Removing a shackle - how?

[Tranona]

How do you manage without a shackle? How do you remove the halyard when you drop the main or change the foresail? I use a halyard knot onto the shackle; the hoist line on the mast leaves enough room for that.

The only way to remove a halyard knot after using it for a while is to cut it off I find.

Also, a splice may struggle to go over the sheave at the masthead if the halyard is generously-sized?

If you regularly remove the halyard from the sail then there is an argument for having a shackle, but on a furling genoa for example a knot is OK. On a mainsail there is no real need to detach the halyard every time if you can take a bight over to a cleat so that you tie it clear of the mast to prevent it bashing.

 

[Daydream believer]

Put a plastic stopper on the end of the halliard. Double the halliard & poke through the eye in the sail head. Pass the stopper through the loop & tighten.
Works on my dinghy, keelboat & cruiser. fairly easy to release if the eye in the sail head is not too small but as my cruiser has only an 8mm dymema halliard it is easy to fit to the head. The jib is different as it has to connect to the head roller of the furler

 

[VicMallows]

Why this end-to-ending? All my running rigging is 30 years old and has never been unreaved. Functionally it is still sound. Only reason for replacement would be because the exposed stuff looks a bit green and nasty.