How to replace halyard?

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Craig

the halyard to hoist the main has seen its day and next spring i need to replace it. a new replacement came with the boat and after four yrs it's time to use it. is it right to tape the old and new together and run it thru the mast or is there a better way? if so what kind of tape is to be used. it's on a 1987 34ft hunter with the mast up. thanks. craig
 
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Paul Akers

Taping, OK, but...

...what you should do BEFORE taping the ends tobether is to sew them end-to-end for added strength. Taping alone may work, but why take the chance of the two lines slipping apart? Sew the ends end-to-end with a strong thread/string and then wrap tightly with tape to retain the same diameter. Pull the old halyard thru until you have the new one in hand and then you are all set to cut, seal and sail. Good Luck!
 
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Jim Rushing

What If?

Craig, what if the new halyard has a eye splice on the end? Then you can't pull the new one in by pulling the old one out. This requires you to attach a second line to the original halyard with tape and pull the old one out. Then you use the second line to pull the new one back in. Keep enough tension on the lines so that the cannot jump off any of the sheaves during this operation.
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
What If, if....

Craig: I have replaced halyards on three boats last year. On two of them we used the sewing method, which if felt was mandatory. I never wanted to take a chance of the line pulling out of the tape. One of my fellow sailors at our marina convinced me to try the paper clip trick. After trying it I see no good reason to sew them together again. http://www.sailboatowners.com/upload/display.tpl?folder=Dion73112378230&fno=17 As for Jims question, where is no reason to worry about the shackles on the old lines, you just cut them off and attach the old shackle end to the new bitter end of the new line.
 
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Roger Mummah

Chaser Line

Hi, We keep a special of heavy duty 1/8" line that we use for running halyards thru the mast. It's long enough to make the round trip up and down the mast, probably 100' or so. We use the sewing method and then put tape around the sewing. The only scary thing is if the tape hangs up inside something. So far (knock on fiberglass) this technique has never failed. and we never have to cut anything off. Good luck. Roger Mummah
 
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Craig

Dont have what i thought----bummer

working at home has its advantages. i made my trip down to the basement to hunt up my new main halyard. guess what. it aint it. it's 80ft long and no spliced end. the only thing i can figure it's for is the rollerfurling. anyway my mast on the 34 is 46ft high. that times two plus maybe 20 ft extra to the cockpitis like 120ft total. couple of questions. do you normally buy these premade and can i expect to pay 150 for a premade or do you buy the line and make the end yourself? is boat us or west the best source or is there a cheaper place? boat us guide is 3/8for main halyard and west is 7/16 thanks for any help. craig
 
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Craig

done deal/no time to wait spring is com'n

it's over, it's done. dow is up 100 and my halyard is on the way. sailnet 96 bucks for a staset 7/16 115ft. got my new bimini yesterday now what about those torpedo's? craig thanks for your help.
 
Jan 22, 2008
275
Hunter 33_77-83 Lake Lanier GA
And now for the easy method....

I have done this 4 times this way without fail. Take the end of the new one (not the end with the fitting) and splice it to the end of the old halyard with the fitting cut off. I splice mine simply by using a soldering gun and melting the two together end to end. Then a wrap of tape around that and just pull it through the top of the mast. Works like a charm and no sewing. After the run completes, cut the two apart and melt the end to seal and you are done.
 
Jan 22, 2008
275
Hunter 33_77-83 Lake Lanier GA
OH, forgot to mention..

be sure and attach the fitting of the new halyard to something so it does not end up at the top of your mast.
 
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Terry

DAVID HAS A GOOD IDEA WITH ONE ...

suggestion. IMHO I prefer the softer whip stitch to finish off my bitter ends rather than melting because it makes them hard and sometimes jagged which can tear skin. Also, melting the ends sometimes creates a mushroom finish making it difficult to pass through a sheave or line stopper. Terry
 
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Craig

Thanks for the variety of responses

Thanks for the help. My fear was pulling thru a loose end with no new one. i will do this in the spring. thankyou. craig
 
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Tim Davis

Messenger Line

My friend showed me this technique: Cut any whipping off old halyard and slide the outer covering back leaving the inner line exposed. Tape a 1/8" messenger line tightly to about 6-8" of the inner line. Pull the outer cover back over the tape job and apply tape neatly to the joint between messenger line and halyard. Pull old halyard through. Detach messenger line and reattach to new halyard same as above. Pull messenger line through with new halyard. Whip ends.
 
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