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Mast Head Sheaves...Std or Ball Bearing?

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BLEE
Deckhand

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USA
19 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/31/2007 : 18:45:54

I need to replace the four mast head sheaves for my external halyards. The question I have is should I spend the $ for the $39 ball bearing sheaves...or $14.00 for the standard sheaves. My wife had dificulting raising the Main last season, which is due in large part to the condition they were in (I know this now after taking down the mast and inspecting them). If the Ball Bearing sheaves make a big difference in ease of hoisting the main then it would be worth it to invest just to make the significant other feel more capable of managing the boat. Any thoughts from those of you who have experience with the Ball Bearing Sheaves is much appreciated....are they worth the extra bucks because raising the main is noticably easier???

regards
Bob Lee

Knotty Dream

Edited by - on

Heartbeat
Navigator

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USA
161 Posts

Response Posted - 04/07/2007 : 16:45:41

Bob,

I replaced Heartbeat's mastead sheaves last year and went with standard sheaves. The sails hoist quickly - yeah, we race her - even with more frail crew.

New sheaves - even non-bearing with new pins (very important) and a touch of a lubricant will make all the diffence in the world. I lube my pins/sheaves every time the stick is down.

I find that the real problem raising the main is not the sheaves.

- Halyards. If you have old halyards that have swelled, they have trouble going through the sheaves. I have tried to reduce weight aloft and went to undersize halyards on all four halyards.

- Kerf lube. Again, every time the stick is down, (or you send someone up) lube that kerf! A nice coat of sail-kote will really help the sails go up and down. If you have a rope bolt or tabs, it really helps.

- Kerf entrance. If you use a bolt rope main, review the kerf entrance. Slight filing may help. A main feeder will help more. Again, sail kote is the real deal. Lube that sucker every couple of weeks, along with your mainsheet bearings.

I did consider going to ball bearing sheaves, but weight aloft was a big concern for me. Having replaced recently, I really feel that ball bearing halyards are not needed. Of course, I love cool stuff, so maybe I'll change my mind.

Hope this helps.

Matt in Detroit

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 04/07/2007 : 16:55:56

I got my sheaves from Belpat marine. Work fine with bushings.
As Matt said above, most of the effort in raising the main comes from drag going up the mast.

Slot not pinched, boat head to wind, smooth nylon slugs, a bit of McLube or Sailkote, vang and mainsheet slacked, outhaul eased... and the main should go up pretty easy.

Edited by - on

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2007 : 12:22:11

I agree with the previous responses. Ballbearings are best suited to highspeed, extremely low friction applications. Properly lubricated tight clearance plain bearings are a better choice for holding high loads at slow (or no) speed. (Consider the relative size of the contact patches between the two types of pivot.)

So long as the masthead sheeves aren't siezed, they account for a very small fraction of the resistance when raising the main. (Obviously an oversize halyard can cause problems if it's too thick for the spaces it runs through.) Normally, the largest source of friction is the luff groove or track, especially with bolt rope mains. Well lubed nylon slugs running in a smooth groove are the choice for an easy to hoist main. If the mainsail won't fall back down of its own weight with halyard released head to wind, carefully tug on the halyard and sail to identify the source of the friction.

-- Leon S.

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/08/2007 : 12:39:21

Twice I've seen somebody blow out a ball-bearing block by putting a winch to the halyard running through it--little plastic shot flying everywhere! I agree with Leon that those are not necessarily best for high-load turns, and the masthead sheaves can have pretty high loads, especially if you put the winch handle to the halyards. (That said, I used CD's Harken swivel blocks at the mast base, and winched my jib furler halyard a little...) Belpat's standard sheaves on shiny new pins at the masthead worked great for me.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 04/08/2007 12:42:04

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 04/16/2007 : 09:27:36

Any lubricant recommendations for the masthead sheaves?

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/16/2007 : 10:31:55

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by John Russell
 Any lubricant recommendations for the masthead sheaves?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I wouldn't use oil-based lubes (WD40, etc.)--they'll deteriorate in the sun and wind. Dry or teflon lubes like SuperLube and Sailcoat are probably better.

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.