Broken Halyard Shackle

[Naval Aviator]

Need advice to repair a broken main halyard shackle.

I have a wire to rope halyard. The shackle is attached to the wire rope with a swaged ball. The spring loaded twist lock pin completely fell out while I was rigging the sail and sank. I made a temporary repair using a clevis pin secured with a safety ring AKA ”Ring Ding.” Not sure why the twist lock pin fell through the lead hole (could be 41 years old?). At any rate, I would like to get the halyard back in shape – e.g. quick connect and quick release. Your advice please:

1. Any idea if there is a replacement pin option to return the shackle to its former function as a quick connect\release fitting?

2. What about adding a permanent pin to the shackle and fitting it with another type of shackle (snap shackle, key shackle, etc)? My concern with this option is it functionally lengthens the halyard by a couple of inches…

3. Remove the swage ball, replace the shackle and replace the swage ball. Only issue here is that I don’t have the tools to swage that ball on the wire rope. Is the original 1973 design even the best now or is there a better option if I remove the broken shackle?

Any advice you have is welcome.

 

[Kings Gambit]

The best thing in my opinion would be to remove the halyard, take it to a rigger for measurement, and have him make you a new one out of Dyneema rope; put on a new SS halyard shackle & you're good. Just take good care of it!

 

[Joe]

Probably not what you want to hear, but I will agree with KG and recommend replacing the halyard and the shackle. If you replace with wire/rope halyard kit, the package will come with a thimble and ferrule for attaching halyard to new shackle.

 

[thinwater]

The best thing in my opinion would be to remove the halyard, take it to a rigger for measurement, and have him make you a new one out of Dyneema rope; put on a new SS halyard shackle & you're good. Just take good care of it!

Why not a Dyneema shackle, long as you are at it? Can even be splice integral with the line.

 

[Ron20324]

My, My... it's so easy how other people can spend your money

 

[Stu Jackson]

My, My... it's so easy how other people can spend your money

Ron's right, we're all too good at that here!

OTOH, you're maybe one of the last who hasn't moved to all line halyards. Unless you have a sheave issue that prevents you from switching, consider that combined wire/rope halyards are pretty much a thing of the past, because of the improvement in line stretch or non-strecth in the past two decades.

Have yo considered switching? That would answer your connection issues, since you could get one of these and connect it with a splice or even a bowline or a buntline hitch.

http://www.westmarine.com/search?q=halyard+shackle::Product.brand:135051

If you search on the WM website, there are many more halyard shackles.

Good luck.

 

[svchickadee]

A $5 galvanized shackle from the hardware store will work, unless you plan on rounding Cape Horn on your San Juan 21.

 

[Naval Aviator]

Hum, maybe Cape of Good Hope? Yea, easy to encourage me to stuff more Benjamins in there. I guess It has been a while since I nerded out with sailing innovations. I like the idea of the all rope option. I am fairly certain that I can find a low stretch rope that will work in my mast. I like the idea of a Dyneema shackle

 

[Joe]

Well, dyneema isn't cheap, but you can certainly build your own "tapered" halyard for much less than the cost of a wire/rope replacement. A tapered halyard has a high tech single braid core, such as dyneema, that is covered over the handled and cleat section, thus the taper from thick to thin. Samson makes such a dyneema single braid they call "amsteel". . A 3/16 core of amsteel would be stronger than your 1/8" wire, and certainly stronger than 3/8" club level line, such as N.E. Sta Set.

Anyway... the cost savings comes when you purchase 3/16, cover the back half that is handled and cleated with an inexpensive 5/16 wrapper, such as Samson LS..... using the LS core to messenger the amsteel inside it. The "taper" or "bury" splice is pretty simple. Instructions can be found on the Samson website. THEN... Splice a long eye (sometimes called "luggage tag").... again, very easy because it is single braid... and you have a number of shackle options.

You can build a tapered halyard for your 21 footer as described for well under $100. These guys will help you figure out what you need and give you a good price to boot. https://www.apsltd.com/c-1539-splicingservices-halyardssheetsguys.aspx

 

[dscribner]

On your 21? Pull the halyard and head over to the local hardware store. They'll sell you a shackle and crimp the cable for you.

 

[Naval Aviator]

Some great suggestions. I am hauling her out I a couple of weeks and this will be a winter project (along with new hatchboards).

 

[thinwater]

My, My... it's so easy how other people can spend your money

Ain't that the truth!

However, a Dyneema shackle (tied from Amsteel) is the cheapest solution.

As for a Dyneema halyard, Amsteel is the cheapest materiail, per pound strength and stretch, and there is no reason he cannot splice it to an existing double braid tail (L-35.com has instructions).

As for repairing the halyard, he could simply put an eye in the end and use a soft shackle; cheapest answer.

 

[Brian S]

Information for working with Dyneema single braid line, such as Sampson's Amsteel Blue, can be found here: http://l-36.com

I'm using one of Allen's soft shackle designs to connect my asym sheets.

 

[Benny17441]

Eliminate that wire halyard and run a single line halyard outside the mast. Had an SJ21 years ago and that is how the main halyard was set up.