Short answer
Inspect a yacht rig at deck level at least annually, and go aloft or have a rigger go aloft annually as well. Inspect again after any grounding, knockdown, dismasting, accidental gybe or heavy-weather passage, regardless of when the last inspection was. Add a quick deck-level walk before every offshore passage.
Annual is the baseline, not the maximum. The value of an annual inspection comes from comparison: the same fittings, photographed the same way, year after year. A single inspection tells you far less than three consecutive ones.
Event-driven inspections matter more than scheduled ones. A grounding, knockdown, dismasting, accidental gybe or a hard passage can load a rig well beyond its normal range in seconds. That event resets the clock — inspect afterwards even if the annual check was last month.
Before an offshore passage, add a deck-level walk: turnbuckles, split pins, toggles, chainplates, lower terminals and the visible parts of the furler. It takes twenty minutes and catches the failures that come from things working loose.
Professional inspection cadence is a separate question. Many owners alternate — a thorough owner inspection one year, a professional inspection the next — with a professional pass before any major passage or insurance review. The rig inspection guide has a checklist you can work through.
Key facts
- Deck level
- At least annually
- Aloft
- At least annually, by owner or rigger
- After an event
- Immediately — grounding, knockdown, gybe, heavy weather
- Before offshore
- A 20-minute deck-level walk every time
- What makes it work
- Repeatable photographs compared year on year
Full background: read the guide
Primary sources
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