Boat Riggers in San Francisco Bay

BoatingSF provides a directory that features the best boating-related service providers in and around San Francisco Bay. Feel free to browse through our lists of boating experts, such as boat riggers and marine surveyors, electricians, and mechanics.

Through our website’s directory, you can find boat rigging services near particular areas, including San Francisco, Sausalito, Oakland/Alameda, and Richmond.

The responsibility of boat riggers cannot be overstated. In critical weather situations the expertise of a boat rigger can mean the survival of a boat and its passengers.

Our featured companies offer a wide range of boating-related and rigging services, including:

  • Inspection of standing and running rigging – visual inspection of rig termination points.
  • Inspection of sheaves, pins, spreaders, headsail foils, and gooseneck fittings.
  • Inspection of electrical wiring for corrosion and chafes.
  • Hardware inspection – including winches, clutches, cars, blocks, tracks, and light fittings.
  • Rig cleaning – including rig ends, cars, and pins.

The service includes a detailed report of inspection and suggestions of additional work and parts required. The cost of re-rigging services usually depends on the size of the yacht and how it was originally rigged.

Running and standing rigging should be replaced after ten years. Insurance companies generally recommended that amount of time, which, according to riggers, is a reasonable life expectancy.

Table of Contents

Yachts on San Francisco harbor

What is a Boat Rigger?

A yacht rigger is an expert whose job is to work on a boat or a yacht rigging. A rigger’s tasks include keeping the integrity of the systems of ropes and cables and all accompanying parts, such as pulleys and winches that a yacht carries.

Riggers use a boat’s rigging system to move heavy loads, and in the case of sailing vessels, they use it to control the vessel’s speed and course while at sea. Riggers are also responsible for maintaining the vessel’s rigging to keep it always in working order.

A qualified rigger has:

  • Extensive experience and knowledge.
  • A recognized degree as a marine rigger, certificate, or professional standing.

Find a Boat Rigger in San Francisco

What Does a Yacht Rigger Do?

Today, boat riggers use modern equipment to assist in their task of controlling the sails. Equipment, such as winches and pulleys, was not available for most of the sailing history, and riggers in the past were using sheer muscle power to maneuver and control the ship.

The responsibility of riggers on a ship cannot be overstated. During critical weather situations, the expertise of a maritime rigger means the survival of a boat and its passengers. Failure to adjust the sails properly may cause the boat to turn over and everything it carries to submerge in the sea.

As a rigger, they also spend a lot of time in their shops. That is where they do their production and making things like halyards, sheets, and ropes, and in summer, they are busy with installation jobs.

During those times, they spend half their time sailing with customers or installing and inspecting rigging systems.

In the winter, it is a lot less work. But they do spend significant time in boatyards getting boats ready for the next season.

How much do yacht riggers earn? In 2011, the average annual salary for riggers was $42,770 (Bureau of Statistics). According to records from ZipRecruiter, the salary of marine riggers as of writing stands in the range of $31,000 to $53,000.

The job description for marine riggers may include the following:

  • Change propellers and adjust motors to improve speed and performance
  • Install outboard and inboard motors using hand tools
  • Load boats on trailers
  • Make deliveries to customers

What Services Does a Boat Rigger Provide?

Find a company that can provide everything you need for successful and safe sailing. Most providers can offer a range of rigging services that include:

  • Splicing

    Splicing is a way of terminating a rope or joining its two ends without using knots. Knots are bulky and unsightly. Even if a knot is correctly tied, it can still cause a significant loss in the strength of a rope.

    We recommend using a local professional service when splicing or installing your ropes.

  • Furling Systems

    Roller furling systems on yachts are used for hoisting a jib in a groove. When the sail is not in use, it is furled around the headstay instead of being lowered.

    To furl the sail, you only pull on a line that extends from a drum at the base of the jib aft to the winch located near the cockpit. That rotates the entire headstay and rolls up the jib.

    Choose furling systems that can perform even under the harshest of conditions. Some companies supply and install brands on any yacht size and sell major brands, such as Reefit, Profurl, Fiurlex, and Selden.

  • Wire Rigging
    Wire standing rigging is one maintenance-free aspect of contemporary sailboats. However, because little attention is given to it, many yacht owners are uninformed about their stays and shrouds.

    Make sure that you include this aspect in a rigging inspection service. It can help you understand what wire ropes can and cannot do. Also, the service can show you how you can make wire ropes perform their best.

    Some wires are constructed for strength, while others are constructed in favor of flexibility.

  • Swaging

    Swaging services employ the process of crimping tubular fittings onto rigging wires under high pressure. Swage fittings come with many benefits. They are cost-effective and last a long time. In the northern latitudes, swage fittings that last up to 20 years are not uncommon.

    Swage blocks are used in swaging bars and heading bolts by hand.

Installing a mast on a yacht in Oakland

  • Mast Stepping

    Mast stepping is the process involved in raising the mast of a yacht. It may be a part of a ceremony for a new boat or as a step required in stepping the mast of a gig or dinghy. Some people routinely use mast stepping on seasonal maintenance in sailboats.

    In mast-stepping ceremonies, coins are placed or welded onto the mast step of the ship. Such a practice is seen as an essential step in constructing ships and is widely believed to be a harbinger of good luck.

  • Ropework

    Ropework services involve applying a set of skills that span the use, maintenance, and repair of ropes or rope systems. If the ropes on your yacht are damaged, there can be plenty of performance issues that can arise.

    Yacht owners must therefore exercise care and restraint to identify any damage before using wire ropes. Disastrous consequences, such as damage to property and injury to sailors, can happen due to damaged or low-quality ropes.

  • Masts & Spars

    Many companies provide mast and spar services and sell parts from trusted brands, such as Axxon, Hall Spars, Selden, and John Mast.

    Whether you need to install a completely new mast or only require some repair work on your vessel, many companies can accommodate such a need. Some companies have large workshops that can house booms and mast for more extensive work.

    If you are looking for spare parts, take a look at the companies listed in our directory. Many of them hold stocks of spares for spars and masts. If they do not have the part you want to buy, they can source it and help you perform swift repairs on your yacht.

  • NDT Testing

    Non-destructive testing (NDT) is a testing technique used for evaluating material properties and components. It also tests structures and systems for welding defects or discontinuities. The service can do these tests without causing damage to the original part or structure.

Boa

Find a Boat Rigger in San Francisco

Final Words

When you are looking for yacht rigging or other boating-related services, BoatingSF has you covered. Our San Francisco listings for boating-related companies and services is complete for your perusal. But if you are looking for specialized or the best services near your location, contact us.

Find San Francisco marine rigging services that can design and engineer marine rigging solutions based on your specifications. We can also connect you with the company of your choice. Find a yacht rigger in San Francisco near you.

We provide website links, phone numbers, and information for companies listed in our directory.

Some of the links in this article are "affiliate links", a link with a special tracking code. This means if you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. The price of the item is the same whether it is an affiliate link or not. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers. By using the affiliate links, you are helping support our Website, and we genuinely appreciate your support.