Installing a new Halyard
- Thread starter Don Crowther
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Inspection plate
Yes Dan, I cut it open 4 or 5 years ago to ease the wiring hook-up and eliminate having to work with hands under the suspended mast. Now, when the mast is lowered to about a foot above the step, I feed a rope in the inspection port and bring it to the wires. I then quickly tape it on the tail-end of the wires so it becomes a fish. I just keep a little tension on it while the mast is brought unto the step, and the wires come out of the port. I have the wires coming down the mast already out. It is then an easy matter once the mast is secured in place to do the connections. When I unstep the mast, I open up the inspection plate, bring the various connections out and disconnect. Feed the disconnected wires back in before raising and simply lift. Fred Ficarra gave me the idea. I believe there might also be a pict on his site.
Yes Dan, I cut it open 4 or 5 years ago to ease the wiring hook-up and eliminate having to work with hands under the suspended mast. Now, when the mast is lowered to about a foot above the step, I feed a rope in the inspection port and bring it to the wires. I then quickly tape it on the tail-end of the wires so it becomes a fish. I just keep a little tension on it while the mast is brought unto the step, and the wires come out of the port. I have the wires coming down the mast already out. It is then an easy matter once the mast is secured in place to do the connections. When I unstep the mast, I open up the inspection plate, bring the various connections out and disconnect. Feed the disconnected wires back in before raising and simply lift. Fred Ficarra gave me the idea. I believe there might also be a pict on his site.
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:dance:I got down to the boat yesterday and got the halyard in. There's a retaining screw holding the pin for the bottom sheaves in. Once I got that out the pin holding the sheaves pulled out easily. Once I got them out of the way I was able to get all the old messsager line out that had broken. I had a good friend (he must be because he went up twice in one day) climb up the mast and send down a messager with a 3 ft. length of bike chain attached. 3 ft is to much about 6 inches is about right. The box at the base of the mast that holds the sheaves is hard too work around you can barely get you fingers in and a small magnet just get in.
When we got the messager down and out we attached the other end to the new halyard. The new halyard came with a flemish eye on the bitter end. We ended up cutting that off it wouldn't go around the sheave. We broke the messager line trying.:cussing: So we had to send it down again with the bike chain hence the second trip up the mast. Finally we got the new halyard installed only took 4 hours of fighting.
So on to the next task before launching.
When we got the messager down and out we attached the other end to the new halyard. The new halyard came with a flemish eye on the bitter end. We ended up cutting that off it wouldn't go around the sheave. We broke the messager line trying.:cussing: So we had to send it down again with the bike chain hence the second trip up the mast. Finally we got the new halyard installed only took 4 hours of fighting.
So on to the next task before launching.
Instead of chain (which does not flex in all directions), I used a series (5-6) oval lead sinkers on some heavy whipping twine which is then stitched to my messenger.
It may be a different inner mast arrangement than mine, but when using the weighted messenger to drop in a new halyard, I made sure ALL other lines inside the mast where tight, heeled the boat over to the side where the halyard would exit before dropping the lead weights. This ensured that the new halyard does not end up wrapping around an existing halyards. I have had that problem, and the friction can get very high.
Chris
It may be a different inner mast arrangement than mine, but when using the weighted messenger to drop in a new halyard, I made sure ALL other lines inside the mast where tight, heeled the boat over to the side where the halyard would exit before dropping the lead weights. This ensured that the new halyard does not end up wrapping around an existing halyards. I have had that problem, and the friction can get very high.
Chris
These boats were mfg from 83-87. The early models had Kenyon Spars and then they (Hunter) started using Isomat.
My H'31 was a 1985 model and it was a Isomat unit.
My H'31 was a 1985 model and it was a Isomat unit.
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