Halyard preference?

[Hermit Scott]

First off I'm praying for you guys getting hit by Gustav, like it or not.
I think I want to run the main halyard to the cockpit. Do I need to take the winch from the mast and mount it opposite of my mainsheet winch? OR do I just use the mainsheet winch to hoist it and then cleat/rope clutch it off? I don't care which is easier to set up, I don't mind taking the time.
It looks like all I would need is 2 pulleys and a longer halyard, then mount the winch and a rope clutch.
Is it just as easy to handle if it is ran on the same side as the main sheet winch?

I went to my boat yesterday and scraped the hull. I used a 4" scraper to be careful not to damage the paint. Some of the growth was 3 or 4 inches thick! I was able to do a pretty good job on one tank of air, but I didn't bring gloves and my hands look like hamburger today, but I got to run my hands over every square inch of the hull and that was worth it. It looked pretty good, no catalina smile. I found one blister though. The paint must be really tuff. It was smooth from the water line to the bottom of the keel. I couldn't tell where the keel and hull met.
This was my first time diving since I got my certification 10 years ago in a lake. I was a little scared of being in salt water with who knows what. The water was so murky I had to be with in 18" of the hull to see it. When I first dove down I saw a huge shadow moving beneath the boat, I was like 'Oh my God it's a shark!' Then I laughed out loud with a regulator in my mouth when I realized the sea floor was only 3' below my keel and it was the boats shadow.

 

[Scott]

You may not need to install a separate winch ...

If I were you, I would probably not take the winch off the mast. It may be useful (say for a spinnaker halyard) there even if you do run the main halyard to the cockpit. I am sure you can use the cabin top winch that you use for the mainsheet. First, you will need a block at the base of your mast and there are various ways to do this. You can have a mast base plate that can accomodate several blocks, or you can mount blocks in the deck right at the base of the mast, or you can mount a halyard block on the mast right at the base as you can see in my picture. Mine came from Rig-Rite and it is a Kenyon block (very expensive). Then you will need a deck organizer, if you don't already have one. They also come in a variety of configurations. Mine has four sheaves, with 2 pair stacked. You can find these from Schaefer or other hardware suppliers. I have 2 pair on each side so I can have a total of 8 lines leading to the cockpit from the base of my mast.

The rope clutches are very useful and I love the Spinlock XAS that I bought. I have 2 pairs on each side. After you hoist the mainsail, you can find a place to hang the coiled halyard and you don't have to use the winch drum as I do when I'm being lazy.

Did you notice how much better your boat moves after cleaning the bottom? When I clean mine after just a mild layer of slime, I pick up at least half a knot or more and the engine runs without blowing black smoke. I always know when the bottom needs cleaning because of the speed loss when motoring and the excessive black smoke when at higher rpm.

 

[Maine Sail]

Do you have lazy jacks?

If you do you may consider leaving on the mast. You still need to go on deck to connect the head board shackle and if you have lazy jacks sometimes the sail will flap into it while hoisting requiring a drop and re-hoist. With them on the spar you can sometimes muscle the sail by hand to avoid the battens getting stuck in the lazy jacks on the way up. My last three boats have had the halyards in the cockpit and it's nice for luff tensioning and sail adjustment while under way but other than that I would be fine with them on the mast..

Unless your rope clutch is located before the winch you'll either need to add one or another winch for the halyard. When you remove a halyard from the winch to cleat it off, on a standard style cleat, you'll lose luff tension.. I Prefer two winches one for the halyard and one for the main sheet if you have mid boom sheeting.

 

[newly anonymous]

refresher course

Disclaimer: I'm a retired scuba instructor, which means that I'm no longer qualified to give advice on diving issues.

However, when I was an active instructor, both PADI and NAUI, not to mention a Master Instructor and Instructor Trainer, I would have advised anyone who had not dived for ten years after certification that they shouldn't dive, not even to clean a hull, without first taking a refresher course. It's not a set of skills like riding a bicycle that you never forget. You'll probably be fine as long as nothing goes wrong, but....

And, were it me, I'd leave the winch on the mast and find a new one to use from the cockpit. Shop the flea markets. Chances are pretty good that you're going to have serious trouble removing that winch from the mast if it's been there more than a few years. Even if you don't have trouble, you'll leave an ugly scar on the mast, and remove a winch that you still will find useful.

 

[Alan]

I seriously doubt...

.. that prayers are going to stop this hurricane.

As for your halyard, you don't need your mainsheet on a winch when you are raising or lowering the sail. This makes you single winch a duel purpose winch because the uses are non overlapping. Just install a rope clutch and you're done.

 

[sailaway78]

DITTO

Take a refresher course. You can kill yourself in very shallow water.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Thank You for the knowledge

Scott in New Jersey, I like that set up that you have. I will build a similar set up to that. I haven't moved my boat yet so I don't know about the improved aerodynamics. But I would have to imagine that something shaped like a sailboat will move better than the coral reef that it was before I cleaned it. lol There were literally shrimp living in holes and poking their heads out as I destroyed their homes. And the prop was the shape of a round birthday cake.

Mainsail, I don't have lazy jacks. I am not exactly sure what those are. I think they are to keep the sail from all falling down one side of the boom while you are taking it down. By the way you are my hero when it comes to gelcoat restoration. I read all your posts on that and will be undertaking it myself. Do you have lazy jacks? Do you recommend them?

I am not a sailor yet. My hobby is sailboat restoration until I get this one in sailable condition. I have never sailed. I just thought that I wanted to do it so I bought a boat and I am going to fix it up and sail it to the Bahamas, and live there for a while. My boat has no running rigging so somethings I need have figured out before I start sailing, like how long of halyards I need. Other wise I would buy halyards too short and end up buying them again to get what I really want. I do apologize for asking rediculous questions, that make it look like I have never even been on a sailboat before, but that is the case. As soon as I get this diesel back together I will start motoring and then I will get the running rigging on and than I will be able to sail.

And Alan, I didn't say I would pray for the hurricane, just that I would pray for you. Maybe the hurricane is what you need. I don't presume to know.