Simple Halyard replacement

[pij27]

Checking my running rigging, have noticed my mainsail halyard has frayed and the outer sheath has pulled back a bit. The replace is it just a simple case of butting the new rope to the old, securing with either some tape or twine and then pulling through? Or is there something else should be considering? The boat is a Kingfisher 22ft with a mast height of 24ft. I will probably replace both the mainsail and the jib halyards as both look like not been done for a few years.

 

[Thistle]

Butt the old and new and put a couple of stitches through before taping lightly. Ensure that the resulting join is both thin enough and flexible enough to go round the masthead sheaves. Tape alone is unlikely to be strong enough, leaving you with both halyards on deck and nothing up the mast.

An slightly more long-winded alternative is to use the existing halyard to pull a light mousing line (again stitched and taped) through the mast which can, in turn, be used to pull the new halyard. This has the advantage of allowing you to measure the old halyard accurately before you cut the new halyard to length.

 

[dunedin]

Yes, but take a couple of minutes to carefully sew the old and new lines together strongly. The tape only join tends to jam, then tug to pull through and it comes apart. Then the 5 minute job becomes a long and tricky exercise rethreading a new halyard from scratch. More haste less speed

 

[srm]

As Thistle said, but I found tape over stitching was difficult to work around the sheaves. Likewise whippings on the end of the halyard can make it too stiff and jam. Slightly loose stitching giving a flexible joint with strong twine seemed to work best. Severely test your stitching before sending it up the mast as it may need a strong pull around the sheave.

Edit, sent at much the same time as dunedin, looks as we may have had similar experiences with halyards.

 

[srm]

An afterthought:
If the worst happens and you have to drop a mouse line down the mast weight it with a short length of suitable small link chain. This is much easier to thread in and hook out of the mast. If you can push and form a loop of flexible wire in through the mast exit to catch the mouse first that can save a lot of anguish.

 

[14K478]

There's a lot of sound advice here - I agree with all of it. Including carrying a spare bicycle chain in an oily container.

 

[ColinR]

Checking my running rigging, have noticed my mainsail halyard has frayed and the outer sheath has pulled back a bit. The replace is it just a simple case of butting the new rope to the old, securing with either some tape or twine and then pulling through? Or is there something else should be considering? The boat is a Kingfisher 22ft with a mast height of 24ft. I will probably replace both the mainsail and the jib halyards as both look like not been done for a few years.

I remove my halyards every winter and replace with a thin line that reduces the weight aloft in gales and extends the life of the halyards. I lay about 20cm of the thin line along the halyard and use a strip of gaffer tape lengthways so you only have one thickness of tape. Works well enough and its quick and simple. If it was a matter of stitching I wouldn't bother.

 

[Martin_J]

I would not use too thin a line... it only takes a bit of slackness and it could slip off the side of the sheave at the top leaving you with much bigger problems.

I would always use something 4mm or more for mousing just to be sure it won't fall to the side of the sheave..

As others have said - A couple of stitches of whipping twine to end-to-end the new, followed by a thin tape covering.

I always use Marlow Braids splicing tape.. I'm not sure if it's just habit, but it definitely seems thinner than insulating tape.

 

[lustyd]

Ideally you want to whip the ends with loops as in this picture. You then can tie a mousing line securely to it any time you want to remove the rope. Pull a mousing line through with the old rope, then pull the new rope through with the mousing line. Tape can come undone and creates a stiff section that may or may not go through sheaves etc. and a few random stitches may or may not be sufficiently secure.
To do this, whip as normal and then use a needle to put 2-3 loops on the end followed by some hitches to hold those loops together then a stitch to stop it coming undone.

 

[pij27]

Thanks for the advice

 

[Refueler]

An afterthought:
If the worst happens and you have to drop a mouse line down the mast weight it with a short length of suitable small link chain. This is much easier to thread in and hook out of the mast. If you can push and form a loop of flexible wire in through the mast exit to catch the mouse first that can save a lot of anguish.

There are very narrow fishing weights with long flexible plastic tubes ... ideal for the job - if need to re-run a rope through ...

Tip : If the dreaded happens and need to start from scratch ....

I used many different ways - but in the end found that easiest way was to have the fishing weight as described with decent fishing line or other suitable strong thin line ..... drop the weight down mast and retrieve at base ... The other end - needs to be joined to halyard such that they stay inline with each other ... So I used to drill a hole dead centre of halyard end ... with needle sew line through that hole and then out of halyard an inch or so further ... then fasten line round halyard tight. Small amount of tape to ease the change from line to halyard ...
Doing that kept the halyard and line directly in line as they went over sheave ...

 

[onesea]

If you loose the halyard, it’s been suggested you use something ferrus or magnetic so you can guide it down with magnet.

I have a length of fine line 2mm dynemma, clove hitch followed by rolling hitch. Tie it on and sometimes add tape. Big tip is don’t let the line go slack or it might fall off the cheek blocks.

Above methods probably more secure better and time consuming.

 

[Rappey]

There are very narrow fishing weights with long flexible plastic tubes ... ideal for the job

A few inches of bicycle chain makes a great weight and it bends around corners.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

However, it’s much better to follow the advice of a strong but slightly loose stitched end to end joint, old to new, maybe 1 layer of tape over it according to taste, so to speak. Use sailmakers thread, you do not want this join to part til you take a knife to it.

 

[alan_d]

A few inches of bicycle chain makes a great weight and it bends around corners.

And if you dont have a bicycle chain you can use a number of appropriately sized nuts threaded on to a thin line, finished off by tying it through the end one.

 

[Refueler]

If you loose the halyard, it’s been suggested you use something ferrus or magnetic so you can guide it down with magnet.

I have a length of fine line 2mm dynemma, clove hitch followed by rolling hitch. Tie it on and sometimes add tape. Big tip is don’t let the line go slack or it might fall off the cheek blocks.

Above methods probably more secure better and time consuming.

Magnet idea is great until you hit the spreader section ... it can then be a real PITA !! but yes it works...

 

[Refueler]

A few inches of bicycle chain makes a great weight and it bends around corners.

My fishing weight suggestion is just an alternative ... not saying its better ..

The tube bends easily ...