Spinnaker Halyard

[colmitch71]

Folks: On my 1985 Hunter 31, the halyards are led from the cockpit to the foot of the mast where they enter an ascend internally to the mast head. There are four blocks at the foot, three are now occupied by the main and jib halyards and the pole lift. I would like to install a spinnaker halyard in the fourth position. Can I install this halyard without removing the mast?

Thanks.

 

[David10790]

Fishing Line and a Carriage Bolt

If you are willing to go up to the top of the mast, take something narrow and heavy like a 2" carriage bolt, tie it to some strong fishing line and try to drop it all the way down from the top. Depending on how crowded it is in there and whether or not your antenna and light wires are harnessed up, you should be able to work it down to the bottom. It will probably take a couple of tries. Then you can simply use it as a messenger line for the halyard.

 

[DannyS]

My slip neighbor uses a length of bike chain tied to an 1/8" messenger line and drops it down from the top of the mast. The chain is heavy and flexible enough to work its way down through the mast. Also, the chain is narrow enough to exit through the hole at the bottom of the mast, the carriage bolt may not be.

 

[Allan12210]

Will the halyard chafe on anything?

I am interested in how the spinnaker halyard will exit the mast at the top. In my case it came out the top on the un-used sheave, but I had problems with it chafing. This was when I tried to fly the cruising spinnaker in front of the forestay. On one tack it chafed on the side of the sheave guide and on the other tack it chafed on the forestay. Trying to fly inside the forestay chafed equally well on either tack on the sheave guides. I ended up installing a boom bale near the top of the mast and putting a block on it. I then had to run a halyard through the block where it is now external to the mast. I mounted a cleat on the side of the mast. I fly my cruising spinnaker inside the forestay so there is no chafe. It is easier to gybe as the sheets are inside the foretriangle like the jib instead of out in front of the boat. Any insite would be appreciated.

 

[higgs]

For the most part I think Alan has it pegged, but I would fly any spinnaker outside of the forestay to avoid chafe.

I have never seen a spinnaker halyard not run through a block mounted on a masthead bale outside of the forestay. It seems to me this means the halyard must be external, but, not being a racer, I am not the last word on this.

 

[Napa Ed]

does a fractional rig need a bail?

 

[sailingdog]

IMHO, the spinnaker halyard should be run up to a turning block, not a fixed sheave in the mast. It should come out of an exit slot about six-inches to a foot below the turning block, so that it leads fair to the block. The reason for this is simple. A spinnaker, regardless of whether it is an asym or symmetrical, requires a greater range of motion for the halyard than does a genoa, since it isn't attached to a stay or foil.

It needs to be above the headstay attachment point, and if you're on a masthead rigged boat, this may require installing a masthead crane to give it some additional height or allow it to be mounted forward of the headstay.

Flying an asym inside the foretriangle is a really bad idea IMHO. First, you'll have far more chafe on the halyard, though probably less on the sheets...but the sheets are far easier to replace. Second, it limits the height of the spinnaker.

 

[tommays]

Mine is the green one top and the box is flared to stop chafe

ALL of the bigger boats i sail on have port and starboard spinaker haylards to allow the best lead

 

[Scott T-Bird]

You may have a spinnaker crane already mounted at the top of your mast. Attach a block to your crane. This way, you won't have the chafe that occurs if you run a spin halyard over one of the sheaves at the top.

With the block in place, you have 2 options. Leave the spin halyard external, or install entrance and exit gates at the top and bottom of your mast. Why not just leave it external until the next time you take your mast down ... that way you can get some experience to see if you want to leave it external or not.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Our mast has a spinnaker halyard exit plate a few feet below the masthead, to run the halyard internally but exit without using the masthead sheaves, and it should go to a crane with a block. I don't run a skinnaker and I know about the exit plate because those us without spinnaker halyards use that opening as an excuse for rainwater in the bilge!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I'll admit, I wasn't thinking about a fractional rig ... but that just begs the question. Why not use a masthead spin crane on a fractional rig?

I suppose the loads aren't safe due to the position of the forestay and the shrouds ... ??

 

[colmitch71]

Spinnake Halyard Bottom Line

I guess the bottom line here is that I shouldn't run the spinnaker halyard internally, even if I can. I see that rig rite has a bolt on crane for my type of mast.
Thanks!

 

[colmitch71]

I guess the bottom line here is that I shouldn't run the spinnake halyard internally, even if I can. I see that rig rite has a bolt on crane for my type of mast.
Thanks!