Catalina 27 - Replacing New Halyard Lines

[Alex_V]

Trying to save a few bucks by shopping around.

Both jib and main halyards are due for replacement. Catalina Direct has a kit 5/16" Krypton Dyneema core line for $280. Which is two lines - one 82' and one 85'.

Is there a more budget value option from Amazon or other rigging websites? I am a little confused by all the different line types. Boat is on Lake Lanier and am not planning to do any heavy duty sailing.

Thanks

Alex

[Orion Jim]

Here ya go.....you'll spend less than a hundred bucks.
Marine LS Yacht Braid

[Alex_V]

Thank you sir.

What is a good tensile strength for a 27' boat halyard?

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by Alex_V

Thank you sir.

What is a good tensile strength for a 27' boat halyard?

It's less about tensile strength and more about "hand". Many with a 27 footer use 3/8 for sheets and halyards. My personal preference is for 7/16 as I find it much easier to grasp.
Samson 3/8 double braid with a 3,700 lb. tensile strength is more than suitable for your application.
If you desire a higher tensile strength and less stretch you would need something more exotic with a Dyneema core at a much greater cost per foot.
Good luck.

[roverhi]

Here is another good price on Spectra cored line. Used for my main halyard on my sabre 28. Very low stretch and no problems climbing with my ATN top Climber which really tests low stretch ability. I've been tying on all my halyards since I started sailing so no need to figure in cost of a splice if you can't do it yourself. https://www.ebay.com/itm/NovaTech-Ar...dWn~V7&vxp=mtr

On a Cat. 27 or similar sized boat, 5/16" is all you need for halyards. The boat had 3/8"rope tails on the wire but find the 5/16" works fine even on my 73 year old arthritic fingered hands. The loads on a small boat halyard are so much less and usually get the sail up without really having to reef on the line. Have ST winches if I really need to add some force and don't touch the line at all in that case. Also don't need the weight aloft of oversized halyards as smaller boats are way more affected by weight issues. Downsized the 1/2" sheets to 3/8". !/2 was rediculously large for a 28' boat and seriously affected sail trim in light air.

[gfh]

I used 5/16" Samson XLS Extra on my Catalina 27's halyards. The "Extra" is Dyneema core, which I wanted for low-stretch halyards. It's $1.09/ft at Defender, so a little under $100 less than Catalina Direct for the same line lengths.

There are even cheaper options, but that's what's on my boat.

[carlheintz]

Go with the 5/16th's, better than the 3/8. 1/2" is way, way too big for that kind of boat, and you will be annoyed more than anything. For sheets, use the 5/16th's..... it's what I use on my Catalina 30 tall rig. When you get light airs, the extra weight just bogs you down. And it is really noticeable at as much as 7 or 8 kts of wind. The tensile strength is more than enough unless you plan on sailing in 50 knt gales. Even then, the sail will give out before the rigging does.

On most boats, there's not much stress on the halyards once the sail is up. The tensile strength is several orders of magnitude larger than needed. For the sheets, consider that you may have as much as six or seven hundred pounds of tension, nothing like the 4000 lbs of tensile strength you have in even a 5/16ths line. Again, an order of magnitude larger than what you're likely to encounter in ordinary sailing.

BTW, the Catalina 27 is a great boat.... super fun to sail!

[buzzstar]

Unless you plan expect very hard sailing over a number of years, you should not need the Dyneema on a Catalina 27, and probably not even then. No matter what you decide, every time you raise or lower a sail inspect the halyard as part of a routine.

A sudden afterthought: If I recall correctly, the halyards on an older Catalina (newer too?) were wire, and probably has partially plastic sheaves. Make sure whatever you select fits so it will not damage (or even melt) the sheave components. Unfortunately, I have not other information.

[Alex_V]

Climbing the mast in a bosun chair is probably the most mission critical event this boat will face. I am leaning towards a regular 5/16 line and calling it a day. And I also need to repalce a few plastic sheaves while I am at it.

Thanks for all replies.

[Bill O]

A little off subject but does pertain to rigging is to inspect and/or replace the "chain plates" as they are known to fail. In older C-25 and 27s I've replaced several of these single stud eyebolts that have cracked or broken below the top washer. IMO the U bolt plates are a better option.

Even if you don't plan to sail in heavy weather, a pop up summer storm may test your rig quickly.

Cheers,
Bill O.

[Stu Jackson]

https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvis...unning-Rigging