coveman
Well-Known Member
Just wondering which knots, the experienced on the forum, use for attaching the head of a genoa or mainsail to their respective halyards?
Halyard knots
- Thread starter coveman
- Start date
sailorman
Well-Known Member
ghostlymoron
Well-Known Member
I used to use a bowline but started using the Halyard knot as it's shorter and allows a higher hoist. Downside is that it's more difficult or impossible to untie so you may have to cut a few inches off your halyard each year.
KellysEye
Well-Known Member
I used a bowline, from the above post a halyard knot is not a good idea.
richardh10
Well-Known Member
I’ve always used a halyard knot, but you do have to chop a few inches off when you remove the mainsail. It’s never been a problem for me.
MikeBz
Well-Known Member
Halyard knot onto the shortest shackle which will do the job.
gus
Well-Known Member
A knot I have always used on halyards is the CLINCH KNOT. Instead of 4+ turns you only need 2. I have found that it can be undone easily when required.
Yngmar
Well-Known Member
Eye splices where necessary (due to space or load constraints) and this Halyard hitch (different from the Selden one): https://www.animatedknots.com/halyard/index.php#Movie
prv
Well-Known Member
Selden "halyard knot" onto a shackle with captive pin. I don't consider the need to cut the knot as a downside - there's no real need to remove the shackle in the first place, but in any case it's a good thing to shorten the rope a few inches periodically so that the wear of the clutch (and to a lesser extent the blocks) falls on a different area.
Pete
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
That's the one I use. The tail comes out at 90 degrees whereas with the Selden one it comes out parallel. Not that that makes any real difference but I have never found mine difficult to undo.
Joker
Well-Known Member
I have a dyneema on braid halyard, which I find very stiff and difficult to knot. Would that halyard knot work with that?
TLouth7
Well-Known Member
Eye splice on a captive shackle - no problem with cutting as the halyard never comes off the boat.
For dinghy halyards we use a bobble knot (not sure of technical name) - bobble (or stopper) on the end of the halyard, push a bight through the eye in the sail and put the bobble through the bight. This has the advantage of not taking up any space above the sail, but would probably be impossible to untie after tightening with a winch.
For dinghy halyards we use a bobble knot (not sure of technical name) - bobble (or stopper) on the end of the halyard, push a bight through the eye in the sail and put the bobble through the bight. This has the advantage of not taking up any space above the sail, but would probably be impossible to untie after tightening with a winch.
bbg
Well-Known Member
What diameter is the halyard? for what size boat?
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
My genoa halyard is 10 mm Dyneema, the halyard knot works well with that. In my case splices and bowline are not an option as the upper swivel is very close to the sheave.
C08
Well-Known Member
I use an overhand knot or figure of eight.
morgandlm
Well-Known Member
I use a halyard knot. When enthusiastic about splicing double braid I used to put an eye splice in halyards but came to regret it because it is then fixed but even worse I found that the tail of the splice was jamming in the sheave at the masthead.
David Morgan
David Morgan
rudolph_hart
Well-Known Member
Halyard knot to captive-pin shackle on main & foresail.
Halyard knot to swivel snapshackle for Spinnaker & Cruising chute.
All 10mm Dyneema.
No problems undoing them each year to put in washing machine & end-for end & shortening where worn.
Hope this helps
Halyard knot to swivel snapshackle for Spinnaker & Cruising chute.
All 10mm Dyneema.
No problems undoing them each year to put in washing machine & end-for end & shortening where worn.
Hope this helps
Neeves
Well-Known Member
+1
and also use halyard knot on our bridle arms.
'My' Halyard knots has 3 turns rather than 2 (as shown in the 'animated knots')
ghostlymoron
Well-Known Member
That's the reason I switched to the halyard knot - my previous bowline/shackle fouled the sheave before I had any tension on my luff.
jwilson
Well-Known Member
Agreed: you don't want the mainsail and halyard semi-permanently attached, and the Selden type knot is much smaller than a bowline and totally reliable once pulled up tight. You have to cut it to undo. I tend to buy halyards a couple of metres oversize and shorten the top end slightly every couple of years - moves the wear points at masthead and clutch.
