| Author | Message | ||
     Jeff Roy (Jeffr) Rating: N/A |
Scott, 1/2", my god tat is freakin HUGE! I thought the original halyrads were all wire/rope. I do not know if the halyrad guards are all the same. The tolerance between my genoa sheave and the guard is so tight that I could not pull my 1/4" halyard with a 1/8" messenger taped to it through. I had to remove the gurad first. That is a whole 'nother story. I spent 8 hours last weekend getting the flat head machine screw on the front of the guard out. I tried several methods and in the end had to drill it out and retap the hole. I posted the whole agonizing saga on the Cruising World General Messages board. Go read it if oyu want a laugh. Yes the 1/4" T900 does create a much bigger clutch slippage issue than most lines. This would not have been my choice for line, but the previous owner spent good money on them and I can not justify replacing them. | ||
| Scott Corder (Pastcommodore) Rating: N/A |
Jeff, My boat had 1/2 inch on it when I bought it, and the original specs called for 1/2 inch (go figure). I downsized to 3/8 and have had no problems with the halyard gaurd. The furler may add some routing complexity that I have no experience with, but the diameter poses no problems in my non-furler set-up. We have been very happy with T-900 and actually found more "creep" problems in the area of clutches than in the line itself. I rebuilt my clutches (you can buy kits to do this) and added an additional cam cleat forward of the clutch for the jib halyard (only). As I have mentioned in other posts, we now "play" our halyards more than ever as a function of jib trim - so creep and stretch are really no longer issues for us. One last thought: Might 1/4 inch (especially some of the newer lines that tend to "flatten") increase the potential for slipping off the masthead guides and having the line jam at the top of the mast? (just thinking out loud). | ||
| Jeff Roy (Jeffr) Rating: N/A |
The previous owner of my boat replaced all the halyards with 1/4" T900 last year. He was using the wrong halyrad for his spinnaker, which caused chafe problems. He ended up having a 3/32 wire tail on it. He said the 1/4" T900 is more than strong enough and has excellent strectch and creep charactersistics. However he said they hate the line because it is impossible to work with. I asked about having a thicker cover put on the tails and he said they would not do it, especially on T900 that had been under load. Just to much work. I am going to replace the primary genoa halyard --the one that was misused for the chute -- with 1/4" spec 12 with a cover sewn on the tail. They recomended spectra because it is the most durable line and I am bound to have a lot of chafe where the halyard runs through the halyard deflector needed for the roller furler. This was actually his second choice. His first choice would have been to use 1/4" Yale Aracom T with a short spectra pigtail where at the end that attaches to the sail. Unfortunately, there seemse to be no Aracom T available from any of the distributors. I found that the short horzontal bar on the halyard gaurd seriously limits the size line that can be used on the genoa halyard. I am surprised that some of you were able to use 3/8" halyards. Did you have to modify the halyard gaurd and/or replace the sheave for the genoa halyard? | ||
| glen (Glen) Rating: N/A |
I replaced the main halyard (which was the original rope/wire) with a 5/16 Tech-12 spliced to a 3/8 Samson XLS. The splice is pulled all the way through the stoppers when the main is hoisted. Next time around I would downsize to 1/4 Tech-12 and 5/16 Samson XLS since 5/16 Tech is rated for 13,000 pounds. I had the riggers put a long eye splice at the headboard shackle end. Tech-12 was recommended to me as having no creep problems and superior UV resistance. Works good so far. | ||
| Scott Corder (Pastcommodore) Rating: N/A |
My experience with down-sized halyards has been as follows: T-900 at 3/8 seems fine, although it was expensive. My latest replacements have lasted 5 years. I worried less about creep on the headsail halyards than the main. One note: As Glen mentioned above, creep is possible in the rope clutches with smaller diameter line. I cured this by ordering "rebuild" kits for my clutches (they do wear down) and adding a small cam-cleat on the cabin top in front of the jib halyard clutch for extra braking power. It does add a "step" to the process of releasing the halyard but serves to secure the halyard very well. The crew is now "programmed" to perform this extra release. | ||
| John Stefancik (Jstef) Rating: N/A |
Tod, Actually I've replaced all the halyards twice (since my rope-to-wire ones). I will point out what mistakes I made because now I think I've got the perfect solution. In early 1998 I replaced the rope/wire and used Samson XLS (cheap) that were 3/8" (dia. recommended by Owners Manual). In two years of sailing, they were shredded by the sheaves at the top of the mast (since they are designed for wire only). At the end of 2000, I consulted a local rigging shop on what he could recommend. Instead of replacing the sheaves, he recommended Samson Warpspeed, and removed the cover sheath on about 50 feet of the forward halyards (not needed on the main). To my knowledge, this cannot be done (at this strength line) with T900. This line is 45% stronger than Spectra and about the same price as T900. The recommended length of 110' is adequate. The fact that no replacement of the sheaves also saved money. I have noticed no stretch. Good Luck. | ||
| tod marder (Galatea) Rating: N/A |
I am looking to replace halyards for racing . Is the 110 ft length enough as specified in the mfr's handbook for genoa, main, and spinakers? Has anyone tried rope other than (ie less expensive than) T-900 or Spec 12 for the spinaker halyards? Suggestions for the main halyard? What diameter size for the line? Your suggestions much appreciated. Tod Marder "Galatea" #73 | ||
| Dennis Verbiar Rating: N/A |
Has anyone replaced their wire-to-rope halyards with all synthetic halyards? What size and type of line did you use? Is there any problem with binding at the narrow exit port at the masthead? Did you machine out the sheaves before using the synthetic halyard? Thanks for your information. Dennis Verbiar Nemesis #124 | ||
| Joe Rating: N/A |
About five years ago, I replaced all three forward halyards with T-900. It was expensive. I am pleased with the results. I did not change any of the sheaves. I believe that I used the next size down from 3/8. Keep me posted. Hull #116 Joe heslin | ||
| Glen Rating: N/A |
I'm using 1/4 in Spec-12 with a cover splices on all three forward halyards. This was about $100 per halyard. No modifications to the sheaves. I have noticed some creep (or it could be slipping in the rope clutches.) An excellent way to reduce weight aloft. | ||
| Gary Hendrickson Rating: N/A |
My boat came with 3/8 inch technora for the two wing halyards. I had no trouble reaving a new wire/rope splice halyard for the jib, going wire first with a messenger and then installing the shackle on the end. However this Spring I could not reave a 5/16 tail on a 3/16 Tek-12 without totaling loosening the jibstay first and pulling it up and away from the center sheave first - there's a lot less clearance for the center sheave. NOMAD #094 |
