Halyards inside the mast

T

Tim

.
Jun 29, 2004
57
Oday 30 Port Jefferson, NY
Are there any drawbacks to running the halyards inside the mast or benefits of keeping them outside the mast?

Here's my thoughts:

Possible drawbacks to halyards run inside the mast:

more difficult to reeve halyards

may interfere with electrical wires in the mast?
exit slot weakens mast?
exit slot lets in more water?
exit slot has more chafe?
possible chafe on internal mast structure at roller furling and spreaders

depending on where the halyards exit, can no longer spring halyards to tighten themBenefits of halyards run inside the mast:

frees up 2 sheaves for other uses
cleaner routing of lines

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
 
C

clinton_edmonds

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Oct 30, 2019
67
Outside of the mast, it is easier to quiet them at night when trying to sleep,

Clint Edmonds________________________________

From: Tim Klynn tim_klynn@...
To: "AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com" AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, November 25, 2011 2:57:03 AM
Subject: [AlbinVega] Halyards inside the mast


Are there any drawbacks to running the halyards inside the mast or benefits of keeping them outside the mast?

Here's my thoughts:

Possible drawbacks to halyards run inside the mast:

more difficult to reeve halyards

may interfere with electrical wires in the mast?
exit slot weakens mast?
exit slot lets in more water?
exit slot has more chafe?
possible chafe on internal mast structure at roller furling and spreaders

depending on where the halyards exit, can no longer spring halyards to tighten them

Benefits of halyards run inside the mast:

frees up 2 sheaves for other uses
cleaner routing of lines
 
T

tim_klynn

.
Feb 12, 2008
337
Alan,
If I remember correctly, the way the mast is rigged now, the main halyard runs up the mast, turns 90 degrees, goes through a sheave on the front of the mast, over the top of the mast, turns another 90 degrees and

goes over a sheave on the backside of the mast, then down to the sail. The jib halyard is run in a similar fashion, so each halyard goes over 2 sheaves. If the halyards ran up the middle of the mast, the halyard would turn only go over 1 sheave (turning 180 degrees) and back down to whatever sail it was destined for.

Sonething else for the plus and minus columns:

Running over 2 sheaves (each w/a 90 degree turn), probably puts less stress on the sheaves and halyards than having only 1 sheave w/a 180 degree turn. -Tim
________________________________
From: n4lbl alan.schulman@...
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, November 25, 2011 8:27 AM
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] Halyards inside the mast



Tim:

I don't understand where " frees up 2 sheaves for other uses " comes from.

Alan
 
J

j.hunter9999

.
Oct 30, 2019
574
I'm no "halyard in the mast" expert, but based on a few years experience since
we made the conversion, here are our thoughts:

1. We haven't had any more of an issue quieting the halyards inside the mast
than we had when they were outside.

2. I have not noticed it to be any harder to raise the sails, reef or anything
else since the conversion. We have not run the lines aft, yet. I haven't
committed to running them aft, so it may never happen. However, I can see where
there might be more friction as a result of the lines exiting the mast if the
lines did not drop straight down from the exit plates to the block.

3. Unless the rain is falling upward, or horizontally directly at the side of
the mast (unlikely on the hook, possible in a slip), or the mast is underwater,
there shouldn't be any more water coming in through those openings. We have not
noticed any water coming in through the mast or anywhere else.

4. The exit slots certainly may weaken the mast. I was careful to space out
the openings. However, this may be a concern.

5. Chafe inside the mast could be a problem, so take care when running the
lines so that they are on the correct side of the internal components. We have
not noticed any chafing. We do not have a roller furler on the jib; however, I
could see where that might be an issue. Definitely something to consider before
committing to the process.

6. We spring halyards to tighten them. Its all a function of where they exit.
Ours exit the mast about 9 feet above the deck (staggered).

7. We do not have a problem with the halyards chafing against the wires.
However, this too is something for which on needs to plan.

The setup has worked well for us. I will say that if it is done, it can be
undone (except for the exit plates). So, if you run the halyards through the
mast and decide you don't like it, you can always pull the lines out and reroute
them to the original configuration. The Schaefer exit plates are designed such
that it would be extremely difficult to get water in them...unless the water was
coming in horizontally, blowing right at the side of the mast (unlikely on the
hook, but possible at the slip), or it is coming up from the deck. Depending on
how the plates are installed, one could remove them if they didn't like the
layout, then put covers over the exit points.

Cheers!
Jack
Bella - V2620
 
T

tiempo2010

.
Sep 24, 2008
346
Virtually all modern boats have internal halyards. Cleaner airflow, less
to smack the mast in a breeze. The sheaves shouldn't be a problem, but if
they are original they should be checked and maybe changed for new if they
are binding or showing wear.
 
T

trevy_kins

.
Oct 31, 2019
230
If going off-shore, I'd rather have the simplicity of external halyards
-- much easier to inspect and replace etc. My two bits.

Trevor
 
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