Hello Don Anderson,
Just saw your message via my Zenfolio photo albums page:
Alphonse can you tell me how the spinnaker halyard is run through your blocks on the top of mast? The boatyard installed mine and first time the spin halyard got tangled with roller furler. Was not able to roll furler in. I think where they messed up is the spin halyard should have been fed through the sheave at top. Any help would be great.
My boat’s furler is a Harken Unit 00 Flexible Furler. They discontinued the model due to problems with the luff foil. But dimensionally I believe it is the same as the later model with aluminum extrusions that Harken came out with. It is also similar to other brand flexible furlers.
The problem with the furlers and a spinnaker halyard is the top swivel of the furler catching the spinnaker halyard as it runs down the face of the mast to where it enters the mast.
The solution my friend and sailing mentor Ed Laviano (RIP) at Bellpat Marine (out of business) came up with is a simple fairlead just below the mast truck. And a picture is worth a thousand words!
The blue with white trace line is the spinnaker halyard. It runs through the bullet block hung on the forward bale on the mast truck The hauling end passes through the fairlead just a few inches below, then enters the mast further down, then runs internally to an exit sheave in the mast base. If my memory serves me correctly the entrance penetration was factory installed. As to the exit sheave, the cheeks for it were part of the casting, but I had to add the sheave and its axel pin.
Underway, I usually took the load end (with halyard shackle) to the outside of the shrouds and attach it to the cabin top grab rail. My spinnaker storage bag is set up for launching from the side behind the main as opposed to from forward at the pulpit. I can’t recall if the load end of halyard clears the furler if it’s stored attached to the pulpit (at the lifeline attachment bale).
When docked, I use the spinnaker halyard to hoist a snorkel cover over the genoa (mine does not have the built in Sunbrella along the leech and foot).
My spinnaker pole topping lift also runs internal to the mast. I had to add the entrance sheave for it, as well as another sheave in the mast base.
The dirty white line you see coming from the mast truck is an internally run genoa halyard. There’s actually two, but the second one is hidden behind the toggle attachment for the forestay.
If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call.
I had to find something out because finding 272s with people running a spinnaker is tough. This guy Alphonse knew exactly what I was running into. Now I know why Oday put that hole in the mast below the furler about 2 feet. To run the spin halyard through. Genius!
