How on earth do I fit a spinnaker halyard on a Pandora 700 masthead?

[flaming]

A bit of lateral thinking and another look and I’ve realised that the hole on the front goes through to the inside. I’m wondering if I could fit a nut inside to go on an eyebolt? Either that or take advantage of the smoothed exit and use a dyneema toggle as already mentioned.suggested.

Be sure it really is smooth before you go down the dynema route. But then that would be my preferred solution.

Unless.... Does that hole allow you a route to run the halyard internally? If so, you could just use it as a halyard exit rather than using it to mount a block with dynema.

 

[TSB240]

You might try contacting Pandora class captain at South Caernarvonshire YC . Jonathan Colclough. He has a telephone number on the club website. Alternatively Jonathan ex JKA sails now Boatshed at Pwllheli is very knowledgeable about all the local rigs including the Pandora Fleet.

 

[TernVI]

You might try contacting Pandora class captain at South Caernarvonshire YC . Jonathan Colclough. He has a telephone number on the club website. Alternatively Jonathan ex JKA sails now Boatshed at Pwllheli is very knowledgeable about all the local rigs including the Pandora Fleet.

It's a big assumption to think that all boats of a production design over several years will have the same fittings at the masthead when they are built, let alone in the subsequent millenium. It looks like this boat was sold without a spinny halyard, I expect many of the class have had kite gear added in various creative ways over the years. The challenge is no different from adding a halyard to any other 'class' of masthead rig boat. See what you have at the masthead and work around it. Is it even the original mast?

I've been up the mast on a similar size/age boat, the spinny halyard block was shackled to a ring nut about where that hooge light is.
It worked fine.
HTHBIDI.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Be sure it really is smooth before you go down the dynema route. But then that would be my preferred solution.

Unless.... Does that hole allow you a route to run the halyard internally? If so, you could just use it as a halyard exit rather than using it to mount a block with dynema.

I can make sure it's smooth, but there's no obvious place for a sheave to be inserted to bring the halyard down inside the mast. The whole fitting isn't very big, and although there's plenty of room for the halyards, making sure that they don't chafe at the masthead is another problem. Even the topping lift has two tiny sheaves to take it up and over the main halyard.

It's a big assumption to think that all boats of a production design over several years will have the same fittings at the masthead when they are built, let alone in the subsequent millenium. It looks like this boat was sold without a spinny halyard, I expect many of the class have had kite gear added in various creative ways over the years. The challenge is no different from adding a halyard to any other 'class' of masthead rig boat. See what you have at the masthead and work around it. Is it even the original mast?

I've been up the mast on a similar size/age boat, the spinny halyard block was shackled to a ring nut about where that hooge light is.
It worked fine.
HTHBIDI.

I agree. Pandora's went through several iterations and Eowyn is one of the last ones built so there's no guarantee that other's rigs will be identical. However, no harm in sharing how others have achieved the aim. We might strike lucky and find the ideal solution , or we might just find out which solutions to avoid...!. Lots of Pandora's have spinnakers too so hopefully there will be a variety of solutions; some more elegant than others.

 

[TernVI]

I'm no fan of masthead rigs.
How about a nice little carbon top mast to take the kite sheave box nicely above the forestay?

The point was, there is nothing special about it being a Pandora, it's A N Other small masthead rig, and that masthead fitting will be common to many yacht designs of its era. The issues of running kite halyards nicely on a masthead rig haven't changed much since about 1950, but at least we now have dyneema as an option to play with. Whatever you do, the fact that forestay, jib halyard and kite halyard are all so close means there is potential for wraps, friction etc and care is needed. Same as it ever was.
But at least you're only looking at one kite halyard....

 

[john_morris_uk]

I'm no fan of masthead rigs.
How about a nice little carbon top mast to take the kite sheave box nicely above the forestay?

The point was, there is nothing special about it being a Pandora, it's A N Other small masthead rig, and that masthead fitting will be common to many yacht designs of its era. The issues of running kite halyards nicely on a masthead rig haven't changed much since about 1950, but at least we now have dyneema as an option to play with. Whatever you do, the fact that forestay, jib halyard and kite halyard are all so close means there is potential for wraps, friction etc and care is needed. Same as it ever was.
But at least you're only looking at one kite halyard....

In many ways I completely agree. However there’s an active but allegedly very friendly (Corinthian?) regatta every year and I want her to stay at least vaguely ‘in class’. I suspect carbon anything might raise a few eyebrows...?

Years ago I completely rebuilt a SCOD and competed in a couple of Cowes weeks in her. There was a very warm welcome to the fleet


until we started winning races!

 

[Neeves]

Continue to encourage (and you are showing the support) your daughter to compete, she will learn more about sail trim (and other skills), which will be a foundation for the next few decades of sailing. You simply don't know how bad you are until you race against similar, better, identical yachts. A Pandora may be small and old but the skills are the same as something bigger (which is one reason why RHKYC still maintains a racing fleet - I never raced one, we raced a J24).

Interesting how the welcome and hilarity cools - once you get your act together.

Jonathan

 

[Skellum]

I looked at a Pandora over the weekend at RHKYC. The spin halyard looked like it ran outside the mast to a block from the overhanging fitting at the top. I did take a photo but cant work out how to shrink the file to a size that I can post on here!