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superbob
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USA
200 Posts

Initially Posted - 01/28/2012 : 15:57:03

I'm have in hand the replacement for the main halyard. Any words of advice or wisdom in connecting the old with the new so as to haul it through the interior of the mast would be appreciated. The wife is thinking needle and heavy duty thread to connect the old to new ends. I'm thinking that along with some crazy glue for insurance.

Thanks.

Bob Watson
Sparkle Plenty
'99 Catalina 250/WK #421
Oak Bottom Marina
Whiskeytown Lake CA

Edited by - on

NautiC25
Admiral

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USA
957 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2012 : 16:11:59

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by superbob
 I'm have in hand the replacement for the main halyard. Any words of advice or wisdom in connecting the old with the new so as to haul it through the interior of the mast would be appreciated. The wife is thinking needle and heavy duty thread to connect the old to new ends. I'm thinking that along with some crazy glue for insurance.

Thanks.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Your wife is correct. Stitch the ends together and pull it up from the bottom.

Which rope did you go with?

Edited by - NautiC25 on 01/28/2012 16:12:56

superbob
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Response Posted - 01/28/2012 : 16:16:50

I went with what was recommended by Catalina Direct as replacement. They said it was identical to what was installed by Catalina.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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4593 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2012 : 18:00:31

If your new halyard has an eye spliced into it, you will need to cut any splice off of the old halyard before sewing the new tail to the old head and thread it over the masthead and down to the exit block on the mast. Or take the mast down. If your new halyard doesn't have an eye spliced into it, go bottom up as mentioned above.

Edited by - dmpilc on 01/28/2012 18:01:01

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2012 : 18:14:23

Maybe this is a good opportunity for me to ask a question that has been nagging me. My main halyard is a much different material than my other dacron lines. It has more of a waxy synthetic feel, slightly shiny, with occasional little fiber loops that stick out slightly and are uncomfortable in the hand because they are so sharp. Also, now that I think of it, it's triple-twist, though I hadn't really noticed that before. The color is white with purple tracers. You can sort of see it here, though it's bunched in with my jib halyard, which is more traditional double-braid with blue tracers:

<center>

</center>

It seems to be rather low stretch, despite its triple twist construction. My only complaint, other than the poor hand, is that it seems to slip a little more in the winch, although that could be a useful feature to prevent me from damaging the sail by cranking too hard.

I'm just wondering if a previous owner made a stupid decision in his selection, or if he knows something I don't about good halyard line.

Edited by - TakeFive on 01/28/2012 18:16:55

Sailor Vic
1st Mate

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56 Posts

Response Posted - 01/28/2012 : 21:31:15

">>.... Any words of advice or wisdom in connecting the old with the new so as to haul it through the interior of the mast would be appreciated.

--

On all of my boat halyard lines that I've ever changed out I always used "gaffers duct tape" with complete success and total confidence that all will go smoothly. I use it length wise (it's 2" wide), a total of one foot is all that's needed, so about 6" on each side. Six inches on the old line and 6" on the new line. Hope I've explained it well.

That awesome tape at PlumbingSupply.com is also known as their "ultimate" or "Rolls Royce" of duct tape:

http://www.plumbingsupply.com/tapes.html#ultimate

Yes, it's pricey (if it was regaular duct tape) however I use it to repair so many things and always have a roll in my car, at home and on my boat.

Edited by - Sailor Vic on 01/28/2012 21:38:11

Novi
1st Mate

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Canada
59 Posts

Response Posted - 01/30/2012 : 09:15:24

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by RhythmDoctor
...

I'm just wondering if a previous owner made a stupid decision in his selection, or if he knows something I don't about good halyard line.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I think the three strand is a bad choice even if it is low stretch - apart from being harder on hands it can bind/twist easily jamming up the whole works.

My pref is 5/16 yacht braid.

Todd

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3468 Posts

Response Posted - 01/30/2012 : 09:56:54

I changed both halyards, although, I only ude the main halyard since I have a furling rig for my Headsail. I also stitched the end of the existing halyard to the new halyard. My halyard runs through turning blocks internal to the mast. I connected the new halyard so that it runs through the lower block first and comes out at the top of the mast. I covered the stitching with extra strong duct tape but if the area is too thick, then the halyard gets stuck in the turning block. I removed some of the duct tape and had no issues with either new halyard. It was a quick changeout.

I used an ultra low stretch premium line for the main halyard - Sampson Warpspeed and used believe it is called Sampson XLS Extra T or something that sounds like that for the jib halyard which is same line I have used to replace my main sheet and jib/genoa sheets. The Warpspeed is probably overkill as the other Sampson line is also low stretch. I am satisfied with both lines. At the time about a couple of years ago, Defender had a good price/sale on the Sampson lines. Rcmd check out the cost of whatever you choose with West marine, defender, etc as these long lengths can get pricey.

Edited by - OLarryR on 01/30/2012 16:39:39

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 01/31/2012 : 11:05:04

Check out NovaTech XLE line, sold by Discount Rope and Line (Allentown, PA) on Ebay. It's a Canadian line similar to Samson XLS, low stretch and very flexible, feels good in the hand.
And the prices are very reasonable! I wish I had seen them before I bought the Sta-SetX halyards I'm currently using. Sta-SetX is very low stretch but too stiff.

Edited by - dmpilc on 01/31/2012 11:25:26

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 01/31/2012 : 11:16:22

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dmpilc
 Check out nova-tech XLE line on Ebay. It's a Canadian line similar to Samson XLS, low stretch and very flexible, feels good in the hand.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
My new genny sheets are 3/8" XLE, and it is an impressive looking rope with great hand. I bought it this off-season, so haven't actually used it yet. From the comments here I will probably replace my halyards with 5/16" XLE, unless someone can recommend a better alternative that's reasonably priced.

You'll find this odd, but the main reason I'm holding off is because I can't decide what color to order for the halyards. Do I want everything to match, or do I want to color code things so I can tell inexperienced crew "grab the green one"?

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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4593 Posts

Response Posted - 01/31/2012 : 11:23:19

Go for color, but I would use white with color flecks for line that will be out in the sun constantly. Solid colors, especially red, tend to fade more noticably. I have a red topping lift line that is now more orange than red where it has been constantly exposed to sunlight. A solid color works nicely for sheets that get folded up and stored under cover after sailing.

Edited by - on

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 01/31/2012 : 12:08:18

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dmpilc
 Go for color, but I would use white with color flecks for line that will be out in the sun constantly. Solid colors, especially red, tend to fade more noticably. I have a red topping lift line that is now more orange than red where it has been constantly exposed to sunlight. A solid color works nicely for sheets that get folded up and stored under cover after sailing.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Hmmm, interesting take on this.

I agree that red, based on naphthol or even quinacridone chemistry, is a bad choice for lightfastness. Blues and greens are based on phthalo chemistry, which is much more lightfast. Which is why blue and green sunbrella make such good bimini tops, sail covers, and UV protective bands on genoas.

With this in mind, I bought blue XLE for my genoa sheets thinking that the color of the outer braid would provide added protection against UV degradation of the interior fibers. While white would not fade, it might allow more photons to penetrate into the core, much like the white UV strips that Catalina puts on their sails.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 02/02/2012 : 15:34:27

Interesting, so you are saying that solid blue sheets might be preferable for a furling sail since the lines will be out in the weather continuously?
Their blue line does look good!

Edited by - dmpilc on 02/02/2012 15:35:27

TakeFive
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Response Posted - 02/02/2012 : 17:05:00

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dmpilc
 Interesting, so you are saying that solid blue sheets might be preferable for a furling sail since the lines will be out in the weather continuously?
Their blue line does look good!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Yes, that's my hypothesis. Not at all proven, except by the analogy that they use blue fabric as a UV protector on genoas. I do have 25+ years working with pigments and dyes in paints and inks, but that does not make me infallible.

I bought the blue with white flecks for the genny sheets, and it's beautiful looking line. I don't know for sure how it will weather. I'd like to wait to see before replacing the halyards and topping lift, but with the mast down it's very tempting to replace them now.

Edited by - on

NautiC25
Admiral

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USA
957 Posts

Response Posted - 02/02/2012 : 19:52:38

I stopped by WM today to see if they had the Samson xls extra t. They did and it looks like a really nice rope. I think I'll give it a try for my halyards. I forgot to ask a question though. I've never bought a line before. Do stores typically whip the lines with twine or dip, or is it extra?

The Samson line is much cheaper at Defender, but i'd like to know if I should buy some twine also.

Edited by - NautiC25 on 02/02/2012 19:54:24

dmpilc
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Response Posted - 02/05/2012 : 07:57:57

WM typically just cuts the line with a hot knife, searing the ends. You'll have to do the whipping yourself.
I just bought a 31' piece of 3/8" NovaTech XLE line on Ebay for my C-22 main sheet. Paid $20.00.

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TakeFive
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Response Posted - 02/05/2012 : 08:11:15

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dmpilc
 WM typically just cuts the line with a hot knife, searing the ends. You'll have to do the whipping yourself.
I just bought a 31' piece of 3/8" NovaTech XLE line on Ebay for my C-22 main sheet. Paid $20.00.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
The guy on ebay did heat shrink on the ends for me. I don't think whipping will be necessary.

Edited by - on

NautiC25
Admiral

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USA
957 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2012 : 07:08:40

I got my first line of Samson XLS Extra T from Defender last night. They hot-knifed the ends and had some black tape left on it. I also bought some twine for whipping it just in case. I think it'll make it look cleaner too. Can't wait to get it installed! My main halyard is faded and ready to go.

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