I'm looking for experienced advice on spinnaker halyard installation.

[Clark]

I have a 1996 H280 to which I'd like to add a spinnaker halyard. It will be done under my guidance by a yard worker from a bosun's chair lifted by a crane. The mast on these (and similar sized models/years) has a curved (pointed forward) stainless bar that runs through the mast at the spreaders to provide an attachment point for the spreaders. This would in effect; in conjunction with the wiring conduit, block off the forward half of the mast cavity. It has a sheave box and an exit plate that is ~ 7' off the deck.
1) Should we use a messenger line with a weight or the halyard itself with a weight?

2) What kind of weight? This dictates the retrieval technique I guess. If lead, then a hook at the exit . . right? If steel then I could use a hook or a magnet but if the weight is lost in the mast, it will rust.

Just looking for your thoughts and TIA!!

P.S. - i checked the archives and all I found was either installing an external halyard or pulling in a new halyard using the old one.

 

[Clark]

Bumping this up . . . . Any thoughts/recommendations? TIA

nm

 

[Seattle Scott]

I just did a job running electrical wire down the mast from the spreaders. When I posted a request a couple of weeks ago about how to proceed, I was advised to use a messenger line rather than a weight on the end of my wire. Further, the advise was to use a sash chain ( guys at the hardware store know what a sash chain is) and twine as the messenger. Worked great. Dropped the chain with the twine tied on through the new hole at the spreaders and fished the chain out ( with a coat hanger) at an exit plate, then pulled the wire through and out the exit plate and then dropped the chain/twine back in and down to the new hole in the mast below the cabin sole - it took a lot of fishing to hook the chain and pull through the 1/2" hole at the bottom, but was doable in the end.

 

[Alan]

Spinnaker halyard installation

The chain is a good idea and if it isn't brass you can fish it out much easier with a magnet. I have a tool that is a flexible tube with a retractable magnet on the end for capturing anything magnetic. Also the chain striking the inside of the mast is an excellent indicator for locating it.
The single biggest issue is avoiding halyard wrap inside the mast. Try to tension all lines running through the mast before you start and heel the boat over slightly to help prevent wrapping.

 

[Clark]

Had the crane scheduled for yesterday to haul me up to replace my port spreader. That went very well (yippeeee) so the operator and I chatted about how to pull in the halyard. I had not brought any additional 'stuff' with me for that job so he suggested I simply feed the tail of the halyard into the upper sheave box and tease the end out the lower exit slot with a dental hook.
Well, after feeding just a few feet into the mast, the weight of the line took over and I fed it in to a point that I had marked that would gaurantee the end was accessible. At that point, I lowered the shackle end of the halyard down to the admiral and she clipped it to the lifeline. I then came down to try and retrieve the line at the exit slot.
Due to the rake of the mast, the line was hanging toward the stern so I had my wife rock the boat, causing the line to swing a bit inside the mast; caught it in mid-swing and pulled it out. I had used the main halyard as additional support for the mast while replacing the spreader so it and the jib halyard were quite tight. That coupled with the slight bend and rake of the mast caused the existing halyards to lie fairly tightly against the rear of the mast. That helped keep the space inside relatively uncluttered. I think I got lucky and didn't wrap the new kite halyard around the main or jib lines.
All-in-all, things went very well. If anyone has any questions about spreader replacement, I am now an expert :dance:

 

[Seattle Scott]

Clark, that was too easy - I hate that.