Top of mast.Main Sail stuck

[Ozpilot414]

Went for a glorious sail today. no problems at all...coming back in however loosed the lines for the mainsail and it would not come down. Don't know if its getting caught on something or if its stuck. No wind so it was not that. After pulling into the Slip...which was no easy task... had a buddy and myself pull on the sheet and it finally came loose. I have a Hunter 28.5. Any body have this problem before and any advice or ideas of what it could be would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Brian D]

You think maybe your pulled you main up TOO high and the main halyard shackle got lodged? Or possibly the eye splice is too thick and it may have gotten stuck.

 

[jwing]

Don't forget to transfer the load of the boom from the sail to the topping lift. That reduces friction on the mast.

 

[Ozpilot414]

Thanks for the advice. I test those theories out.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Not sure what you mean by "pulled on the sheet". What sheet would you be pulling on? Didn't you simply go to the mast and pull the sail down? Perhaps you had to adjust the halyard in some way? Your description doesn't really explain the difficulty. It sounds like the halyard was stuck in some way. I've never actually had to adjust the topping lift in order to drop the mainsail, although, in theory it sounds like a good idea. I typically adjust the topping lift after I've dropped the mainsail (mostly because I don't give it a thought until later, I guess).

Do you have a bolt rope or slugs on a bolt rope? A bolt rope in the slot gets stuck more easily. Use a dry lubricant like SailKote or similar to help the bolt rope or slugs slide better.

If your mainsail was all the way out to one side or the other, it won't come down, even with light wind. Perhaps when you "pulled on the sheet" you actually centered the sail and that is why it came down. It always will come down far more easily when you are luffing. It won't come down easily (or at all) when you are running or have any wind pressure on the sail.

 

[Smiling Couple]

I loosed the back main adjustment then bounce the boom a little. Then pull down the main normally

 

[sailme88]

Went for a glorious sail today. no problems at all...coming back in however loosed the lines for the mainsail and it would not come down. Don't know if its getting caught on something or if its stuck. No wind so it was not that. After pulling into the Slip...which was no easy task... had a buddy and myself pull on the sheet and it finally came loose. I have a Hunter 28.5. Any body have this problem before and any advice or ideas of what it could be would be greatly appreciated.

Saw this happen before. The sheaves at the mast head failed. The side wall blew out and the halyard slid sideways and jammed. Selden mast. Sheaves were a composite material.

 

[jssailem]

Sheaves were a composite material.

Use Delrin sheaves. Long lasting. http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/SparParts/Sheaves.php

 

[thinwater]

If it then came down normally, Brian has it.

The solution is either to hoist less (probably not) or cut the splice off and tie the shackle on (better). The knot will allow a higher hoist without jamming. Remember, that the splice is for looks, not strength, since halyards are sized for stretch, not strength.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I'd be surprised if it were a jamb of the splice or shackle at the sheave. Isn't it more typical that the hoist is generally limited by the tack at the boom? The top of hoist on my mast, indicated by a line for the P dimension is at least a few inches short from the sheave. I couldn't hoist the shackle or the splice to the sheave even with a winch. My halyard wears from the sheave just behind the splice for the shackle.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I'm still confused by what "sheet" he "pulled" to loosen the sail. If they pulled on the halyard, wouldn't that just make the jamb worse? The only sheet that I can imagine that they pulled on would be the mainsheet. How would that loosen the sail so that it would drop? That's why I'm thinking that they tried to drop the sail while it was sheeted all the way out, and we all know how difficult it would be to drop a sail when it is out and catching air.

 

[Smiling Couple]

Facing into the wind to drop main and head sail is recommended. When shive jammed my rope u duck taped two grab poles together fully extended and popped the Jamed rope upward. This freed the main.

 

[jssailem]

Smiling, I see a mast being taken down, the halyard, The sail luff slot, and sheaves being inspected. Repairs being resolved. Then a wonderful summer of sailing.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Now, I'm even more confused! The original post was from @Ozpilot414 . Now we're responding to @Smiling Couple for halyard jambs?

 

[Ozpilot414]

I made it back to the slip with the main sail still up as it would not come down with everything loose. I pulled on the main sheet aka main sail aka big wing aka the sail to try and get it down while i was fluffing at sea to no avail. There was no wind in the sail and it still would not come down. The halyard was loose. the vang was loose the traveler was loose.
Once I was back at the Slip I had a friend pull on the main sheet aka main sail aka big wing aka the sail with me and it finally unstuck from where ever it was stuck. I am going to look at the top of my mast and see if I am puling it too high and the shackle is getting caught in the sheave or any other combination of why. i agree with you Scott that I should not be able to pull it too tight so it gets stuck at the top. Maybe my halyard needs to be replaced because it stretches too much. Maybe the sheave is broke. I will find out soon enough.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

OK! Now I'm seeing the bigger picture. The "sheet" you were describing is the sail! You should be aware that in sailing terms a sheet is a line (or in laymen's terms, a rope). We have jib sheets and main sheets that we adjust to set the position of the sails.

You may not necessarily have a problem with the halyard stretching because even if your halyard stretches, it should not jam. The halyard can stretch a foot on the front side of the mast, without affecting the location of the shackle during a full hoist. If the bolt rope on the sail had excessive stretch, then the shackle might be pulled to the sheave. But that also isn't likely because bolt ropes usually shrink, which makes it increasingly difficult to get a full hoist.

Your problem may be related to a mainsail that has been cut too long in the luff. Or, perhaps, the previous owner raised the position of the boom a few inches, so that a sail that once fit properly, is now raised too high.

It's also feasible that there is a problem with the sheave. You'll figure it out soon enough!

 

[Brian D]

Just out of curiosity, do you have a down haul on your boom, or is it fixed to the mast? The reason I ask is when you raise the main you use the down haul to adjust the tension of the luff, not the main halyard.I know you know that, I was just asking.

My boat does not have a down haul. I can not raise the main so high as to it getting stuck.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

It is feasible that there is a downhaul (for adjustable boom height), which was used on older boats, I think. Somehow, I doubt that a Hunter 28.5 has a downhaul. While typical for small, one-design classes and beach cats, I don't think they are typical for mid or small-sized monohulls, such as ours.

 

[Brian D]

Thanks, Scott!

 

[Ozpilot414]

So have been trying to work this problem and it’s getting worse. I can pull the halyard up to the top of the mast with no load on it. But when I try to attach my mast mate so I can climb to the top and see what is going on I can get it up more than half way up the mast. Looks like I will have to use my jib halyard to go to the top of the mast instead.
I have loosed all the sheets. Topping lift. Boom. I just can’t figure out why it’s getting stuck. I guess it must be the sheave at the top.