Halyard Replacement

[Michael S]

I would like to replace teh Jib and Main halyards.How do I do this - can I tie the old and new line and simply loop through the pulleys at the top of the mast ?

 

[Ron Dague]

Sew and Tape! Don't Tie

Pulling new halyards is fairly easy. Using the old line to pull the new is fine. But having it pull apart or jam in a block at the top of the mast is not fun. The safest is to put the old line and new line end to end. Run some thread through the each of them, joining them together. Then use some rigging tape to cover the sewing and joint. It takes about 10 minutes per line to sew and cover, but virtually guarantees it will feed through, effortlessly. Just make sure it doesn't get any (or much) thicker where the two ropes join.

 

[Steve Dion]

Just did it too.

Michael:I just did it exactly like Ron described. Used whipping twine. This stuff is extremely strong. Be sure to add just a little tape to make it smooth and not too bulky.

 

[Sam Lust]

Simplify?

I use a small piece of bailing wire. (A small roll is always on the boat --- if I can't fix it with bailing wire or duct tape it can't be fixed!) I form a "staple" from a 3" long piece, push the "legs" through the ends of the joining lines, twist the ends of the wire together with the twisted end trailing away from the direction of pull. Simple, quick, and it's never failed me.