halyard to headboard

[obsailor]

I'm replacing the main halyard on my C&C 35. I will remove the old headboard shackle and give it to the yard to splice to the new halyard, keeping the old halyard in place to serve as a messenger for the new.

What happens if I want to do a little daysail before the yard does the splice? I think that I can tie a bowline with the old halyard directly to the headboard taking care not to jam the knot into the masthead sheave. Not elegant but it should work for easy sailing. Comments?

 

[Steve Dion]

I did the same thing. It was not an issue for me. It seems as though the yard should be able to do it the same day as you give it to them (if you schedule time before you cut the old one off)?!

 

[Stu Jackson]

I put a bowline on mine in 1998. It's still there.

 

[Ed Schenck]

So Stu, you're the one with the slapping halyard?!

 

[Stu Jackson]

Ed, actually, no. We tie our halyard off on the shroud cleat to starboard, no slapping. We anchor out a lot, and ANY noise drives us crazy. When we bought our boat, we had horrible slap noises inside the mast (keel stepped). You know the noise. YUCK!

When we finally had our stick pulled a few years later to install new standing rigging and a new ProFurl furler, we found some yo-yo had run the OEM anchor light and steaming/deck light wiring outside the conduit that was OEM inside the mast!!! Musta been built in a Friday afternoon or a Monday morning!

Ahhh, the blessed silence once the stick was back up!

We actually stayed on our boat in our marina one night. One night was all we could take! Those slapping halyards are something that's worse than Chinese Water Torture.


"The LOG," a southern California sailing 'newspaper,' printed a great story about that by Captain John Raines some time ago. I'm sure one could find it with a Google search (assuming your speeling was correct :cussing.!!!

 

[alexco38]

Learn to do the splice yourself. The splice kit came with instruction

It is not that hard. Once your learned it you can do one in 30 minutes

 

[Joe]

Just tie it on and go sailing.

So you don't have a spare halyard shackle on your 35 foot sailboat? Then, you need one, now ... go buy one and tie it on with a buntline hitch. http://www.animatedknots.com/buntline/index.php

If you learn to make your own eyesplices, you won't have have some yard worker keep you from sailing your own boat. This will help: http://www.samsonrope.com/splicing-instructions.cfm

Splicing is Fun! heh, heh.

 

[thinwater]

What happens if I want to do a little daysail before the yard does the splice? I think that I can tie a bowline with the old halyard directly to the headboard taking care not to jam the knot into the masthead sheave. Not elegant but it should work for easy sailing. Comments?

Go sailing. I haven't had a main halyard spliced on in 25 years. Actually, the shackle is a waste if you keep the sail on the boom for years at a time like most of us.

More likely to jam? Actually, probably the opposite.

Was the halyard worn in general or chafed in a few areas? Use a knot and shift the halyard a few feet and you may get some more years. Spliced lines cannot be end-for-ended because it isn't generally possible to splice used line.

 

[Alan]

Have a 'long eye splice' put in the new halyard. That way you don't need to cut the shackle out of the old halyard till the new one is installed. I do all my own splicing and all my halyards have long eye splices so I can change or remove the shackle at any time without a knife.

 

[Roger Long]

Surprisingly, a buntline hitch will usually let you hoist your main higher than a splice because it is shorter. It also won't jamb in the sheave the way a splice will when the thickened part of the rope in the splice is pulled between the sheave cheeks. I use it on my halyard shackle.

It's very simple to tie, just a clove hitch around the standing part to make a slider knot and and pulled up tight. It's a knot that is almost impossible to untie after it's been under load so think of it the same way you would a splice. It's 100% cheaper than having a splice made and the bulk of the knot keep the halyard shackle from banging on the mast or heads as hard if the halyard should get loose.

 

[Joe]

Have a 'long eye splice' put in the new halyard. That way you don't need to cut the shackle out of the old halyard till the new one is installed. I do all my own splicing and all my halyards have long eye splices so I can change or remove the shackle at any time without a knife.

Very, very good advice from Alan.... the "luggage tag splice allows you to add, remove or change the shackle without cutting the line.

12 Strand 'Luggage Tag' Splice

Applies to single braids (Vectrus 12, Ultrex 12 and AmSteel Blue) or the uncovered cores of strippable high tech double braids (Crystalyne, Maxibraid Plus) Basically, a large eye splice that attaches like a luggage tag to a suitcase handle. Use it to attach your halyard shackle for convenient replacement, or to securely attach a sheet directly to a sail's tack or clew, avoiding the weight of a shackle. Includes Whiplock™. This splice will consume two feet of line, so make sure your order your line long enough.