wire to rope halyard vs rope halyard

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BarryL

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May 21, 2004
1,000
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 409 Mt. Sinai, NY
Hi, I need to replace my main halyard. What is the benefit of all rope over wire to rope? My existing halyard is wire to rope. Thanks, Barry
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Little that I know.

My boat has all wire halyards. When I wanted to replace them I learned that there were two more choices, wire to rope or all rope. The recommendation was to change to all rope. In my case the mast has internal winches designed for wire. To change to all rope would require a complete refit of the mast with new cutouts, cheek blocks, etc. Being the cheapest sailor on the continent I replaced the old wire with new wire.
 
Jun 8, 2004
2,841
Catalina 320 Dana Point
Rope used to have a lot more stretch so

wire or rope/wire was used for halyards. Ropes advantages are in ease of handling, lack of wire "splinters", and ease in repair/replacement. You may have to change the sheaves in the masthead for those of the appropriate profile & size for rope. Pretty much your call, main reason for rope is just that you don't Hafta use wire to get limited stretch.
 
Oct 25, 2005
735
Catalina 30 Banderas Bay, Mexico
Internal or External?

If your halyard is external you might want to consider staying with wire/rope. When the sail is at full hoist the halyard tail of the main halyard creates more windage on the front of the mast than a rope halyard. Most masts that were designed to have wire/rope halyards have sheeves that will work for both. Most main halyards reach the deck from the masthead, so part of the rope tail has to go through the sheeve, so the sheeves are designed to handle both. If in doubt, have a rigger out for a quick rig inspection and have them check the masthead sheeve to find out what size rope it will handle. Wire/rope halyards are getting expensive, I used to get $60 CAD for splicing rope to wire. For a 30ft mast a wire/rope halyard: 30ft wire @$2-3/ft $60-90 45ft double braid @ $1.50/ft $67.50 Wire/Rope splice $60 ss thimble & nico press for shackle $30 $217.50 - 247.50 ... For the same price you can have $3/ft rope instead of $1.50/ft rope. That buys some pretty decent line. New England Rope's Sta-Set X is good choice for a better quality halyard.
 
P

PaulK

Technology

The only reason wire was used in rigging or sail handling was that it stretched less than the available line. Synthetic fiber technology has advanced to the point that wire now stretches more than "rope" of the same diameter. Wire breaks down to create "soldiers" that gash fingers, hands, and sails, so it is not a user-friendly material. The newest synthetic fibers are so strong that they offer less windage than wire does. Such thin line can create a probblem when you actually handle the line, however, because it cuts into your hands so easily. We replaced our wire/rope spinnaker halyards with all line about four years ago, reducing stretch and weight aloft at the same time. The major question we had was what size is most comfortable to handle, since the difference between 3/8 or 1/2 inch line is minimal as far as windage is concerned, and either one would handle our 1000 square foot spinnaker. Windage, with the halyards up against the mast, is minimal regardless. Besides cutting costs by not having to have a rope-wire splice, we save by simply tying our halyard shackles to the halyard instead of having them spliced. When the lines get worn, we can end-to-end them and get double the use from them-- something not possible with rope/wire halyards. Looks like a no-brainer to us. No wire soldiers cutting our hands, less weight aloft, less stretch, less (or the same) windage, and less cost. You decide.
 
Oct 25, 2005
735
Catalina 30 Banderas Bay, Mexico
Wire is pretty high tech :)

Wire rope is pretty neat stuff. It's stretch is known and as long as loads are less than about 50-60% of rated strength, wire recovers to the same length. Wire rope is 7x19 construction, there are 133 strands total. When it has fishhooks, it's worn out or has been abused. Modern rope has some odd properties, depending on what it's made from. Spectra is rotten in applications that require that tension is maintained for a long time. The initial stretch is low, but then it creeps (gets longer) and the creep does not recover. The line gets longer and thinner over time. Kevlar is brittle, it has great strength but low tolerance for bending. When Kevlar goes around a sheave the filaments actually cut each other. Some modern rope has very low tolerance for UV exposure in air. If the UV coating gets worn off the line literally rots in sunlight. Strangely enough the same line is used in the space program successfully because it turns out that it's not UV that degrades it, it's oxygen and UV. In space the UV doesn't hurt it at all. Depending on the material a knot rather than a splice can seriously reduce the strength of the line. In some cases 50%. Lucky for us in any size that it comfortable to handle the strength is so great that even a 50% reduction is not a concern. The sheets on my boat are rated at 14,800# and are 3/8" diameter. The boat only weighs 12,000# ... I could haul it out of the water with a jib sheet. 3/16" sheets would be strong enough, but who wants to pull on a 3/16" sheet? My 1/4" main halyard is stronger than the 7/16" halyard that it replaced, but its too darn small to use ... I'm going to use it for a pole topping lift and go back to a larger diameter line for the halyard. With good old wire rope you know what you have, you know how much it will stretch under what load and it gives you plenty of warning before it fails. The new high tech stuff (my boat is covered with it) is great if you do your homework and select the right line for each job. Be aware that the new ropes get their strength from long molecular chains, as the line us used those long chains break down and the line loses strength. Unlike wire, a high tech line doesn't warn you that it is failing (no fishhooks). Highly loaded lines should be replaced on a routine basis since failure is hard to predict.
 
Aug 9, 2005
772
Hunter 28.5 Palm Coast, FL
unless you race convert to rope only

Rope is cheaper, easier to replace, easier on the hands and owner replaceable. Wire is expensive, better for racing and requires special knowledge and skill for replacement. I'd go rope only.
 
Jun 13, 2004
6
CAL 32 Olympia, WA
I'd go Rope

Our first boat had wire/rope and was noisy most of the time. Our new one uses rope alone and while nicer for handling it's also nicer to look at and is far more quieter if/when a breeze comes through and causes it to slap against the mast or spreaders. While I don't disagree with any of the racing information offered (I don't actively race) personally I prefer a good chunk of rope.
 
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