mast interior blocks--fishing a new halyard

[roger in Orlando]

I have been up my mast half a dozen times over the past couple of weeks, trying to fish a replacement jib halyard down (last one broke) through the interior mast blocks, top to bottom.
I can't seem to get a fish tape or the new line itself past the blasted turn in the blocks at the top of the mast. I know there's wiring in there, having fixed all that when the boat was re-rigged two years ago.
What is there to get in the way after the line has cleared the entry pulley/block? Why can't a feeder line with a nut to weigh it down drop in there and work its way down the mast?
This is exhausting enough without the aggravation of no chance of success.

 

[Ed Schenck]

I am having trouble visualizing your problem. It sounds like you have no removeable mast plate at the top. And when you put the halyard over the sheave it will not feed down? How difficult is it to remove the sheave(s) by pulling the axle(easily done on my Kenyon mast)? Then maybe you could get a look at what is causing the hangup.

I have done as you suggest, added a small weight to a messenger line that I pulled out through the exit plate at the bottom. Then pulled the halyard down with that. Seems like that should work for you.

 

[jcherubini]

This is another reason why double halyards are a good idea.

(I had a dream recently in which I was in the river approaching Philadelpha's Penns Landing-- with that audience-- on a tack, and the main halyard broke. In my mind I went through all the steps, uncleat the jib, pull the main down, change to the other halyard, pull up the main, sheet in the jib, and avoid the iron navigation-beacon stand on the Camden side that by this time would be five feet off my shoulder....)

Double halyards provide two things-- one, obviously, a chance of getting out of your predicament at the time, and two, a way of fishing the messenger line down the spar. I cut the top of the mast and installed a very nice double-sheave masthead box from DAMCO. It's nice except that it's a little too far aft and the jib halyards have to be protected from chafe at the top edge. My bad-- oh well.

I don't like the dropping-a-nut-down method because there are wayyy too many things for a little 5/8" lock nut to find that you don't want for a halyard to follow that way past. Ed is right; the best way is to pull the sheave or the masthead plate and go straight down the top. This way you can use something more like a length of threaded rod. Once that finds its way down, tie another messenger line to it and draw it back out the top. Now you have two ends of a messenger line, top and bottom, to attach a new halyard to.

My advice is always to feed it down from the top. Gravity works in your favor and if your knots or binding hold, it will be fine.

Also-- ALWAYS send the new halyard down with a messenger line attached. Again if you have both ends of a messenger line, top and bottom, and the halyard end falls off it, you can draw it back out and start again.

For messenger line I got some that came from Metalmast for the new Cherubini 44; it is a strong braided cord about like very heavy saltwater fishing line and stretches a lot before it breaks, which is good warning for an idiot to stop tugging so hard.

Good luck in this tedious chore; and consider double halyards next time the mast is out of the boat. The peace of mind alone is worth the $116.00 for the sheave box.

(Although having got all my new halyards at the West Marine store closing in Brick, I don't want to tell you how little I paid!)

 

[Roger in Orlando]

feeding/fishing halyard through mast

The mast service plate screws seem frozen up, but I managed to get a weighted line fed through the masthead sheave. Finally. Without that, the narrow sheave and sharp angle the line passes through made this a bear, 50 feet in the air.
The vast clump of antenna and anchor light wires in the base of the mast have kept me from fishing it through at the base/mast step.
Tricky. I am planning on dropping a weighted line with "fish tape" threads attached, hoping to hook that out on my next effort.