Looking at the chandlery Rigging and Lines there are several sizes of main halyards. What size is generally used by trailer sailors and for some limited coastal cruiseing? I measure 1/2 inch across my old halyards,( if thats the way to measure ). Both halyards and jib sheets are colored green to starboard and red to port, is this unusual or a general practise? The chandlery charts only offer same color for both sides on jib sheets. Is there a 3 strand rope that will ride thru the pulley without getting a kink in it and who sells it? I have spliced 3 strand rope many years ago for a small gaff daysailor and they worked fine. Being on a S.S. budget the price of chandlery lines plus $20 per splice would cut down on my gas and eats money to trailer to the Keys. Could a 135% genoa sheet be used also for the jib sheet, just have more tail end of it to contend with? Comments please. Happy sailing, David S.
- Status
- Jan 22, 2008
- 519
limited or unlimited budget
I think you just answered your own question. If you have a limited budget and your lines work fine as they are, then there is no need to fix them. If you want traditional, stick with 3 strand, but it will tangle and stretch more. Better to go with double braid if you can afford it. As for colors, there is a recommended standard that goes something like this according to Chapman's Piloting and Small boat handling: Mainsheet and halyard white jib/genoa blue spinnaker red topping lifts green vangs and travelers orange (White line can easily be dyed) The lines may have a solid color or be white with a colored tracer. 9/16 or 1/2" would be typical for halyards on a 22' sheets may go up to 5/8" for comfort in the hand topping lifts vangs and travelers can be smaller 3/8" or 1/4" flag halyards may be even smaller at 3/16" or even 1/8" The only addition I have made on my boat is that the clew outhaul, main downhaul or cunningham, and barber haulers are red. It makes it easier to direct crew to colored lines when they may not know their names, and the biggest difference between the thingmajiggy, the whatchamacallit, and doohickey at the base of the mast may for all intents and purposes be color to the unseasoned. As for splicing lines, I ordered a fid kit this past year (about $20), and learned to do my own end splice, long splice and eye splice. Instructions are on line. Google double braid splice or yale cordage for downloadable instructions or click here. http://www.yalecordage.com/html/pdf/yale_indust_dbraid.pdf
I think you just answered your own question. If you have a limited budget and your lines work fine as they are, then there is no need to fix them. If you want traditional, stick with 3 strand, but it will tangle and stretch more. Better to go with double braid if you can afford it. As for colors, there is a recommended standard that goes something like this according to Chapman's Piloting and Small boat handling: Mainsheet and halyard white jib/genoa blue spinnaker red topping lifts green vangs and travelers orange (White line can easily be dyed) The lines may have a solid color or be white with a colored tracer. 9/16 or 1/2" would be typical for halyards on a 22' sheets may go up to 5/8" for comfort in the hand topping lifts vangs and travelers can be smaller 3/8" or 1/4" flag halyards may be even smaller at 3/16" or even 1/8" The only addition I have made on my boat is that the clew outhaul, main downhaul or cunningham, and barber haulers are red. It makes it easier to direct crew to colored lines when they may not know their names, and the biggest difference between the thingmajiggy, the whatchamacallit, and doohickey at the base of the mast may for all intents and purposes be color to the unseasoned. As for splicing lines, I ordered a fid kit this past year (about $20), and learned to do my own end splice, long splice and eye splice. Instructions are on line. Google double braid splice or yale cordage for downloadable instructions or click here. http://www.yalecordage.com/html/pdf/yale_indust_dbraid.pdf
- Status