All Rope Jib Halyard

[Aldo]

Has anyone replaced the wire and rope jib halyard with an all rope halyard? I know that Catalina Direct offers this conversion, and it would seem to be ideal for our C-22 because we usually use a Drifter as our jib in the summer and it goes all the way up to the masthead. The wire on our current halyard is too long and we usually end up winding it around the cleats on the mast then up to the down-haul for the boom and back. This isn't pretty. Does the "all rope" halyard stretch too much. I know that the pulleys will have to be changed to make this conversion. Thanks for your advice, Aldo

 

[GARRY @ S/V TASHTEGO]

I did it last winter

I replaced both the main and jib halyards on TASHTEGO last winter with the mast down (I replaced the aluminum spreader sockets, added a spinnaker/storm jib block and rewired the mast too). First, I ordered new sheaves and halyards from Catalina Direct. You must change from the sheaves that were installed for wire halyards as their grooves are too narrow and will hurt the rope. They come in pairs as the halyard runs up over one sheave then across to the other one then down the mast to your winch. Then I ran the new halyards. Catalina Direct knew the right lengths for my mast and my mast mounted winches. I had the local rigger at Herrington Harbor North Marina splice in Wichard halyard shackles, the ones with the blue plastic thimble molded onto the shackle (I don't think Steve, the rigger, approved of the one on the jib but with a furling jib that I almost never lower I preferred the solid and secure Wichard and I wired it). I bought the halyards from Catalina Direct but you can get the premade from West Marine with snap shackles instead.

 

[Gary Bordeaux]

Just add a spinnaker halyard

Keep the two halyards that you have and add a block to the pin at the front of masthead above forestay connection. Run a new line halyard thru block and cleat to mast.