Joining halyards

[Graham_Wright]

My halyards are grubby and needed washing. I have a length of line equal to the mast height and decided to use that for pull-through.

First attempt, I stitched one to the other end to end. The join survived but looked pretty battered when it re-appeared.

Second attempt, I used some woven screen off a multi-core cable fed over the rope ends. Stitched through and whipped to both ends. Worked very well despite having to winch the line through.

Third attempt, I tried some heat shrink. Moulded nicely into the weave of the rope but pulled apart easily.

Worst halyard would not pull through with the screening joint. I pulled back the outer to expose the inner and cut a few inches off same. Used a smaller diameter line for the pull- through, fed it into the outer of the halyard and stitched and whipped as before.. Had to use the winch but the join survived. This was a stiff halyard and large diameter.

What do others do?

 

[savageseadog]

Stitch it on

 

[Hoolie]

+1 and use thinner mousing line. I would certainly baulk at winching the join through the masthead sheaves. A recipe for disaster in my book

 

[Ruffles]

Most of our halyards have a small loop at the cockpit end made up of just the mantle. Small enough to go through the clutches. So I just tie the mousing line to that and tape over the top.

Making that loop is really easy by the way. Much easier than the proper loop at the business end. Just pull back the mantle to remove 6" of core. Then pull the mantle back through the side into itself. I think!

 

[Graham_Wright]

+1 and use thinner mousing line. I would certainly baulk at winching the join through the masthead sheaves. A recipe for disaster in my book

Yes! It took some nerve but was a tribute to the strength of the joint.

 

[Neeves]

Thin mousing line, sewn to halyard and then tape to make sure its smooth. Never had need to resort to a winch. Two of our halyards are very stiff, by design.

Jonathan

 

[TLouth7]

Our halyards when new came with loops made in the whipping at the cockpit end. Presumably would be quite easy to do oneself, and then tie on the mousing line.

 

[prv]

When I made my halyards I put in the loops that Ruffles describes. I haven't needed to take them out yet, but when I do I will tie a smaller line to that (obviously a knot in the same-sized line wouldn't work!)

For pulling cables in the past I've used cheap braided polyprop as the mousing line; it's in the form of a tube with no core so it easily opens up and slips over the end of the cable. Tape around the end of it and onto the cable secures it with minimal extra diameter, and the constriction of the tube onto the cable when loaded provides most of the grip, not the tape. The transition from just rope to rope-and-cable is smooth and even and not arranged to pull them apart if a bit of a tug is needed to get it started through a narrow section. The polyprop braid is quite slippery.

Pete

 

[ghostlymoron]

+1 and use thinner mousing line. I would certainly baulk at winching the join through the masthead sheaves. A recipe for disaster in my book

I once moused my halyards with very thin cord sold as "mousing line". Some of the halyards were oversize and jammed in the sheaves at the masthead. I foolishly put the mousing line on a winch and gave it some welly........ .. ............. the halyard came free much to my relief.

 

[penberth3]

Some stiches through the heat shrink? Smooth in-line connection with added strength.

 

[Hoolie]

I can't see the point of taping the join - it makes it inflexible and bulky. Much better to just sew end to end with the flexibility to easily pass over the sheave.

 

[Boathook]

Like some others a mousing line tied to a loop on the end of the halyard. The line is 3mm and seem braid on braid. For same size replacement I use insulating tape. Both ropes are put end to end and I then lay the tape over about 5" of each rope. The whole lot is then tightly bound together and the mousing line pulled through. So far I have never had a problem with either method and don't have to use much force.

 

[thinwater]

Most of our halyards have a small loop at the cockpit end made up of just the mantle. Small enough to go through the clutches. So I just tie the mousing line to that and tape over the top.

Making that loop is really easy by the way. Much easier than the proper loop at the business end. Just pull back the mantle to remove 6" of core. Then pull the mantle back through the side into itself. I think!

This. It doesn't take much longer than the other ways and you are safe and DONE. Do it when you install a new halyard.

 

[Guise]

When whipping I just add a loop of three or four strands of whipping twine to the end of the halliard, using 6mm three strand polypropylene mousing this goes through the the loop, the end of the line goes two or three time through itself and the end taped down to avoid it snagging, never had a problem with this and hardly notice the join going through the sheave.

 

[Jamesuk]

I think I use a 6mm line for a 27m mast. I have a whipped halyard end with 4 loops I then thread the 6mm thin line through that and back on itself perhaps 5cm and then I whip and seize twice (at the bitter end and at the haylyard end) then tape up with electric tape and if it is to hand a quick spray of Fabsil Silicone.

I then pray to god never had a problem.

 

[rotrax]

I use stainless steel aircraft quality locking wire, left over from my motorbike racing days.

Twisted tightly around the halyard and mousing line twice, taped over with just one wrap of soft insulating tape it has always worked for me. Pulls through with no real effort.

 

[Graham_Wright]

There's some really useful tips there. Thanks to all.

 

[ditchcrawler]

Some advice I got on this forum. I use self amalgamating tape to tape the join. You can pull it really tight so the joint is not bulky and I spray it with PTFE and it passes over the sheaves no trouble. I use this method with the ends butted and sewn when replacing halyards.