Lost Halyard

[Jerry Villines]

It only happens to someone else except this time. My main halyard let go of the main while hoisting said main and is residing in my mast. My initial trip up the mast was not fruitful.Using the topping lift to raise the halyard to mast top was successful except to separate the two and get them on thier respective sheaves. Dropping a line down the mast from the appropriate sheave seams to be the most promising method but was also not successful.Any ideas other than blasting a hole from under the keel upward??? I have a rigger who says he can do it in 2-4 hours at $40 per and a friend who will spend countless hours atop the rig bouncing a line inside the mast.

 

[Bill Ebling]

Use Ball chain and line

Here is how I've done it on my 1985 31'. My boat's Isomat mast has exit sheeves at the base of the mast. Go to Home Depot and buy a spool of strong masons cord and about 10-12' of brass ball chain, the stuff used on lamp pulls.Tie the end of the ball chain to the end of the masons cord. You will use this cord-chain as a sounder. Pull the halyard out from the base of the mast. List the boat SLIGHTLY to the side of the exit sleeve with a dock line attached between dock and to a point partially up the mast. This will help get the ball chain to the proper side of the mast for the the exit sheeve when you feed it from the top and slide it down the inside of the mast. The weight of 10-12' of chain keeps it running true.Go up top and slowly feed the ball chain down over the top sheeves and then down the mast to the base. A person at the base of the mast should be able to hear the chain sliding down when it gets near the base. Have them try to hook the ball chain with a bent coat hanger through the exit sheeve. The person at the top may have to raise and lower the line to help the person at the base hook the chain. This can take take several attempts.Pull the ball chain out the exit sleeve until the mason cord comes out.Tie the end of your halyard to the masons end of the cord wrap with duct tape to make a smooth transition Pull the halyard back through the mast out out the mast head with the masons cord. (With the masons cord sounder in the mast you can pull the halyard from bottom-to-top or top-to-bottom, what ever appears easier.)

 

[Peter Roach]

A few modifications on the ball chain

Bill is right-on-the-money. I only have a couple of other hints.I used a long Cotter Key instead of the ball chain and whipping twin as the string.I really heeled the boat over to the side of the halyard and I also heeled it toward the end of the boat where I wanted it. You have to be very careful that you don't get it on the wrong side of the spreader or wrapped around any of the wires or other halyards. I did this by tightening my dock lines and then using the spinnaker halyard connected to a dock cleat to get the boat to really heal. I then went up on my jib halyard and dropped the cotter key down the mast. When it came out the bottom I tied it with a bowline and a lot of half hitches to the end of the main halyard. I stayed at the top of the mast and help the main halyard make the turn through the block (there was not enough room to use something like duct tape).I used a BIG shop vacuum to suck the string out of the proper hole.Once you get it fed, tighten all of your halyards and see if it runs smooth while under pressure. If it does not, do the whole thing over again until you get it right. Don't be tempted to go sailing with them twisted since they will bind up at the most inconvient time; e.g. reefing during a blow, or coming back into the dock when your single handing it.  Good luck.

 

[Steve Dion]

Bicycle Chain.

Jerry:I have heard that a bicycle chain works good for this. I assume that you need to get a long cord type line to tie to the chain. Then you would just drop this down the mast. Hopefully you won't run into too many thing going down the mast.Let us know what worked and how well or poorly.