small boat halyard questions

[SailingLoto]

The main halyard on my sc22 is wire spliced to double braid and in very poor condition. Is there any reason I can't replace it with good quality 5/16 double braid? That is what the original rope half of the halyard was and it passes through the masthead sheaves nicely.

 

[PaulK]

The only reason not to use all-line would be that the sheave might chew it up. By the time your sheave chews your new halyard up (IF it does - we changed ours out 15 years ago and have had no problems) you will probably need a new boat. You can use the money you saved by not having to have wire spliced into a rope tail to get another new halyard. Or you could reverse the all-line halyard and go out to dinner instead. New synthetic lines stretch less than wire, so there is no longer any reason for wire halyards. The only caveat would be to use a diameter that is comfortable to pull. Thinner, cheaper line could be strong enough, but would be less comfortable to pull. The 5/16 you suggest might be strong enough to lift your boat with a single strand.

 

[SailingLoto]

The only reason not to use all-line would be that the sheave might chew it up. By the time your sheave chews your new halyard up (IF it does - we changed ours out 15 years ago and have had no problems) you will probably need a new boat. You can use the money you saved by not having to have wire spliced into a rope tail to get another new halyard. Or you could reverse the all-line halyard and go out to dinner instead. New synthetic lines stretch less than wire, so there is no longer any reason for wire halyards. The only caveat would be to use a diameter that is comfortable to pull. Thinner, cheaper line could be strong enough, but would be less comfortable to pull. The 5/16 you suggest might be strong enough to lift your boat with a single strand.

The strength of the 5/16 is way overkill in strength. I chose it more on hand feel, and since I already knew it would fit through the sheaves.

Thank you very much!

 

[sail sfbay]

Don't see why you can', if that is the same diameter as you currently have AND will pass cleanly over the mast halyard heave. Before you do might find the threads helpful:

What's wrong with wire halyards?

I have a wire to rope halyard on the main, the jib is all rope - I assume because the wire broke and the PO replaced it with rope because it was easy and he had rope. I've read here and in other forums to replace wire halyards with low stretch rope that is now available - my question is why...

forums.sailboatowners.com

Refer to posts #5 and #7: Replacing mainsail halyard
Refer to post #8: Wire/Rope halyard to all rope halyard

 

[Dave Groshong]

I would stay with wire/rope unless you change the sheave:

US Rigging Supply Wire-to-Rope Halyard Kits

US Rigging Supply Wire-to-Rope Halyard Kits

shop.sailboatowners.com

 

[dlochner]

The strength of the 5/16 is way overkill in strength. I chose it more on hand feel, and since I already knew it would fit through the sheaves

There are 2 issues with halyards, how easy are they to handle and stretch.

Hand is a combination of diameter and material. 5/16" is about the smallest you want to go, ¼" will be a little tough on your hands and harder to hold onto.

Stretch depends on material, diameter and construction. A larger diameter line will stretch less than a smaller diameter line of the same material because the larger diameter line will be a lower percentage of its breaking strength than the smaller line. Some material like dyneema is very low stretch while others like Dacron will stretch more. Lines with a parallel core will stretch less than a similar line with a braided core.

New England Ropes VPC is a hybrid line designed for cruising and casual racers. It has a low stretch hi-tech core with a polyester cover. This would be an excellent choice for your boat in a 5/16" diameter.

The line not to use is Sta-Set X. It is very stiff and tends to hockle.

So long as the sheaves in the mast are in decent shape, they will be fine. While you are checking check the sheave axle, these sometimes get a flat spot or corrode and the sheave won't turn freely.

 

[shemandr]

If your sheave dates to the wire/rope halyard era, it probably should be changed. It's approaching 50 years old.

 

[jssailem]

@SailingLoto I am guessing that you are near the end of your season for 2020. The mast will be down on the hard and the boat covered for winter. This is a great time to examine and explore the options to improve your halyards.

Two options are available. keep what you have or change to something different.

I had the wire/rope halyards and changed to all rope when I refit my mast. We had to address the sheave issue. The Wire/Rope sheave is not just a U shape. It has a U form but a smaller diameter groove around the center of the sheave to let the wire fit the sheave.

A cheap approach is to get a rope diameter that fits the sheave and just go for it. For 90% of the time it will work fine. As the halyard wears you may find you will want to replace it sooner than you think.

Or you can modify the sheave. The material of the sheave is often a composite material like Delrin. This can be sanded to open up the wire grove and make it a smooth U shape for rope.

Or you can avoid all this trouble and just buy replacement sheaves. The ones there are likely aged and ready for a refit. Fit the new sheave in the mast and move on to more fun.

The halyard is replaced by sewing the butt end of the new halyard to the old one and just pulling it through. Go easy. If it hangs up anywhere, just back it out, find the rough spot, clean it up or tape it and go again.

Good luck.