Yacht Rigging

Standing Rigging

Yacht Rigging

Maxspar designs, manufactures and tests complete standing rigging systems for racing yachts and superyachts: carbon rod rigging, stainless steel rod and wire shrouds with custom terminals, and the full range of accessories required to put a mast into service. Every component is produced in-house at our workshop on Molo Giano and load-tested on our rigging station up to 50 tonnes before delivery.

The cable is flexible: it can be rolled up for shock-resistant shipment and is repairable in the event of a partial break. It is covered with a braided polyester sock in the colour of the customer's choice, with an additional protection sleeve on the V1 cap shrouds and diagonals. There are no fixed time limits — only periodic inspection every 5 years.

Each rigging is dimensioned around the vessel's specific data: sail plan, RM 30° righting moment, and the geometry of the mast.

Carbon Rod System Details

• Terminals with eye or fork, fixed on the barrel pin — adaptable to any mast system
• Setup adjustment and preloading via Mast Jack
• Threaded bars on the mast for fine adjustment (hanger system)
• Additional protection sleeve on the V1 cap shrouds and diagonals, external to the polyester sock
• Upper components in titanium grade 5; lower deck-level components in AISI 316L stainless steel
• Dimensioned to the boat's sail plan, RM 30° and mast geometry

Wire & Rod Rigging

We build wire shrouds and stainless steel rods using three hydraulic presses dedicated to every type of swaging and terminal work — with rod capacity up to 25.4mm (#150), sufficient to handle the most demanding superyacht standing rigging. Thanks to our quayside location, we are able to modify the shrouds with the vessel moored directly in front of the workshop, and to manufacture on-site any type of accessory in all sizes — from a tip cup to a goose flap.

Alu-Carbon Furling Genoa Profile

A hybrid profile for the furling genoa, combining a carbon outer shell with an aluminium twin-groove channel. The carbon section ø50mm / 2.5mm thick weighs only 996 g/m — a 50% weight saving compared to equivalent all-aluminium profiles.

The hybrid design responds to a precise mechanical requirement: the aluminium core specifically absorbs the torsional moment transmitted by the sail during furling and unfurling, while the autoclave-cured carbon shell — with a lamination schedule dedicated to torsional loads — provides bending stiffness and minimises overall weight. The result is a lighter, stiffer and mechanically more efficient system than any solution made entirely of aluminium or carbon alone.

• External diameter available in three sizes: ø43 mm · ø53 mm · ø60 mm
• Carbon section cured in autoclave with the same technology used for our masts
• Anodized aluminium twin-groove channel for optimum sail handling
• Adaptable to any type of furling genoa with a simple modification of the connection tube between drum and profile

Carbon Pole Spi

Our carbon spinnaker poles are manufactured in the same autoclave as our masts — with no restrictions on tube length, and variations of ±10% in length will not affect the quoted price. The exterior is finished with a white two-component polyurethane cycle. For larger diameters with tapered sections, contact us for a quotation.

• Ends are glued on to avoid holes in the tube
• Forespar heads with automatic closure and internal trip line (UXP series)
• Transparent finish option available (with visible carbon weave) at +12% surcharge
• High-tenacity fibre option for maximum reduction in diameter and weight — recommended for competitive racing applications where aloft weight and windage are critical
• Light-coloured finish standard: dark finishes are not recommended — in direct sunlight they can cause the tube to reach the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the resin system, approximately 90°C, beyond which the mechanical properties of the carbon composite begin to degrade irreversibly
• Order requires the J measurement from the IMS rating certificate (distance between forestay on deck and rotation pin)

Carbon Bowsprit

We offer various solutions for fitting a bowsprit to different types of vessels. We can supply a carbon tube with terminals designed for the required sail area, together with two clasps with resin rings. Vessels that can moor at our workshops on Molo Giano have a significant advantage for both the construction process and the ease of fitting — locating the ideal positions for the bowsprit support rings on the bow roller normally requires the bowsprit on board for trial fitting.

To provide a quotation we need: LOA, beam, displacement, sail area used on the bowsprit, and the overall tube length, specifying the overhang beyond the bow.

Mast Jack — Pre-Tensioning & Regulation

The regulation of a yacht's mast after stepping and before commencing navigation is called pre-tensioning. Its purpose is to distribute the rigging load evenly between windward and leeward sides, to make the mast more stable under sail, and to load each component within the values recommended by the mast manufacturer. Every mast should be supplied with a table of recommended loads.

The Mast Jack is both useful and important for regulating the mast and obtaining the desired pre-tensioning. It allows the load to be removed without losing the regulation of the rigging — indispensable on large vessels, where it can be considered essential for correct mast regulation.

• Two systems available: through-rod with twin lateral pistons connected in parallel to the pump, or single internal piston fitted inside the mast
• Manual pump or connection through a bypass to the vessel's centralised hydraulics
• Working load calculated by multiplying piston area in cm² by pressure in bar (1 psi = 0.0069 bar)
• The maximum load to apply on the piston must never exceed 20% of the maximum rigging load, and must be specified by the mast manufacturer for each vessel
• Ensure that the foot of the mast rests evenly on its full perimeter, both fore and aft — adjust the wedge-shaped spacers if necessary to distribute the load uniformly
• Never use the Mast Jack under sail. When sailing, the V1 cap shrouds and D1 diagonals are under fundamentally different tension states: the leeward rigging goes slack while the windward rigging carries the full load of the rig. The piston load combines with the load already applied to the mast under sail, potentially exceeding the maximum working load — with possible damage to the boat structure and the mast itself (collapse of the mast base, breakage of the lande zone, delamination of the reinforced areas used for rigging attachment)

Rigging & Mast Maintenance

All masts — racing or cruising — require periodic maintenance. The logic is the same as the engine of a car at 10,000–15,000 km, or the scheduled inspections every 30,000 flight hours on commercial aircraft: the mast and its rigging are a structural system subject to fatigue and ageing, and must be inspected on a predictable schedule.

• Every 3–4 years: demast, disassemble the rigging, clean all components, remove oxidisation and visually inspect for cracks on terminals and high-load steel parts
• Replace the rigging after 2–3 years of continuous use, or after 10 years if usage is 2–3 months per year
• Carefully inspect all terminals: they must be integral, without cracks or breakages
• Check all strands for breaks or wear, particularly on touching parts
• Load-test critical components on our 50-tonne rigging test station before re-installation

These recommendations are grounded in materials engineering. Standard stainless steel wire and rod have well-documented fatigue limits in the order of 40,000 stress cycles: a shroud that looks intact and shows no visible signs of damage can have entirely exhausted its fatigue reserve — visual inspection alone cannot reveal this. Aluminium masts of 20 years or more should be considered to have consumed approximately 80% of their useful service life: aluminium is not metallurgically stable over decades, and saline environments accelerate the degradation. Scheduled replacement is therefore not a commercial recommendation: it is an objective engineering requirement.

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