system, and for all our news updates, please follow us on Facebook.

Knot vs. Splice

2014-03-07T13:44:00.000+00:00

No prizes for guessing the winner! Thanks to More Marine for the vid.

Cut up

2014-03-05T08:01:00.001+00:00

With a bunch of windy / shorthanded record attempts on the horizon, Spindrift 2 reduced the available horsepower - 6 meter of it to be precise. Lorimar is carrying out the mods.

The (marketing) Boss

2014-03-05T07:46:00.000+00:00

Alex Thomson Racing and Hugo Boss are at it again - showing the rest of the industry how to achieve maximum return for your sponsor. Great effort.

Lift off

2014-03-03T08:01:00.000+00:00

A great little production from Rogi Yacht Rigging in La Ciota, pulling the rigs on the Mari Cha IV (now Samurai). Looking forward to seeing here out on the water again.

Race 9 retirement for Jamaica Get All Right

2014-02-20T19:48:00.001+00:00

(Source:Clipper Race) As the fleet starts Race 9 to Qingdao in China, Jamaica Get All Right has unfortunately had to retire due to a failed forestay bottle screw fitting. The forestay supports the mast and is also what the Yankee headsail is attached to. The crew on board are fine and well and conditions safe as a spare Yankee halyard is being used as a temporary forestay to stabilise the rig.

Jamaica Get All Right has begun to motor-sail to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia and is due to arrive in four days' time to receive a new fitting. Best effort will be made to repair the boat as quickly as possible and the team will then make best speed for Qingdao immediately.

The retirement due to equipment failure will see the team awarded with 1 point.

New orders, new challenges for Future Fibres

2014-02-20T19:02:00.001+00:00

(Source: Future Fibres) Three years into mast production and the 2014 order book reflects a diverse range of performance projects.

With the Perini 60m sloop fully assembled and awaiting stepping / sea trials and 3 of the largest furling booms in the world (26-30m long) nearing completion, the workshop is getting its teeth into some no less challenging but slightly more conventional sized projects.

The APC78 performance catamaran project has a fully optimised rotating mast with a significant number of custom features. The boat is currently in-build at Green Marine in the UK and the mast and rigging package are scheduled to leave Valencia in April. Also. just going into final stages of fitout are the mast and boom for a new Frers 60 daysailor. This boat, currently being built by Persico Marine, is a development on the stunning Ciao Gianni; all about aesthetic and performance, Future Fibres are building an ultra clean, high modulus mast and boom with carbon RDS lateral rigging.

The design team is equally busy with a really exciting new project: designing a new, fully optimised, grand prix mast, boom and carbon rigging package for the TP52 Provezza. This rig will be built to the new 2015 rule but sailing by May 2014. This gives us the opportunity to develop and fine tune a 2015 compliant package one year early. There are a number of TP52 teams with new boat builds scheduled for next winter and this project gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our superior build accuracy, performance and quality to provide a credible alternative to existing suppliers in this finely tuned class. The 2015 TP52 rule also allows composite lateral rigging for the first time and this is a perfect time to showcase our new fully continuous FlexC™ carbon rigging to create the ultimate TP52 package.

Sales Manager Jim Lotz sums up: “with the marine industry slowly emerging from the doldrums owners, project managers and designers are being more prudent with choices they make with rig packages. It has never been more important to differentiate positively the points that make our mast and rigging product stand out from the crowd. With our team pushing design, build quality and technology we are increasingly seeing customers making the correct informed choice to work with Future Fibres.”

For the record

2014-02-15T22:29:00.001+00:00

RSB is keeping it up in STP

(Source: RSB)Last week was a record week for RSB Rigging Solutions, who stepped three big rigs in two days; the first being 50m Ketch by Perini Navi, Is A Rose, closely followed by the graceful 34m sloop, Nephele.

The week begun with the final prep and build of the rigs, gearing up to the project completions. The re-step of the rigs had to be perfectly timed with the unsettled weather conditions. The riggers had two tempestuous weather windows so were up against the clock to ensure all the prep and build was in place in order to finish in time.

Steve Branagh, Director and founder of RSB Rigging Solutions is proud of his team for the excellent work displayed

‘The guys did an amazing job getting the rigs built for both boats just in time to avoid the next big low pressure coming through. Re-stepping masts at this time of year is always a bit of a weather lottery but with our flexible team we can work around this and make every effort to stay on schedule and keep the boat happy”

This feat was undertaken last week whilst coordinating with the re-build of SY Destination rig, new mooring lines for S/Y Kaimaxitha, tender lift strops for SY Twizzle and completion of running rigging for the J class Hanuman.

RSB Rigging Solutions, launched in 2005, provide a complete service for the maintenance, repair and replacement of standing and running rigging and also have completed a large number of composite rigging retrofits. In the last three years RSB have extended more into the motor yacht market and have been involved with a number of mega-yachts building mooring and toe lines, tender lifting systems, as well as external access systems for wash downs.

RSB Rigging Solutions can provide you with an efficient and professional service package for all your rigging needs.

Epic

2014-02-10T21:07:00.000+00:00

We've had a few posts in the past which were titled 'Big Gear' but in this case that just doesn't do it justice. Thanks to Euro Marine Trading for the shot of this enormous Antal runner block.

Rigging Projects Launched!

2014-02-06T10:38:00.001+00:00

Almost exactly 4 years after launching www.riggingnews.com , the only open source, unbiased outlet for yacht rigging news on the internet, we have taken it a step further by creating an independent consulting service. Rigging Projects is the accumulation of over 15 years of maritime experience and many years in a technical sales position at a pioneering composite rigging company.

Rigging Projects is designed to help yacht owners, project managers and even established riggers to make informed decisions on their next rigging project, whether you are building a new boat or simply want to upgrade or replace your current rigging.

With the acceptance of composite rigging as a standard, competition between new and existing manufactures is on the up and, with new systems being launched, the number of options available is increasing all the time.

Comparing different systems and core technology in a like for like fashion is a big challenge and requires thorough market and product knowledge. There are many aspects to consider; performance, interface, longevity, practicality and service just to name a few.

Rigging Projects will guide you through this process, clearing the smoke and mirrors, giving you an unbiased comparison of all options available. We have strong ties to all the suppliers which will enable you to get the correct product, on time, within budget and the service that you require. We work with the best riggers worldwide, ensuring that, no matter where you are, you will have a reliable point of contact and hands on support as and when required.

It’s simple: We work for you.

Visit Rigging Projects today for our full service offering. We look forward to helping you with your next rigging project!

Lapsed

2014-01-27T08:04:00.000+00:00

A sweet little time lapse of the new Gunboat 55 stepping its Hall Spar mast.

Analyse this.

2014-01-17T12:41:00.000+00:00

The advanced structural tools in AzureProject allows for performing a more precise analysis, simulating the structural behavior of the sail considering the panels and patches, any trim and constraint configuration, the wrinkling of the cloth, the relaxation of the forestay and the bending of the mast.

9 out of 9

2014-01-10T08:04:00.001+00:00

Nine Wins In Nine Years - Southern Spars Has The Secret Formula!

(Source: Southern Spars) Southern Spars rigged yachts have taken Line Honours victory in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart nine years running, with Wild Oats XI coming in on top for the 7th time; a record equalling feat. What is more significant to note is that Southern Spars rigged yachts have taken all of the podium spots for the past five years and top five in the past two years.

2013 saw three new Southern Spars Thin Ply rig packages and one complete refit get stepped in preparation for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart; Bob Oatley's 100' Wild Oats XI, Anthony Bell's 100' Perpetual Loyal (ex- Speedboat), Matt Allen's 60' Ichi Ban and a complete refit on Karl Kwok's 80' Beau Geste's rig.

What is also important to note is that our EC6 carbon rigging has been on all of the winning yachts since 2005 and all four of the 2013 packages chose to utilize EC6.

Congratulations to the all of the owners and crews on board Southern Spars rigged yachts that competed in the 2013 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

What is it (for)?

2013-12-31T15:10:00.001+00:00

Have a crack at guessing what this might be and win one of our brand new t-shirts! Sorry - available in L and XL only. Comment below or on our facebook page here.

Shackled

2013-12-31T14:36:00.001+00:00

Proof loaded and finished!

(Source: Doyle Rigging Palma) Here are the loops I nipped into do on Friday last week. The smaller ones are good for a 3 ton work load limit with a 4:1 safety factor, and the larger ones are good for a 10 ton work load limit with the same safety factor. I have painted them up in my secret sauce UV paint that I make here in the shop, and installed the Titanium dog bones. They have all been proof loaded and are now onboard the boat... Damn I love what I do.