I want to replace my existing main halyard on my Catalina 30. It is a wire/rope halyard. The yacht yard rigger says to use rope only, but it will be snug at the sheave. Sailing Magazine says not to do it because of friction, which makes sense - anyone have a comment or experience.
Switching from wire to rope main halyard
- Thread starter dsturdy
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I'm not sure I follow here. If you change from wire-rope to all rope, depending on the masthead sheaves - you may need to swap them out for rope-sheaves (see what you have and how snug they are after the change). When I changed my C-30 from wire to rope, I also replaced the sheeves with ball-bearing sheeves and it made all the difference in the world.
I hope that helps.
- rob
I hope that helps.
- rob
No direct experience on the Catalina 30, but wire halyards are known to chew up sheaves pretty good leaving rough spots that can really chew up a new rope halyard. Hate to see you destroy a brand new haylard over a relative inexpensive sheave. Make sure to do a visual of the sheave to check for both rough spots and the proper fit of the new halyard. You may be surprised at how much extra friction can be added to a system with too large a line for a particular sheave.
I replaced all the halyards on my Columbia 28 with StaSet x last season. The mast was down for the winter so I was able to inspect the sheaves which were in excellent condition so it was an easy retrofit. Just insure the size halyard runs clean through the sheaves without pinching or riding above the shoulder of the sheave. Mine have worked flawlessly since replacement.
I did the swap on a Cal-27 and there was a fair amount of friction, I up-sized 1/16" on our C-320 and had the same issue.
I if I were doing the swap with what I know today, I would still swap, because I hate wire on a halyard, but would splice a nice 'soft' low-stretch 5/8"tail to a high-tensile low-stretch 5/16" working section.
Check first with the rope folks at the SBO store on this site. If they can't accommodate you, check with the folks at LayLine who specialize in this kind of custom work and can make recommendations as to the best combinations of sizes and line yarns.
http://www.layline.com/
I also completely agree with the advice on checking your sheaves for wear and damage. If you replace them, you can substitute line sheaves for the wire sheaves and then use standard line.
I if I were doing the swap with what I know today, I would still swap, because I hate wire on a halyard, but would splice a nice 'soft' low-stretch 5/8"tail to a high-tensile low-stretch 5/16" working section.
Check first with the rope folks at the SBO store on this site. If they can't accommodate you, check with the folks at LayLine who specialize in this kind of custom work and can make recommendations as to the best combinations of sizes and line yarns.
http://www.layline.com/
I also completely agree with the advice on checking your sheaves for wear and damage. If you replace them, you can substitute line sheaves for the wire sheaves and then use standard line.
You need to build some "tapered" halyards.... where a high tech 12 strand, single braid core is covered with a comfortable, low cost cover. I built them for my cat 27. The issue is the sheaves are not wide enough to accommodate 3/8 inch line without pinching.... the sheaves are a little over 1/4 inch in the groove.
On my halyards I have use 3/16 inch Tech12 for the core, covered with 5/16 Samson LS.... Perfect. Recently I made one with 3/16 amsteel core.... these high tech lines, dyneema, technora, etc.... are very, very strong.
The core is single braid and very easy to spice a long "luggage tag" style eye to accommocate your shackle. The cover extends only on the handled, cleated part of the line and the "taper splice" is pretty easy also... it bury's the cover into the core at the appropriate location.....
DO NOT USE STA-SET X..... you will be disappointed and frustrated trying to splice that awful line.... and it doesn't feel good in the hand.
On my C27 I used an 80 foot core with a 40 foot cover.... your C30 will require more, of course, but about halft the length is all that is needed for the cover.
The Samson website has splicing instructions if you want to do it yourself... or have a good rigging shop make them up for you.. I really like Annapolis Performance Sailing www.apsltd.com here are examples from their site....
Cover Splice on 12 Strand
We add a durable polyester cover like Yale's cover-only or Samson Ice to high-strength, low-stretch Ultrex 12, Excel D12, Tech 12, Amsteel 12 or Vectrus 12 so that they can be used as halyards. Where the halyard is cleated, clutched, winched and handled, the cover protects the core from abrasion. The result is minimum weight aloft. You may even choose to cover only the "working area" of the halyard, leaving the bitter end uncovered so there's less tail to deal with when the sail's hoisted. Please specify your length requirements.
To ensure your specific rigging needs are communicated correctly, please call us at 800-729-9767 with your requirements.
APS Part Number: RIGCO12S
Rigging Charge: $28.00 each
Applies to single braids (Vectrus 12, Ultrex 12 and AmSteel 12) or the uncovered cores of high tech double braids (Crystalyne, V2, Maxibraid Plus, D2 and Warp Speed). Basically, a large eye splice that attaches like a luggage tag to a suitcase handle. Use it to attach your halyard shackle for convenient replacement, or to securely attach a sheet directly to a sail's tack or clew, avoiding the weight of a shackle. Includes Whiplock™. This splice will consume two feet of line, so make sure your order your line long enough.
To ensure your specific rigging needs are communicated correctly, please call us at 800-729-9767 with your requirements.
APS Part Number: RIGEYE12S
Rigging Charge: $12.00 per splice
On my halyards I have use 3/16 inch Tech12 for the core, covered with 5/16 Samson LS.... Perfect. Recently I made one with 3/16 amsteel core.... these high tech lines, dyneema, technora, etc.... are very, very strong.
The core is single braid and very easy to spice a long "luggage tag" style eye to accommocate your shackle. The cover extends only on the handled, cleated part of the line and the "taper splice" is pretty easy also... it bury's the cover into the core at the appropriate location.....
DO NOT USE STA-SET X..... you will be disappointed and frustrated trying to splice that awful line.... and it doesn't feel good in the hand.
On my C27 I used an 80 foot core with a 40 foot cover.... your C30 will require more, of course, but about halft the length is all that is needed for the cover.
The Samson website has splicing instructions if you want to do it yourself... or have a good rigging shop make them up for you.. I really like Annapolis Performance Sailing www.apsltd.com here are examples from their site....
Cover Splice on 12 Strand
We add a durable polyester cover like Yale's cover-only or Samson Ice to high-strength, low-stretch Ultrex 12, Excel D12, Tech 12, Amsteel 12 or Vectrus 12 so that they can be used as halyards. Where the halyard is cleated, clutched, winched and handled, the cover protects the core from abrasion. The result is minimum weight aloft. You may even choose to cover only the "working area" of the halyard, leaving the bitter end uncovered so there's less tail to deal with when the sail's hoisted. Please specify your length requirements.
To ensure your specific rigging needs are communicated correctly, please call us at 800-729-9767 with your requirements.
APS Part Number: RIGCO12S
Rigging Charge: $28.00 each
To ensure your specific rigging needs are communicated correctly, please call us at 800-729-9767 with your requirements.
APS Part Number: RIGEYE12S
Rigging Charge: $12.00 per splice
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We switched all our halyards this year to rope on our B35.5. As everyone said, run up the mast and check the sheaves. Older boats that had wire-to-rope often had "v" shaped sheaves rather than "u" shaped. If the sheaves are in good shape and not "v", go for it. You do not need to oversize your halyards. New, high tech lines are much stronger than the older wire. Remember, if you switch your foresail, that can be smaller as well, especially if its RF. Otherwise, make the necessary sheave change and then go for it. We love our rope halyards.
sheaves
On my Cat 27, vintage 1977, both upper and lower sheaves are u-shaped. The lower ones, that exit the mast, is rope/wire designed.... there is a small groove for the 1/8 " wire in the larger rope groove... On the upper sheaves the grooves are u-shaped.. but only .28 inch wide... they are easily inspected with binoculars from the deck of the boat.
I Took My Shives Off And Took Them To A Friends Machine Shop And Had Him Cut Them To Fit The New Lines, It May Be Cheaper To Replace Them
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