Genoa halyard tension

[Oily Rag]

Previous owner has removed the winch from the mast, so I can only put tension into the genoa halyard using muscles, body weight, sweating etc. Then cleat off to a simple cleat on the mast.

It's a 29 foot Westerly Konsort. Is it worth re-fitting a winch or running the halyard through a locking cleat to a coach roof winch?

Any options worth considering?
Many thanks.

 

[peteK]

Is it a roller reefing genoa and you only hoist it at beginning of season if so wouldnt bother with winch.

 

[mikegunn]

PeteK’s question is very relevant. If it is a furling foresail its luff rope should not take over the job of the forestay. Up to, say a 12 metre yacht, swigging the halyard by hand should be more than adequate. The amount of sag in the foil is determined by the tension in the forestay and backstay, not the halyard. IMHO overstretching the luff is a bad practice. It only serves to stretch and distort the sail. On the other hand, if the sail is hanked on the halyard tension needs to be sufficient to keep the sail’s luff reasonable straight, without too much bowing between the hanks. That’s when a little help from a winch may be useful.
Mike

 

[Oily Rag]

Many thanks. It is a roller reeling system, and to be honest, I tend to set it up at the start of the season and just leave it.

 

[Sandy]

Do you guys never ease the halyard at the end of a sail?

 

[Boathook]

Do you guys never ease the halyard at the end of a sail?

Normally I do. I do tweak mine up with a winch but in light winds it isn't much.

 

[Lucky Duck]

Do you guys never ease the halyard at the end of a sail?

Indeed, the halyard tension comes off in the same way as the mainsail cover goes on after each sail.

Clearly I need to go the gym as there is little hope that I could put sufficient halyard tension on without using the winch.

 

[Stemar]

My rigger said he tensions the halyard until he sees a ripple in the sail running parallel to the luff. That isn't all that tight. It needs to be tight enough to allow the sail to furl and not try to unwind the forestay, but no more.

 

[Lucky Duck]

A crease running parallel with the luff is a sign of too much halyard tension (or downhaul for those with boats fitted with one)

 

[RichardS]

Do you guys never ease the halyard at the end of a sail?

I ease the tension on both the genoa halyard and the mainsail outhaul at the end of the cruise.

Richard

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

A crease running parallel with the luff is a sign of too much halyard tension (or downhaul for those with boats fitted with one)

I'm thinking that @Stemar means that the crease appears with the sheet free, which is a pretty good rule of thumb because it allows for the current windspeed.

 

[Lucky Duck]

I'm thinking that @Stemar means that the crease appears with the sheet free, which is a pretty good rule of thumb because it allows for the current windspeed.

Less so if it being used to set the halyard tension for the rest of the season?

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

PeteK’s question is very relevant. If it is a furling foresail its luff rope should not take over the job of the forestay. Up to, say a 12 metre yacht, swigging the halyard by hand should be more than adequate. The amount of sag in the foil is determined by the tension in the forestay and backstay, not the halyard. IMHO overstretching the luff is a bad practice. It only serves to stretch and distort the sail. On the other hand, if the sail is hanked on the halyard tension needs to be sufficient to keep the sail’s luff reasonable straight, without too much bowing between the hanks. That’s when a little help from a winch may be useful.
Mike

Stretching the luff of the sail is the whole point, you want to change the shape of the sail. The hanked on sail gives a useful guide by wrinkling, the roller sail needs exactly the same adjustment.

You may not be racers, but transforming the way that your boat sails is incredibly rewarding. Says he after a weekend of humiliation in a one design fleet.

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

Less so if it being used to set the halyard tension for the rest of the season?

Leaving the halyard tensioned all season does not compute. Owners should be deleted.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

It may be possible to use a tack tackle to tension the luff downwards. Working jibs used to have this feature, hoist on the halyard and then tension from the tack. genoas have less room and none if a furling genoa.

 

[mikegunn]

Do you guys never ease the halyard at the end of a sail?

Yes, usually before I furl the foresail too, to unload the bearings in the head and drum rotators. Depending on prevailing conditions I may defer easing the halyard until safely anchored or berthed as it is jammed at the mast.
Mike

 

[johnalison]

Easing the halyard makes furling/unfurling so much easier that I am always surprised at those who don't. My jibs have been laminate for many years and I don't think that increasing the tension will change the shape significantly, so long as it is enough.

 

[RichardS]

One needs to be careful with releasing the tension on the halyard at the wrong time. It's easy to get the halyard wrapped around the foil and that can be a world of pain.

Richard

 

[mikegunn]

One needs to be careful with releasing the tension on the halyard at the wrong time. It's easy to get the halyard wrapped around the foil and that can be a world of pain.

Richard

In that respect I’m fortunate. I have a Profurl furler which has a vertical arm extending upwards from the top rotator by approx 200mm which in turn is attached to the halyard. When the foresail is hoisted that arm slides into a location which is clamped to the top of the forestay, preventing the halyard from wrapping. I can ease the halyard by at least 150 mm before the arm drops out of engagement. It works really well as the foresail halyard runs parallel to the forestay, which in turn means that the sail can be easily hoisted by hand because the only change in direction of the halyard is around the top sheave.
Mike

 

[flaming]

Easing the halyard makes furling/unfurling so much easier that I am always surprised at those who don't. My jibs have been laminate for many years and I don't think that increasing the tension will change the shape significantly, so long as it is enough.

I would respectfully suggest that it would.

The idea that hand tight headsail halyard tension left for a season is adequate is somewhat alarming to me.

Without decent halyard tension the draft in the sail will be too much, and too far aft for decent windward progress. Rule of thumb for genoas is that you want the draft in the 1st 1/4 of the sail. Tension halyard to bring it forward, ease to let it aft.
As the wind builds you will find that the draft moves aft unless you add a bit more tension. If you do not, then you will heel more and make more leeway.

All of this is adjustments that you would do well before the point in which you need to start rolling the sail.