How to replace main sail halyard advice please.

[mickyp168]

HI
My main halyard is the original on a 1980 Daimio 700. (23' - 7m masthead sloop) It is a bit too short in my opinion and getting a bit worn and tired so I am thinking of replacing it. Apart from a guesstimate is there a formula to work out the correct length? The boat is long out of production and the builder CNSO in France no longer exists. Also , my wife is pretty handy with a needle and thread and thinks she can sew a new halyard end on to a new one and therefore pull the new one through and into place with out having to take the mast down. I wonder if this is a viable idea or a recipe for disaster and an expensive visit to the shipyard?

Thank you Mick

 

[sailorman]

tie a light messenger line to the existing & remove it leaving the messenger in place. then you can measure it. reeve the new halliad with the messenger.
i whip the ends of my lines & work a loop into the whipping to aid reeving / removal. i also end for end my lines to even out any wear

 

[KREW2]

I have done a few, and sewing with fine whipping twine is a good way to do it.
I once did it with a fine mousing line and it jumped of the masthead sheave and got stuck at the top, daughter had to go up to free it.
Sewing with a little gap lets it run round the sheave easily.
as for dimensions this may help.

http://www.mauriprosailing.com/us/category/2-Rig-Dimensions.html

 

[prv]

Either do as sailorman suggests and swap the halyard for a length of cheap polyprop while you measure it, or you could hoist the end of a surveyor's tape up on a halyard to measure the height of the mast and work it out from there.

Pete

 

[xeitosaphil]

I do the same as sailorman - Whipp the ends of all the halyards and create a loop in the ends to aid the fixing of Mousing lines in the winter, and future Halyard replacement. There are different ways to do this but here is a link to just one on Youtube.

There is also one on whipping the rope ends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki7LwA4EXg4

Hope this helps

 

[rob2]

When I replaced mine I did just that, hoisted a tape measure up the mast, doubled the measure and added the length required on deck and rounded it up to the nearest meter. The new was sewn fairly loosely to the old to allow it to flex and some insulating tape wrapped around it to stop the joint getting misaligned - easy. The other option of hoisting a mousing line and then using that to pull the new one into place is just as good, but you do need to keep some tension on to stop the light line from jumping off the sheaves. Mousing is considered by many as a normal procedure to get the halyards off over winter to wash them and store them away.

Rob.

 

[lpdsn]

Very easy to do. I measured my spinnaker halyard to replace it last weekend and it took about 20 minutes all told.

You can use a mouse line (a.k.a messenger) but I used an old halyard as a mouse instead. Just stitch old and new back-to-back and wrap join in adhesive tape.

Pull the halyard through, taking care to apply gentle pressure where the join passes constrictions, such as the sheave at the top of the mast. If the old halyard (mouse) is long enough you can leave it attached whilst measuring.

Wrap the halyard to be replaced between two cleats on the pontoon. Count how many times it goes around. Measure distance between cleats. Multiply. Measure and add in any leftover. Adjust for changes you want to make (e.g. have longer or shorter tail when the sail is down).

Pull mouse back through. Cut and remove stitching. Order new halyard of your choice.

PS make sure you put a decent stopper knot in the mouse - nothing ruins your day quite like pulling the mouse all the way through.

 

[rob2]

PS make sure you put a decent stopper knot in the mouse - nothing ruins your day quite like pulling the mouse all the way through.

I tie the mousing line to something at deck level before hoisting! A well chosen tie-off point also stops it frapping.

Rob.

 

[Spyro]

I replaced mine. Cut the ends square, butt them together, dont overlap. sew them up and cover with tape. Pull the new one through with the old. No need for mousing lines.

 

[Dave99]

Use thin dyneema as the mouse line because a thin twine is likely to snap when you get stuck on cables and things.

 

[alteredoutlook]

When you use a mouse line and attach the end of mouse line to the end of the new halyard you then have the worry of the two become detached and you don't have an end of the mouse line anymore.

tip: To avoid losing the end I always use an ultra long mouse line and attach the end of the new halyard to the middle of the mouse line so that as you pull up the new halyard you always have two ends of the mouse line on deck. When the halyard is successfully pulled through, the mouse line can be removed. if it isn't successful then you can repeat the process until it is!

 

[KREW2]

I would not use a thin mousing line.
As I said in an earlier post if allowed to go slack it can jump off the sheave and jam between the wheel and the pulley block, then you have to go up the mast to free it .
It's best to use the old halyard as a pull through.

 

[sailorman]

I replaced mine. Cut the ends square, butt them together, dont overlap. sew them up and cover with tape. Pull the new one through with the old. No need for mousing lines.

The OP has no idea how long a halliard he requires, hence the messenger

 

[ditchcrawler]

I have always replaced halyards by butt jointing the ends and sewing, pulling the old one out and the new one in.I cover the joint with self amalgamating tape, wound tight it is no thicker than the rope.I then spray the joint with PTFE spray.If it is coming out at the top of the mast I create as small an angle as possible.I have pulled the rope through by standing on the pontoon.I have never lost one yet.

 

[Tranona]

The OP has no idea how long a halliard he requires, hence the messenger

Just as easy to measure the luff of the sail, double it and add the distance from the tack to the deck plus the tail back to the cockpit if required - than add a metre for luck! No need for the apparant precision others are suggesting.

 

[Spyro]

The OP has no idea how long a halliard he requires, hence the messenger

Really! There are much easier methods to work out how long a halyard needs to be.

 

[sailorman]

Really! There are much easier methods to work out how long a halyard needs to be.

tell the OP then

 

[William_H]

Goodness a 23 ft boat mast head probably has around 29 ft mast so double that plus the tail at the end will be close. Add a metre or two to the estimate for safety.
My current jib halyard was bought too short. I have this emabassing join to another rope at the bottom end. Hence i advocat wasting just a little money for extra rope just in case. It is easy to cut it to the right length when it is in.
As said, sew the new halyad to the old. Pull it through. Do use dyneems or spectra as stretch of the halyard when sailing can be very annoying resilting ina drooping boom.
You mention an expensive trip to the yard to remove the mast. You should consider setting up for self mast lowering. This requires ginpole or poles a tackle for the forestay, an A frame or support at the transom and of course a mast foot hinge. It is very doable and gives you freedom to work on mast top anytime you want. At our club due to bridges betwween club and the ocean all boats are set up for mast lowering. There are some pretty big masts lowered this way ie 43 ft boats.(fortunately there is plenty of water to sail and race in without going under the bridges) On my 21fter I lost a jib halyard a few weeks back. It took SWMBO and I about 30 mins to drop the mast into a crutch retrieve the halyard (fortunately not pulled through) and raise the mast again. All on the swing mooring. So much easier than what you describe. good luck olewill

 

[srm]

No need to remove the halyard to measure it. Simply attach a long tape measure and hoist it (on a calm day). Double the length from mast sheaf to boom plus whatever is needed to reach cleats or cockpit. Round up to the next whole metre. If you don't have a long tape measure (I carry a 30 metre one from my surveying days) hoist another length of line to get the mast height then measure this with a shorter tape after lowering it.

It's as well to add an extra metre, then if the halyard shows signs of wear at the top you can cut a bit off and continue using the rest. Eventually, it can be turned end for end to double its usable life as half the halyard never carries any significant load.

 

[NormanS]

Sorry to say this, but the OP shows a worrying lack of imagination and practicality. It is surely not beyond the wit of man to use the existing halyard to pull up a measuring tape, or even a bit of string. Double that length, and add on the requirements at deck level. Job done.