I think my twelve year old original halyards are up for replacement. I have come to this conclusion because the genoa halyard end is worn from chafe and I know that resplicing used line is very difficult. The main halyard seems to stretch much more that I wish and allows a sizable sag at the bottom of the luff just above the boom after the sail has been hoisted and sailed for a while. I'm not sure if line stretch is something that tends to increase with advancing age or not, but I am assuming that new line would have less stretch.
According to my Hunter 40.5 spec's, both the main and genoa halyards are 7/16" and are "Spectra". No further description is given, nor is a manufacturer of the halyards stated.
New England Ropes manufactures a variety of line products that have Spectra (or HMPE) fibres. I am looking at Sta-Set X (low stretch) or T-900 (very low stretch) lines. There is also a line called VPC that may be suitable.
I am looking for opinions as to what specific line to buy.
For the main halyard I would like a line that is easy on the hands and has very low stretch. I use rope clutches to secure the halyard and I have read that the hi-tech lines (perhaps like T-900) don't hold well in clutches and that the largest possible line size should be used in the clutch. My Garhauer clutches are rated for 5/16 to 9/16 line. My halyard are currently 7/16" and I've had no problem with them and the original "Spectra" line.
The T-900 is much stronger than the Sta-Set X, so a smaller size could be used for the same original strength, but a smaller size line is harder on the hands and may not work as well in the clutches. But a smaller line would result in a smaller coil in the cockpit when the sail is hoisted. The T-900 is almost three times as expensive as compared to Sta-Set X, so I'm not sure if it is worth the extra cost.
The genoa halyard is raised in the spring and lowered in the fall. I have not noticed any stretch issues with that line, so maybe some Sta-Set X in that application would be fine.
Bottom line- has anyone researched lines for halyards and can you make any recommendations to me?
According to my Hunter 40.5 spec's, both the main and genoa halyards are 7/16" and are "Spectra". No further description is given, nor is a manufacturer of the halyards stated.
New England Ropes manufactures a variety of line products that have Spectra (or HMPE) fibres. I am looking at Sta-Set X (low stretch) or T-900 (very low stretch) lines. There is also a line called VPC that may be suitable.
I am looking for opinions as to what specific line to buy.
For the main halyard I would like a line that is easy on the hands and has very low stretch. I use rope clutches to secure the halyard and I have read that the hi-tech lines (perhaps like T-900) don't hold well in clutches and that the largest possible line size should be used in the clutch. My Garhauer clutches are rated for 5/16 to 9/16 line. My halyard are currently 7/16" and I've had no problem with them and the original "Spectra" line.
The T-900 is much stronger than the Sta-Set X, so a smaller size could be used for the same original strength, but a smaller size line is harder on the hands and may not work as well in the clutches. But a smaller line would result in a smaller coil in the cockpit when the sail is hoisted. The T-900 is almost three times as expensive as compared to Sta-Set X, so I'm not sure if it is worth the extra cost.
The genoa halyard is raised in the spring and lowered in the fall. I have not noticed any stretch issues with that line, so maybe some Sta-Set X in that application would be fine.
Bottom line- has anyone researched lines for halyards and can you make any recommendations to me?