halyard maintenance

[Mike8193]

Thanks to the advice here I ran messenger lines and removed my main and jib halyards. My boat is four years old and this is the first time I removed them. I store outdoors(Chicago winters) mast up in a dirty boatyard. I inspected the halyards and they look good. Do I wash them? How? How often do you have to replace halyards (or another way of asking, how long do halyards last)? Thanks for the advice. Mike

 

[ironhors42]

I saw article on halyard lines and running lines on how to clean them. You put them in washing machine, but you have to use something like netted laundry bag but keep laundry bag loose so washing machine doesn't become off balance or you can use commercial washing machine also. You can beach lines that is use for color clothes if your lines are differnent colors and it has to be tied up so lines doesn't come out and rap around agatitor. You can wash as usual. I hope that help with both running lines and halyard lines.

 

[Ross]

My halyards are coming up on ten years. They get tested when I hoist the sail and inspected when I coil the tails. The distance from the boom to the mast head is just about the same as the distance from the mast head to the halyard winch, so at some time I get a good look at ever foot of halyard that is subject to wear. My halyards get washed when it rains.

 

[Steve Dion]

Just washed some braided dock lines. I just used OxyClean and fabric softener. Then hang them up to dry. They come out looking almost new!

 

[Ken Prichard]

Use the washing machine -

Don't use the dryer!!!

 

[tommays]

I would say UV on and haylard is the big issue over the winter

Being a simple guy who steps the mast every year i just pull the haylard up to the mast sheve and coil and bag the rest to stop UV exposure

 

[TC22454]

Our lines were suposedly 2-years old but covered with algae and mildew when we bought our boat. (Boat stored under a tree) They were very stiff and rough to the feel. On advice, we soaked them for 3-days in a tub with laundry detergent then put them in a net bag (one at a time) and ran them through the washing machine. Look and feel brand new. All algae and mildew gone. Soft and flexible.

 

[sailingdog]

If you're going to run lines through a washing machine, putting the halyards in a nylon mesh bag is probably a really good idea.