I have a 1976 C&C 33 with rod rigging. This is the first boat I've owned with rod rigging. How can I tell what condition it is in? Are there any ways to tell if it needs replacement. I don't know if it matters but the boat has been in fresh water (lake Erie) its entire life.
Thanks, - Dennis

Hey!! I have just purchased a C&C 33 (1976) with rod rigging! Here is some info I dug up.....
Cracks in rigging components, especially cracks that are orientated transverse to the load are a sign of impending failure. Cracks can be found using visual inspection, using a magnifier, or by dye penitent testing. X-ray testing, eddy current testing, ultrasonic testing and other professional methods can be used. For visual inspection, the rod or fittings must be cleaned or polished to expose the cracks. Rusty areas frequently indicate cracks underneath. In addition to cracks, you should look for corrosion, pitting, and rust. Alignment of the rod and fittings to the load is very important for the reliability of rod (and other) rigging. Misalignment of fittings, frequently caused by interference or bends should be checked. Kinks or bends in the rod also result in increased local stress and the likelihood of a short life. If a fitting or rod has operated in a bent, kinked, or misaligned condition, it should be replaced as the damage due to cycling cannot be undone. If a rod is bent and then straightened before it is used again, depending on the severity of the bend, it will frequently provide normal life.
Good luck.
Chris

Hi Dennis,
I have a 1981 C&C 34 also with rod rigging. Unfortunately, other then obvious nicks or kinks in the rigging it is pretty hard to tell if they are in bad shape. What you need to look for are small cracks where the rods are attached to fittings such as turn buckles. If there is no noticeable wear or cracks that you can see you could take it a step further with a dye test. Your local marina could probably help out. The test itself involves putting a coloured dye on the fitting points and if there are faults the dye will show cracks, not unlike putting a piece of celery in coloured water.
The most sophisticated approach I have heard of is an inspection done with a microscope but I have no idea how that is done or co-ordinated.
The fact that the boat has never been in salt water is definitely a plus. Hope this is of some help.
Best regards, Dan Reid

In the 9 years of ownership of our 1977 38-1 I have completely disassembled our rigging twice. We have replaced the lowers due to damage and the backstay to install a cb antenna. This past year I magna-fluxed all of the end fittings. Although I found no hidden defects, the wear of the ball stems has led me to replace the rest of the shrouds. Other than wear, there had been discussions of how many repetitive loadings the rod can take and when has that been achieved. There seems to be a lot of disagreement on that one.
Dave - Avalon, C&C 38-1