Stretchy main halyard

[jaminb]

After sailing in strongish winds my luff goes slack. I had assumed my halyard clutch was slipping. I have tried cleaning and shortened the halyard (to move the bite point) but having climbed a mast ladder attached to the halyard I was amazed at the amount of stretch my measly 83kg (13ish stone) produced - probably 0.5m (20 inch).

Is there any advantage in a stretchy halyard? Should I be cranking on more halyard tension to try and pull out the stretch? Do halyards go stretchy with age? Should I replace it? What with? Boat is 11m (37ft) AWB with slab reefing.

Thanks

 

[geem]

After sailing in strongish winds my luff goes slack. I had assumed my halyard clutch was slipping. I have tried cleaning and shortened the halyard (to move the bite point) but having climbed a mast ladder attached to the halyard I was amazed at the amount of stretch my measly 83kg (13ish stone) produced - probably 0.5m (20 inch).

Is there any advantage in a stretchy halyard? Should I be cranking on more halyard tension to try and pull out the stretch? Do halyards go stretchy with age? Should I replace it? What with? Boat is 11m (37ft) AWB with slab reefing.

Thanks

You need a dyneema halyard. Splash the cash for none stretch halyards

 

[Chiara’s slave]

After sailing in strongish winds my luff goes slack. I had assumed my halyard clutch was slipping. I have tried cleaning and shortened the halyard (to move the bite point) but having climbed a mast ladder attached to the halyard I was amazed at the amount of stretch my measly 83kg (13ish stone) produced - probably 0.5m (20 inch).

Is there any advantage in a stretchy halyard? Should I be cranking on more halyard tension to try and pull out the stretch? Do halyards go stretchy with age? Should I replace it? What with? Boat is 11m (37ft) AWB with slab reefing.

Thanks

You should replace it. Whatever it’s made from will make ideal mooring warps. It's surely worth some low end dyneema to minimise stretch.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Is there any advantage in a stretchy halyard? Should I be cranking on more halyard tension to try and pull out the stretch? Do halyards go stretchy with age? Should I replace it? What with?

No.
Won't solve the problem.
No.
Yes.
Dyneema.

 

[Bobc]

Is there any advantage in a stretchy halyard?

Thanks

No

 

[Chiara’s slave]

No

I think we could come up some disadvantages though.

 

[jwilson]

Someone has obviously fitted the complete wrong spec rope to get that much stretch. Dyneema is good but a decent prestretched polyester rope is OK too for cruising: though you may have to tighten up halliard an inch or so after a while with polyester.

Whenever I hoist someone up the mast of a similar sized boat I get them to give a good bounce or two on the halyard whilst just above deck level. Certainly don't get anything like your stretch (maybe a couple of inches) and my main halyard is polyester. I have dyneema for the genoa halyard: when the main halliard gets tired I may let the moths out of my wallet for dyneema. (I use a backup line as well as the main halliard to hoist someone).

 

[Daydream believer]

At least with dynema you can go down a diameter & have less friction.
You should have noticed the change in sail shape as it is allowed to go slack then tension again as the halyard changes length.

 

[jaminb]

Thanks all. Looks like there are some cheaper !! dynema roll ends on ebay. Will measure what diameter I have and see about replacing.

I don't think the original is the wrong spec as it has a shackle spiced into it and all my other running rigging seems good quality. Just a further thought could it be the webbing ladder stretching?

If I tighten my genoa halyard too tight the furler wont furl.

 

[Daydream believer]

If I tighten my genoa halyard too tight the furler wont furl.

It is not unusual to ease the halyard just before furling the jib, but that does not mean that one should not have a tighter halyard when the wind rises.

 

[dunedin]

Cruising dyneema (dyneema core with traditional cover) is ideal for a main halyard - Liros 10mm Dynamic Plus Dyneema - Sheets, Halyards, Control Lines

 

[Cardinal]

It may be worth checking that no other halyard is snagging the main in the mast. A spare genny halyard which is seldom used or second genny halyard. Having said that, a cruising dyneema main halyard would improve matters so long as it fits your clutch.

 

[penfold]

I was amazed at the amount of stretch my measly 83kg (13ish stone) produced - probably 0.5m (20 inch).

Stretchy halliards make for a miserable sailing experience as you cannot control luff tension. As everyone else has said bin it and buy some dyneema.

 

[rib]

The topping lift and main halyard have not been switched ?

 

[geem]

Thanks all. Looks like there are some cheaper !! dynema roll ends on ebay. Will measure what diameter I have and see about replacing.

I don't think the original is the wrong spec as it has a shackle spiced into it and all my other running rigging seems good quality. Just a further thought could it be the webbing ladder stretching?

If I tighten my genoa halyard too tight the furler wont furl.

10mm is a good size for dyneema. Easy on the hands but plenty strong enough. We use 10mm on a 44ft cruising mono. The halyard is Marlow racing dyneema. Done over 36,000nm on it and it's still in excellent condition. No stretch

 

[Chiara’s slave]

10mm is a good size for dyneema. Easy on the hands but plenty strong enough. We use 10mm on a 44ft cruising mono. The halyard is Marlow racing dyneema. Done over 36,000nm on it and it's still in excellent condition. No stretch

Ours is the same. As it’s a 2:1, any stretch would be utterly crap. The OP may well be able to use cruising dyneema happily, or as he says, some end of reel deal. Anything with dyneema is going to seem like a miracle given his current experience.

 

[st599]

Just remember you'll need enough to splice the end too, Dyneema and knots do not mix. E.g. a bowline in Marlow D12 reduces breaking load by about 70-80%

Rope Strength and How to Retain it - Marlow Ropes

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

It is not unusual to ease the halyard just before furling the jib, but that does not mean that one should not have a tighter halyard when the wind rises.

Yes, it's bad for the sail to furl it away with full tension still on the halyard.

 

[thinwater]

After sailing in strongish winds my luff goes slack. I had assumed my halyard clutch was slipping. I have tried cleaning and shortened the halyard (to move the bite point) but having climbed a mast ladder attached to the halyard I was amazed at the amount of stretch my measly 83kg (13ish stone) produced - probably 0.5m (20 inch).

Is there any advantage in a stretchy halyard? Should I be cranking on more halyard tension to try and pull out the stretch? Do halyards go stretchy with age? Should I replace it? What with? Boat is 11m (37ft) AWB with slab reefing.

Thanks

a. You pretension a mast ladder (Mastmate?) HARD before climbing. Less bounce when climbing and less sway. If properly pretensioned, NO type of rope will stretch, including nylon. The ladder will not stretch if pretensioned (having used a Mastmate for 30 years). The pretension assures that.

b. Polyester can stretch after a hard sail, but if you tensioned it properly, only 1-2 inches. Something is wrong. Dyneema is nice, but you do not NEED Dyneema, not with polyester sails.

c. A polyester halyard should only stretch only about 0.3% under body weight (assuming no pretension, which is wrong), or about 2 inches on 50', If it stretched 20 inches something is slipping or there is something VERY wrong with the rope. Nylon climbing rope will stretch only about 1/2 that far, and nothing that would be used on a boat will stretch that far.

Something else is wrong.

 

[thinwater]

Yes, it's bad for the sail to furl it away with full tension still on the halyard.

More importantly, it can be VERY bad for the bearings to furl under full tension. This is right in the manual (read the manual).