Can you add cheaper rope tails to Dyneema halliards?

[Cantata]

Thinking of upgrading my genoa halliard to Dyneema, and trying to save some money - is it feasible to join a standard 8mm braid-on-braid polyester line to a Dyneema line, in much the same way that wire halliards used to have rope tails? If I could do this I would save about 10m of Dyneema which ain't cheap.
If it's feasible, is the method of doing it written up anywhere?

 

[yotter]

I can understand the logical reasons, but one issue may be the different layup of the rope cores making splicing difficult.
Angus

 

[sailorman]

go a size larger for the tails rather like light weight spi sheets
or look on flea bay.i bought 50m x 14m/m for £90, that is my genoa halliard with a longish off cut

 

[planteater]

I think this is a fairly common trick as the thin, lightweight dyneema is less pleasant to handle than thicker polyester. Also the low friction characteristics make it too slippery for some winches.

 

[Cantata]

OK, peeps saying a thicker tail is better. But how to join them? Milk the polyester outer braid over the end of the Dyneema and stitch though?

 

[sailorman]

OK, peeps saying a thicker tail is better. But how to join them? Milk the polyester outer braid over the end of the Dyneema and stitch though?

there are instructions available from manufacturers sites
make sure you have sufficient length to shorten the dyneema to spread the wear

 

[William_H]

I would say just bite the bullet and buy enough dyneema for the job. However when I bought spectra for my jib halyard I foolishly did not buy it long enough. I have had now for a few seasons a join of spectra to polyester tail. A simple sewing of outer covers. This does not look pretty but in this case the join does not take a lot of load. By the time the jib is hoisted a meter or so then the join has been passed such that all pulling on the halyard is on spectra. No problem then with it around a winch in my case then a horn cleat.
So I imagine for the OP a join would be passed long before you put any real load on the halyard. I would not like to see a lot of load on the join however. ie dyneema must be long enough to reach the winch and clutch. Just a few thoughts olewill

 

[estarzinger]

There are two options for the polyester tail and splices specific to each.

The easiest option is to use a 12 strand single braid polyester rope. Then you use a simple 12 strand to 12 strand end to end splice to join it to the dyneema. I can give you a link, but all the rope MFGs have instructions for this.

The slightly harder option is to use the more common polyester double braid. In that case, you push back the cover, and do the above 12 strand to 12 strand end to end splice between the dyneema and the polyester core, then slide the cover back over the line and unbraid a bit of the end of the cover into several bundles and bury them (tapered).

 

[Cantata]

Right, thanks all, very helpful and plenty to go on.