Mainsail Halyard Sizing

[John Lynch]

"LOTUS",is getting new running rigging this Spring. I had New England Rope's Sta-Set line as a given. I had 7/16" line in mind, but NE Rope recommends 3/8" halyards for 26'-31' boats, so 3/8" was what I got. I like the feel of the line, even though it has not been rigged yet, 'cos i need an eye splice first. Makes me wonder if my 1/2" genoa sheets are to hefty for the beautiful and able first mate, though she does well with our self-tailing Lewmar 16's.So, what do you all think? 3/8" for halyards and 7/16" for genny sheets? And, when I get an asymetrical spinnaker, what should the sheet diameter be, 1/4"?Thanx and good sailing to all this Easter week-end!

 

[David]

Running rigging replacement

If a halyard fails its a real pain, especially if its being used to hoist a body up the mast. So replacing the halyards regularly is high on my priority list. To save money I use the old halyards as jibsheets, outhauls, etc. David

 

[Jay Kent]

Well, John, you aren't really going to see much

difference in weight of the 1/2, 7/16, 9/16 or 3/8 lines. A double braided line weighs about the following, per 100 feet: 1/2" = 8.9lbs per 100; 9/16" = 11.6 lbs. per 100 feet; 3/8" = 5.0 lbs per 100 feet; 7/16 = 6.4 lbs per 100 feetNow, if you put that into perspective about how much of the line (any of the above sizes) that you are actually lifting at any one time. It is rather insignificant to you or the crew, I would think.I think the difference in lines used on a sailboat should have a lot more to do with tensil strength than weight.

 

[Ian Cameron]

Smaller is better

These days, Kevlar line is so strong that you can lift a boat with 1/2 line. So strength isn't much of a consideration. BUT the larger the line the more friction, especially when turning 180 around a sheave. So the smaller the better. BUT the smaller the line the harder it is on your hands, so the bigger the better. Final answer? Use the smallest line you can haul comfortably. If you always wear gloves (as I do when racing) you can use 1/8 " line on pretty big spinnakers, or 1/4" on a fair-sized jenny. When cruising I don't wear gloves, and line sizes go up accordingly. My Ross 930 had two sets of everything: one for racing and one for cruising. The Hunter doesn't race, so the lines are larger.