I have to replace the 'wire to rope' halyard on my Oday 25 swing keel. I need to know the exact size. length of each, and how this process works? Can it be done while boat is in the water?
swing keel halyard
- Thread starter Chasmo
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The main halyard is 5/16" and 59'-0" and the jib one is 5/16" and 60'-4". Note that this length is a bit short for running back to the cockpit, especially the jib halyard. You probably want a few feet longer for that. Somewhere around 75' in length would do nicely. When you order them from D& R Marine, they are that length (59 & 60 feet). Also, your mast head sheaves should probably be replaced are they are going to be grooved from the wire of your original halyards. This could cause issues with the new ones. Replacing halyards could be done on the water but, not the sheaves as you need to un-bolt the mast head and take them out. I got my halyards and sheaves from D & R and then realized after I needed longer lengths. The main does reach OK back to the cockpit but I will be getting a 75 foot jib halyard shortly and swapping that out. You can contact SBO's store for halyards or D & R or Cajun Rope.... any number of places.
Hope this helps you out.
Hope this helps you out.
Further to cb's post above, if you replace the wire to rope with all rope, and the sheaves, you might as well consider a Dyneema or Vectran cored rope, for less stretch. At a minimum, you'd want New England VPC, a Dyneema blend. Double braid polyester such as New England Sta-set or similar is like using rubber bands...
Brian
Brian
Rudy at DRMarine has the replacement line for the centerboard (not swing keel). Wire to rope is not needed. I replaced mine in 2009 when I rebuilt my boat. My boat doesn't have a pulley. The centerboard weighs just enough to keep it down in the water. It's hard to do it in the water but not impossible
OK, so I have a center board not a swing keel. I understand the difference now and that would explain how I was able to go underwater and lift the centerboard so the boat would clear the trailer during my maiden launch. I just acquired this boat and I am learning to deal with these issues I have inherited, thank you for your help.
Did the line break or is it still serviceable? If the boat lives on the trailer then you may have to do it while it's in the water. Is there a boat hoist available? That would be another option since it's a fairly easy and quick job while the boat is in the air and you could inspect the CB at the same time.
Some confusion on the original post. "Wire to rope centerboard halyard." Yes, wire to rope halyards for sails were used in the past, before low stretch and creep Dyneema and Vectran line was commonly available. The new, high tech lines have less stretch than the stainless steel wire. So, it appears we all thought you were talking about replacing the halyards, hence discussions of line choice, sheave replacement in the mast, etc.
Pendant lines are used to raise and lower centerboards. As pointed out, a non-ballasted pivoting board is a centerboard. A ballasted pivoting board, often cast iron, is commonly called a swing keel. Most boats with a swing keel do use a wire pendant on a winch to lift the keel. Many people have found that replacing the wire with a single braid Dyneema such as Amsteel Blue by Sampson provides equal strength, less friction, and it's easier to deal with. Lots of folks with a West Wight Potter 19 have replaced the wire with Dyneema on their lifting keel with good results.
As for the centerboard pendant lines, I think most as found on O'days and Precisions, are made of polyester double braids, such as New England Sta-set. It's all around decent, inexpensive line, with good durability, and where stretch isn't a concern, it's a great choice. My pendant on the 192 was serviceable. But I just don't trust old lines, so I ordered a new one from Rudy at D&R. The old one had a long Schaefer shackle that looked like a thin, stamped SS halyard shackle. The new one was a very nice tapered forged type of shackle, with a length of New England Sta-set spliced to it. I found that the new shackle fit very snugly on the centerboard, with hardly any room between the aft edge of the board and the eye splice. I'm hoping this shackle design is easier on the fiberglass, as the old shackle had chipped off the gelcoat on the lip of the centerboard trunk. I had to put some epoxy on those chips.
Brian
Pendant lines are used to raise and lower centerboards. As pointed out, a non-ballasted pivoting board is a centerboard. A ballasted pivoting board, often cast iron, is commonly called a swing keel. Most boats with a swing keel do use a wire pendant on a winch to lift the keel. Many people have found that replacing the wire with a single braid Dyneema such as Amsteel Blue by Sampson provides equal strength, less friction, and it's easier to deal with. Lots of folks with a West Wight Potter 19 have replaced the wire with Dyneema on their lifting keel with good results.
As for the centerboard pendant lines, I think most as found on O'days and Precisions, are made of polyester double braids, such as New England Sta-set. It's all around decent, inexpensive line, with good durability, and where stretch isn't a concern, it's a great choice. My pendant on the 192 was serviceable. But I just don't trust old lines, so I ordered a new one from Rudy at D&R. The old one had a long Schaefer shackle that looked like a thin, stamped SS halyard shackle. The new one was a very nice tapered forged type of shackle, with a length of New England Sta-set spliced to it. I found that the new shackle fit very snugly on the centerboard, with hardly any room between the aft edge of the board and the eye splice. I'm hoping this shackle design is easier on the fiberglass, as the old shackle had chipped off the gelcoat on the lip of the centerboard trunk. I had to put some epoxy on those chips.
Brian
Still attached to the center board is a flat "u" piece of metal with an approx. 5 foot piece of wire. In the cockpit was a piece of rope tied around the cleat, loose in the tube. Before launching I could see a bit of wire trapped between the keel and trailer bed on which the keel rest. No doubt it was load with the center board down and caused the line to fail. I really appreciate all this info.
Original configuration on these boats was wire to rope. I replaced mine with all sta-set from DR and it works fine, but hums if the line is taught.
My 25 has a rope pendant. The u-shaped piece is a shackle. Should be a clevis pin holding the shackle to the CB.
In your case I would put the boat in water shallow waist deep water. Go under the boat and remove the shackle by feel. I would slip something in the hole to help you find the hole when you go to reattach the shackle. Maybe a zip tie.
Find a fiberglass wire snake. Snake it into the pendant tube from in the cockpit. When you have enough fed through, go back under the boat and grab the end. Use some dental floss and a needle to make loops through the snake end and pendant end. Tie it off and pull it up into the cockpit with the fiberglass snake. Stop as soon as you get the pendant end into the cockpit and tie a stopper knot so it does not slide back.
The other end should have an eye splice. Put the shackle through the eye splice and go back under and reattach the shackle to the CB.
In your case I would put the boat in water shallow waist deep water. Go under the boat and remove the shackle by feel. I would slip something in the hole to help you find the hole when you go to reattach the shackle. Maybe a zip tie.
Find a fiberglass wire snake. Snake it into the pendant tube from in the cockpit. When you have enough fed through, go back under the boat and grab the end. Use some dental floss and a needle to make loops through the snake end and pendant end. Tie it off and pull it up into the cockpit with the fiberglass snake. Stop as soon as you get the pendant end into the cockpit and tie a stopper knot so it does not slide back.
The other end should have an eye splice. Put the shackle through the eye splice and go back under and reattach the shackle to the CB.
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