"I just dont belive it!"

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ffiill

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I arrived at my boat this morning on the hard at Kishorn and began pottering around.I then noticed a pile of line neatly coiled on one of the big concrete mooring blocks which my boat is held down by.
I soon realised that it was the mainsail hailyard! Anything else but!
I can in the short term make do with my topping lift as the boom rests in a purpose built crutch on the wheelhouse roof.
But the main hailyard is one of the most secure lines to the masthead and runs over the top of the masthead.There is also a spare unused over the top pulley which several years ago when the mast was down I considered running a messenger line through.
Ouch Ouch Ouch!!!
 
Maybe an end came loose in the wind, and the halyard was then thrashing about, and someone "helpfully" pulled it all through, to make it safe. Bit of a bummer.
 
It shouldn't be a big problem to re-reeve the haulyard. You shouldn't even need to remove the sheave: just poke the tail down the mast until it get close to an opening, then attach it to the topping lift to pull it down the rest of the way. There are usually enough openings in a mast to allow it to be handled and routed. You will need to fabricate so hooks from stiff wire though .... coat hanger size, or a little thinner (I use the inner from old Morse cable).
 
TradewindSailor said:
It shouldn't be a big problem to re-reeve the haulyard. You shouldn't even need to remove the sheave: just poke the tail down the mast until it get close to an opening, then attach it to the topping lift to pull it down the rest of the way. There are usually enough openings in a mast to allow it to be handled and routed. You will need to fabricate so hooks from stiff wire though .... coat hanger size, or a little thinner (I use the inner from old Morse cable).
Click to expand...

Wow, what kind of mast do you have that has 'openings'. Most I see are single pieces of extruded aluminium. The only openings are where it's been drilled for fittings like tangs, cleats or winches, and these are filled with rivets or bolts
 
My mast has openings in the front for a sheavee for the jib (fractioanl rig) and another for a sheave for spinnacker. As said you can hook out an existing halyard and if you can get the new halyard or messenger down to this point tape it to the existing halyard to get it to the bottom. if it is a mast head rig and you can remove the top fittings then easy to attach the new halyard to the existing halyards. Of course dpending on what halyard exit system you have you must fish out the new halyard or messenger at the approriate point.
Just takes a bit of patience and helps if the mast is on the ground.
Funny I had a similar experience end of last winter. I winter the boat at home on trailer. The mast remains above the cabin roof supported on bow rail and support at the stern. I always put a knot in the halyards and pull them all through so most of the rope is at the mast base. I then enclose this in a bag to minimise sun damage. I came to pull the halyards back to usable position and found the stopper knot in jib halyard gone and halyard pulled into mast. No idea how it came about. Did some malevalent soul do it or did I forget to put the stopper knot in. Who knows? I had to unrivet the halyard exit block to fish out main ahlyard to attach the jib halyard to pull it through.
You have my sympathy olewill
 
If the mast has internal halliards, there will be gaps at the exit sheaves near the foot.

I find a few small nuts ( the threaded sort, small enough to get through the sheave gaps ) on the end of a reel of whipping twine makes a good messenger; you still have to get to the masthead to drop it down though.
 
The problem with whipping twine or mono-filament or any light line for that matter is that it can wrap around the existing haulyards and wires. It's worth pulling the newly reeved haulyard / messenger out of the mast at an number of openings down the mast to check that it's not fouled.

Openings in my mast : haulyard plates near the bottom of the mast, the top spinnaker haulyard plate (fractional rig .... the block is external), access plate at the base of the mast made for the purpose of routing cables etc. My mast is 56' and has bolts passing through the section in way of the tangs for the shrouds and the diamonds.
 
Seajet said:
If the mast has internal halliards, there will be gaps at the exit sheaves near the foot.

I find a few small nuts ( the threaded sort, small enough to get through the sheave gaps ) on the end of a reel of whipping twine makes a good messenger; you still have to get to the masthead to drop it down though.
Click to expand...

And then fish about for the nut with an inspection magnet. As Seajet says, as long as you can get to the masthead to drop the nut down, it's not too difficult. BTW, fishing braid takes some beating for a mousing line - 50lb breaking strain is very thin.
 
Chain on light line works best - the chain has got the weight to pul the line through without tangling. The type I use is lightweight "normal" chain - haven't used a bycycle chain - and I wouldn't recommend whippin twine as it always breaks or gets trapped between sheave and the housing.

But first try to use another halyard to pull it through - that way you def don't get any tangles

Kevin
 
I know of people who think it reasonable to remove someone's halyard if it is rattling in the night and keeping them awake. I have been tempted myself. Now I'm sure that you wouldn't have left a halyard rattling, there is probably no-one trying to sleep within earshot, and if there is they are surely not mean spirited enough to remove the halyard. However I thought I'd mention the possibility.
ffiill said:
I arrived at my boat this morning on the hard at Kishorn and began pottering around.I then noticed a pile of line neatly coiled on one of the big concrete mooring blocks which my boat is held down by.
I soon realised that it was the mainsail hailyard! Anything else but!
I can in the short term make do with my topping lift as the boom rests in a purpose built crutch on the wheelhouse roof.
But the main hailyard is one of the most secure lines to the masthead and runs over the top of the masthead.There is also a spare unused over the top pulley which several years ago when the mast was down I considered running a messenger line through.
Ouch Ouch Ouch!!!
Click to expand...
 
Highndry said:
And then fish about for the nut with an inspection magnet. As Seajet says, as long as you can get to the masthead to drop the nut down, it's not too difficult. BTW, fishing braid takes some beating for a mousing line - 50lb breaking strain is very thin.
Click to expand...

No magnets involved as I used stainless nuts. Easy to hook out with a bit of bent wire, last resort would be to drill off the rivets of a mast foot sheave or unscrew it, but haven't had to do that yet - why does it feel like tempting fate saying that ?!

Edit; as for frapping halliards ( a term which seems to include both the noise of halliards etc banging on a mast and the practice of restraining said lines ) pulling the halliards out would be a malevolent action well worth a thump !

However I know people who couldn't sleep due to the noise and took their own short lines ( sail ties ) to secure such lines by the shrouds away from the mast, hoping the boats' owners would take the hint.

Personally I'm not bothered by tapping halliards, it just reminds me I'm on the boat, so happy.
 
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A bent wire works for hooking the messenger line, but I have also used a long cable tie. Pushed in double the cable tie opens out into a big loop inside the mast and pushes other halyards aside. The messenger line just drops through it and can be pulled out easily.
 
Seajet said:
Edit; as for frapping halliards ( a term which seems to include both the noise of halliards etc banging on a mast and the practice of restraining said lines ) pulling the halliards out would be a malevolent action well worth a thump !
Click to expand...
I wouldn't but I know at least one yachtmaster instructor who says he would.
However I know people who couldn't sleep due to the noise and took their own short lines ( sail ties ) to secure such lines by the shrouds away from the mast, hoping the boats' owners would take the hint.
Click to expand...
My approach. Once an owner came and removed my frapping almost immediately having watched from his house. I considered boring holes below the waterline at that point.
 
Ive used a bicycle chain a few times to do this exercise on my 40' mast and then used a magnet to get hold of the chain as it passes the slot at the bottom of the mast. Never failed me so far.
 
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