Spinnaker Halyard for a Beneteau 311

[CapitalistSailor]

My 2000 Beneteau 311 has a spinnaker halyard that exits the mast just above the top of the forestay. (This boat is fractionally rigged, but the forestay is only a foot or two or so below the top of the mast. Please see the attached pictures (the top of the mast is to the left). I believe the fittings and arrangement are identical on the Beneteau 323. As can be seen from the pictures, the red spinnaker halyard tends to bind on the top of the jib roller furling gear as the line is pulled to port or starboard, which is almost always the case when raising or lowering the spinnaker. The halyard rubbing hard against the narrow opening in the mast also seems likely to chaff during a long sail.

I was thinking of adding a ring or bail just above the sheave for the halyard, like the rings used to attach a spinnaker pole to the mast (nearer the bottom of course). To that ring I would add a swiveling block to lead the halyard away from the mast and inch or two and give the halyard some clearance from the forestay and roller furling gear. But this approach seems a little makeshift and I am hoping members of this forum have already come up with or know of better solutions to this problem. What ideas do you have?

Just for fun I added the last picture. It shows my asymmetrical spinnaker in use during a singlehanded race on the western end of Lake Erie two summers ago. You can't see the top of the spinnaker in this picture, but you can see that the spinnaker is pulled pretty hard to the side when reaching (above 90 deg in this case).

 

[Joe]

I'm not a Beneteau guy(Clay, where are you?) but it appears in the pictures there is one fitting for the spin and jib halyards and forestay. If that is correct... there may be another design for another model Bene that could be interchanged. I've heard weird things about beneteau customer service but it may be worth it to talk to them and see if they've a solution.
You need some kind of crane to push the spinnaker block farther out and I really think you're on to something with a spinnaker pole mast ring that may place a swivel block a few inches forward... that could certainly make a difference. What I would look for is a non-adjustable type that has a wide rectangular or diamond shape curved base.

Heck... you could have a welder fabricate something similar.. with a larger ring maybe. But here's a version with a link to a page full of examples. Good luck on this

s

 

[DrJudyB]

That mast fitting is called a triple combi box. There are better designed ones out there. That one does indeed promote chafe.

Who made your mast? Check with them to see if the have a compatible but better design.

look at this triple combi box from Selden for an example. The top of the box lead the spinnaker halyard so that it exits further forward than the forestay.

They provide the dimensions of the cut out. You will need to exactly how to cut a new hole for the box such that the forestay pin stays in the right spot.

https://www.seldenmast.com/files/1426855954/595-034-E.pdf

The other alternative would be to install a separate halyard exit box for the spinnaker halyard an inch or two above the existing combi box. It should have a bigger diameter sheave so ensure that the spin halyard doesn’t rub against the jib halyard inside the mast.

I wouldn’t recommend adding a spinnaker pole ring above the spin halyard box. the halyard would probably have a bad lead from the sheave to the ring. The lead would lift the halyard up off the sheave. Also, a pole ring is designed only for loading in compression, not some other weird loading.

Btw, you should remove the ring through the Clevis pin and replace it with a cotter pin. The spin halyard could pull it out. Yikes.

Judy

 

[Davidasailor26]

On our 37 the spin halyard comes out at the masthead, then goes through a bail at the forestay. It looks like parts 535 and 536 in this diagram -

Our mast is made by US Spars. They have a parts catalog at Catalogs.

 

[CapitalistSailor]

Thanks you for the comments. DRJudyB, the newer design for the triple combi box might work. The mast was made by Charleston Spars which I believe has been taken over by Selden. I have the manual for the mast and the parts are shown. The jib halyard sits on a 50 mm sheave and the spinnaker halyard sits on a 60 mm sheave. if the spinnaker sheave were to sit out a little further that would help some, but I would still be worried by chaff because the spinnaker is usually pulling to one side or the other. Calling the mast maker might yield a better solution.

Attached is the page from the mast manual showing the jib-spinnaker exit box for the mast.

Davidasailor26, I race my boat several times a year under PHRF rules, so I cannot change my fractionally rigged halyard to a masthead rigged halyard without penalty. But doing so would give the halyard room to swing.

I've never had any luck calling Beneteau to get advice or information, although their parts site is good. When replacing the cutlass bearing a couple years ago I couldn't find all the part numbers I needed on the Beneteau site, I called around to several dealers and I finally got RCR yachts in Youngstown, NY to help me (far end of Lake Ontario near Niagara Falls) and to place the order.

Joe, that sort of ring was what I had in mind. And I am concerned about getting one strong enough. These rings do work in compression when the pole is forward, but when the pole is back there is strong sideways force on the ring (shear). The one I have now for the whisker pole is a little bent.

DrJudyB, yes I will change out the cotter ring for a cotter pin, and probably tape it.

 

[Rob Heath]

@Davidasailor26 I also have a 37. We currently lead our spinnaker halyard directly through the eye 535/536, without any sort of block, which I don't really like: I feel if generates a lot of unnecessary friction/chaff.
Do you feed your halyard through a block?
Regards Rob

 

[Davidasailor26]

@Davidasailor26 I also have a 37. We currently lead our spinnaker halyard directly through the eye 535/536, without any sort of block, which I don't really like: I feel if generates a lot of unnecessary friction/chaff.
Do you feed your halyard through a block?
Regards Rob

@Rob Heath we haven’t noticed any friction or chafing. We raise and douse the spinnaker in a sock, so when the halyard is moving it’s always running pretty much vertically through the eye. At that angle I can hoist it all the way up by hand, without the winch, before opening the sock and letting it fill. There’s no chafe on the halyard, although we use the sail infrequently and only in pretty calm winds, so I wouldn’t say we’ve tested that too much. Do be sure you have the halyard routed the right way to have it run cleanly without binding on the forestay. Our halyard is through the starboard eye, so hoisting to starboard is easiest. If hoisting on port we need to be sure to pull the halyard around the front of the forestay first. We then gybe around the outside of the forestay.

Neil Pryde provides a pretty good description of how to rig and handle the sail in the attached.

 

[Ron20324]

I have the US Spars catalog from 2007/2008, when I bought my B323. P13 shows the Z401 mast I have. The mast and boom have factory stickers as to what # they are. The fitting you are talking about is not like Judy's. If Doug M is on here, he probably has a picture of his 323 on sawhorses. I turn all of my lnd end-for-end every couple of years to wash them and check for wear. I have seen no problems on that mast exit block arrangement ( which is not shown on the catalog diagram, as it is probably custom-made per Beneteau design) and that is considering In the slip, the spin halyard is clipped to the lifeline forward of the mast.

BY the way, the boom is a Z360. AND, you might want to order a couple of the cleats, as the plastic OEM ones on my mast degraded and broke. You will probably want a couple for the spin setup. The metal cleats are the way to go over the nylon.

Found Doug M's pictures!

 

[DougM]

Ron,
That is not my boat... Can’t find the pictures of the attachment point yet. Probably backed up in the archives somewhere.
The sheave for the spinnaker halyard s above the forestay attachment point, and then sheave for the jib halyard is below, all in a single die casting. I thought about using one of those line stopper balls about the size of a golfball on the halyard to keep the halyard from rubbing against the sides of the casting, but would be concerned about the ball contacting the flanges on the sheave. It may work, who knows.

 

[jssailem]

Often a skyhook is used.

A hoop attached to the mast head and extending forward. A block is suspended at the end of the hook. This puts the halyard in line with the masthead sheave but away from the potential to chafe on the metal around the sheave. The block is free swinging and alignment with the head of the sail is accomplished as the spinnaker floats about in front of the mast.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Often a skyhook is used.

A hoop attached to the mast head and extending forward. A block is suspended at the end of the hook. This puts the halyard in line with the masthead sheave but away from the potential to chafe on the metal around the sheave. The block is free swinging and alignment with the head of the sail is accomplished as the spinnaker floats about in front of the mast.

I’d love to have that arrangement, but I don’t know if my fractional rig, with upper shrouds 9/10 of the way up the mast, has enough strength at the masthead to fly the spinnaker from there. The dual backstays do go all the way to the top, but they won’t provide much lateral force to counteract a spinnaker on a reach.

 

[Ron20324]

I forgot to add: Depending on your masthead fitting, mine has a projection toward the bow for the windex or wind transducer. If you flew your spin from the masthead, it could lift and snag the masthead equipment. In 13 years, I've not had a problem with the OEM exit aperature. It does look, however that on the B323, the opening looks flared, while the 311 not so much- if any?

 

[Rob Heath]

Thanks @Davidasailor26