Jib Halyard help.

[chickenbone]

I'm replacing all the running rigging on my boat. Which of course includes the jib halyard. Since I have a roller furler, once my jib is up, it stays up for years at a time. Which leaves me with a huge coil of line that takes up space or is always in the way. I can never find a good spot for it.

I was suggested to me to make my new halyard long enough to make it fast to the cleat, the rest could be of a smaller diameter line that would be strong enough to hoist the jib.Which would leave me with a smaller coil.

But I was thinking what if there was a device that could be spliced into each end of this halyard and once the jib was up and cleated off. I could disconnect that line entirely and stow it out of the way!

It would have to be small enough to go through the fairleads into the mast and through the block at the top.

Is there something like this out there? I'm sure racers have thought of this to save weight?

Anyone heard of anything like this? My googling has not come up with anything yet.

[Albro359]

My thoughts are ...find a place to stow it...
Joins in halyards are a BAD idea...they will come apart when you need them most.
You should take the headsail off the furler when you don't use the boat for long periods (eg winter) in which case you need the halyard's complete length.

[sailstoo]

Many scow classes and dinghies use a wire halyard with a detachable rope tail. A "halyard lock" (easily found @ West Marine I assume) is installed near the tiop of the mast and the wire is led to the bottom of the mast where it is belayed with a piece of shockcord. The rope tail is then removed and stowed.

[Stumble]

The problem with doing this, is that when you need to drop the jib in a storm, or during an emergency finding the tail could be a real pain.

I would splice a 1/8" dyneema tail the working line as was suggested. This will have enough strength to pull the sail up, and control it on the way down, but will minimize the size of the coil.

[charliehows]

i rigged my furler with a halyard that clips in to the drumcase, then attach a second halyard to that to lower/raise it - no coils in the way. I dont see any problem with this, my genoa has a solid weather strip so it doesnt come down often and having a coil of rope flopping around the nose area is definitely more of a risk than any possible risk of a separate halyard parting. Looking at sailstoo's post i might think about trying that setup when i get round to replacing my current setup.

[chickenbone]

Charlie,

I'm having trouble picturing what you are describing. Got any pictures of your setup?

I live aboard fulltime and about to go cruising full time. So the sail does not come down in the winter. Nor is their an extended about of time I don't use the boat.

CB...

[belizesailor]

My roller furling jib has a wire halyard pennant which runs from the head/swivel on the jib and then down to a track on the side of the mast. The free end of this penant terminates in small swagged loop. The section of wire which forms the loop is covered with heavy heat shrink like material. This fits over a stopper which can be adjusted up or down the track for setting halyard tension.

To raise or lower the jib, I attach a rope tail which is about mast height length (55'). The slot in the mast through which this pennat end passes is cut in a small triangular shape with radiused corners. This allows the wire pennant end loop and attached line room to pass through the mast.

It is a very clean installation that works quite well. Given that this is a cruising boat with a roller furling jib, raising and lowering the jib does not happen very often, but works well when needed.

[Cheechako]

Why? You're armchair thinkin' to much... go sailing! ......If you want to save weight on an H38...lots of better ways!

[daddle]

Use the smallest practical Spectra/Dyneema cored line. A really light one will be plenty strong.
Even 6mm might be enough. Maybe. Tapered halyards and halyard locks are trick race stuff.

[chickenbone]

I think I got a plan.

I plan on putting a reeving eye splice into the halyard. Then will use some small diameter dyneema line and bend that to the loop with a bowline or some such.

I'll measure the halyard so that it does not need to go through the block at the top of the mast when the jib is dropped. But when raised I can simply untie the bowline and remove and stow the dyneema line.

It's not about saving weight. It's about keeping the area around the mast clear and easier to work at.

CB...

[Cheechako]

ever think about trying to pull up a hesitant furling halyard with a slippery small piece of dyneema? Many furling swivels get pretty hard to pull due to lack of use and salt on the rod...... just sayin'.....