Extra Halyard

[Yehudi]

Knowing there is an extra sheave at the masthead eagerly awaiting a halyard for a cruising chute, but not an extra opening at the base or the mast for the halyard to exit...can anyone give me a tip on cutting that opening in the mast to install a lower sheave?

 

[Ed A]

got to think about this.

Im not sure you want to put your chute halyard on the sheave in the masthead at all. The loads on the chute often come at bad angles for the sheave causing a lot of chafe. I think i would recommend going with a block at the mast head and an externl halyard. I had a chute jam at the hasthead sheave and could not take it down. That was a bad day!

 

[scott]

Yehudi, you may want to hold off on that

if you are talking about the sheave that hangs from a forward tang/tab of the masthead. I have a Kenyon mast w/external spinnaker halyard and the masthead is set up with two tangs/tabs one on either side of the forestay at the mast head. I don't think that these sheaves will work to lead the halyards internally. My main and stay sail halyards run internally and there is one extra halyard exit opening in the lower part of the mast. I can't remember which side. But my guess is that the empty 3rd exist opening is for an extra main halyard from a sheave on the aft/back side of the masthead.Also, I recollect a post on this issue in the last couple of months. Hope this helps.Scott

 

[Ed Schenck]

My gennaker halyard.

I did what you are contemplating. When I rewired the mast I also added two halyards(replaced the other two). I took the new forward halyard over the spare sheave and then through a block attached to the bale on the front/top of the mast. This puts the halyard ahead of the furler. The block can swing on the bale when tacking in front of the furler.The spare aft halyard is attached to the topping lift making it adjustable. I lost a halyard once so this is my backup. If I ever get a rigid vang I will just tie this one off somewhere.