Shroud Covers

[TBOT422]

The last time we went sailing I noticed some wear on the last 3 or 4 feet of the genoa foot. I then noticed that when coming about, the genoa slides across the shrouds, so I suspect that is why there is some wear over that section.

My question is: Would nylon snap-on shroud covers help this situation? Would they cause more problems than they cure by increasing the likelihood of corrosion on the shrouds? Would it be better to just repair the genoa from time to time? Does anyone use them or have opinions? Put them on only when sailing, and take them off the rest of the time?

Thanks

[pdenoncourt]

I have used nylon shroud covers on the split backstays and shrouds for the past 10 years. I did not have any covers on the aft shrouds, and when I tuned the rig in March, I could not tell the difference between the covered and uncovered shrouds and fittings. Mine do not fit tight to the shrouds and are free to rotate. I think you would worry about corrosion only if the covers fit tight against the stainless steel. As long as air can easily circulate around the stainless steel, corrosion should be minimal.