Re: [Paddlewise] Check Your Rudder Cables

Gerald Foodman wrote:
> 
> I was about 2 miles off shore alone in my Solstice GTS.  Conditions were
> mild.  Maybe 2 or 3 foot swell, 1 foot chop, less than 8 knots wind.  The
> rudder was up.  I was paddling slowly, relaxing.  Suddenly one rudder cable
> snapped.  Right in the middle.  It must have been badly frayed.
[snip]
> Moral:  Don't be an idiot like me.  Check your rudder cables.  [snip] 
> and I will carry spare cable and crimping tool for travelling.

I've had similar experiences with rudder cable.  Most fraying occurs at
the stern where the cable makes an eye and is easy to detect.  However,
a buddy had his spring a strand loose in the middle, as happened to
Jerry, and *the strand got caught and "back-raveled" as he tried to
extract the cable!*  In the end, he had to drill a small hole into the
H-shaped extrusion the cable ran through and capture the strand before
he could pull it out.  Bummer of a job.

Re:  crimping:  does anyone know of crimps which are NOT copper?  The
copper promotes corrosion -- seems like a stainless steel crimping
sleeve would be a better choice.

BTW:  I use small vise-grips for field-crimps.  They seem to work OK --
going on two seasons of use on a set I field-crimped in Canada.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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