Best lines for halyards? best mast lights?

[Lynnie]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for information about the best lines for halyards and the best mast lights for the money. I'm getting a new mast for my Hunter 23.5 and need new lines and light.

My late husband had favorite types of lines and I have absolutely no idea what those were, or what my best bet is for the money. Funds are short as usual, but I want to get quality lines.

I also need to get a new mast light and need advice about that. Are LED lights a good choice? Can one get a good light inexpensively? I need something that will work on the top of a Hunter 23/5 mast.

I'm also considering a short rod to run a pennant, and a new wind directional thingy. Does anyone have advice about these? Can both be mounted on top of the mast successfully?

Is there anything else I should consider since I'm getting a new mast?

Any advice appreciated. I know I could search online and find something but I prefer to gather advice before shopping. And past experience has shown that there is great advice on this forum.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hope everyone is having a nice day!

Lynnie

 

[mcaswell]

Regarding LED nav lights, the main advantages I see are:

1) Reduced frequency of replacement
2) Much lower power usage

If the boat is a trailerable (so it's a piece of cake to replace a burnt out bulb, with the mast down), #1 is not really an issue. And, if you don't do a lot of overnight anchoring or night sailing, #2 isn't important either.

If so, I would lean towards regular old-fashioned incandescent lights... they'll be cheaper, and also I'm not completely convinced of the longevity of LEDs when used in a marine environment. Our old boat had some interior LED fixtures that were very troublesome. However, in contrast, our new boat is equipped with much better interior LEDs from Marinebeam that have been reliable so far. All of our nav lights are non-LED though.

--Michael

 

[Steve Dion]

Good quality lines from SBO.COM. Check out the SBO store. If you have questions, give Dave a call.

 

[SamLust]

To answer the actual question:

I have used New England Ropes Sta-Set double braid Dacron rope for quite some time. I have always been pleased with it. While not the cheapest stuff around, it is a consistent, quality product and mostly worth the money. I think you will do well with 3/8". Don't let anyone sell you Sta-Set "X". It is not worth the money or trouble on a boat like the 23.5 or my 260. You certainly do not need any of the newer exotic materials that people seem to have fallen in love with recently. Basic dacron double braid is just fine.

 

[Florida sail]

Right now WM is having a 20% discount on Sta Set X. Just replaced my mains'l halyard.

Reef early,

>>ron<<
S/V Good Idea

 

[shemandr]

I like low stretch halyards. Really low stretch. I had Stay Set X on one boat and it was low stretch enough. I know of one rep at a cordage company that doesn't think Stay Set X is much better than Stay Set. I've never tested side by side.
Stay Set X is fairly stiff and doesn't run smoothly through blocks. So if you have cockpit run halyards , which usually go through 4 or so sheaves and turning blocks, you may have unnecessary friction - i.e. difficulity in raising the sails. But, if you have furling that may not be an issue.
I like low stretch because it allows you to set halyard tension to control draft position in dacron sails. It does make a difference, cruising or racing, and I just can't stand having to re-do halyard tension because of stretch.
I think good halyards are a value.

 

[Cobalt]

I happen to be in the cordage business. Naturally I have a narcissistic bias for my own line of products but I'll try to just shoot you straight in this regard.

On any halyard you want a rope with "Static" properties. Static basically means that it stretches very little if at all. Typically a rope that is classified as static should not stretch more than 3% of its length when under its full rated load. However Halyard applications should stretch far less

Dyneema, Technora, and even the old Spectra are good core choices in this regard. But I'd lean more towards hybrid blends if you're getting competitive.

 

[hutch5151]

West Marine now carries New england rope "VPS" which has less strech than StaSet X at a value price. Great choice for club racers and anyone replacing halyards.

For the original poster, you can go to the New England Rope web site and they have a rope selection page. You just enter the size of the boat and type of sailor, ie: cruiser, club racer and/or grand prix racer and it will give you a recommended line.

 

[Lynnie]

wow, great advice here! Thanks everyone. I'm looking at these sites in a minute. I haven't done any racing so far in my sailing life, but may in the future. friendly racing of course. And, I'll have to take some kind of sailing class someplace to spiff up my knowledge base before I do anything like that too. I'm totally a cruiser now but sometimes I wish I knew more when other sailboats are zipping around me on the lake.

Price is gonna have to figure in too.

Regarding the mast light, I take my mast down at the end of the season and haul my boat home to the barn. so, replacing the bulb is not an issue. However, I am concerned about battery conservation on the water. I have 2 separate batteries on the boat and always keep the 'good' battery for the motor. Hence, the 'less good' battery for the lights sometimes runs dead. I have a little solar charger but my husband never wanted to leave it on all the time for fear of over charging the battery, although in the last couple of years I've heard that overcharging is not an issue with the small solar chargers. I've also read online that it is not good for a battery to run dead, which may be contributing to my problems as well.

Thanks again everyone! And happy sailing out there. I'm still waiting on my mast but some of my friends that go out with me a lot these last 2 summers want me to launch even without the mast so they can at least get out on the water. Last weekend I considered that for a minute, it was so nice out. However just too much hassle though because I'll need the boat to haul the mast home from the shipping location.

Take care, Lynnie.