How To Run Halyard Inside Mast

[psp2psp2]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

Small weight or nuts on the end of a fishing line feed into the top of mast, fish it out of the exit slot with a hooked dental pick or one of those claw crabber tools. Finding it and getting it out the exit is usually most time consuming part.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Flex...2&gclsrc=3p.ds

A variation on the above. . . ,

You get a length of plastic “strap” - the type that’s used to secure cartons around big and bulky items from the store. Feed it into the bottom of the mast and apply some pressure so that it spreads out to fit snugly around the entire interior circumference. This makes fishing out the weighted you just dropped From the masthead so much easier,

myageofsail.com

[foojin]

Originally Posted by Pillroller

Beware of using too small a line, they can jam over the sides of the mast-head pulley wheels.
My best method to fish out the weighted end at the bottom, is to feed a metal measuring tape into the mast through the appropriate exit hole. Feed it in doubled up, until it has spread out to the sides of the mast, drop the weighted mouse line until reaches the bottom or is seen to have passed the hole, pull out the tape with the line trapped inside it!!! Job Done.

Heard lots of good ideas over the years for fishing halyards through masts. This might be the best.

[LittleWing77]

You know what works great for a mouse-line weight, Scarlet? A bicycle chain! (not looped, of course).

That tip about tightening up all the other halyards was a good one, too.

Were you the Pirate Queen? Maybe like this? (LittleWing77 in the pirate queen hat - of course) Oh, and you are NOT an idiot!

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by scarlet

So, file this under "Scarlet is an idiot"...

... needless to say, the wind has literally pulled the halyard up into the mast....

How the HECK do I run the halyard through the mast?!

(I have a Lagoon 450 catamaran)...

very easy... Had that happen to me before... borrow a fish wire from an electrician. They fish wires often through walls and ceilings. Fish from the top down... hook your halyard and bring it through... Good luck.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Pillroller

Beware of using too small a line, they can jam over the sides of the mast-head pulley wheels.
My best method to fish out the weighted end at the bottom, is to feed a metal measuring tape into the mast through the appropriate exit hole. Feed it in doubled up, until it has spread out to the sides of the mast, drop the weighted mouse line until reaches the bottom or is seen to have passed the hole, pull out the tape with the line trapped inside it!!! Job Done.

Even better is a length of nylon packing tape using the same procedure, It is a little thicker than the tape measure and less likely to cut one's fingers.

[David B]

Originally Posted by Tsuru

Yep....I use a short section of clean bike chain and a extendable magnet. The bike chain goes on the end of a messenger line passed over the masthead sheave. The extendable magnet picks up the chain at the bottom. As long as there is a semi clear path thru the spar it's not that hard. Ditto on the stopper knot or a spiffy halyard stopper.
Or hire a rigger...but again it's not that hard.
Good luck,
Ray

With emphasis on 'short'. Make it too long and it can loop over itself, and then you have to remove the sheave box at the top of the mast to get it out (ask me how I know this ....)

[Searles]

You are on the right track ,clean push bike chain about 300mills tie mouse through link and feed over sheeve ,take two magnets with you to the correct position on the out side of the spar ,tighten all outher hlyds ,carefully come down the spar using the magnets to hold the chain to the inside of the spar , use both magnets to get around fitting ,this way mast rake doesn’t mater come all the way down to the exit box, bobs your uncle I E All done 👍⚓️

[scarlet]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

You know what works great for a mouse-line weight, Scarlet? A bicycle chain! (not looped, of course).

That tip about tightening up all the other halyards was a good one, too.

Were you the Pirate Queen? Maybe like this? (LittleWing77 in the pirate queen hat - of course) Oh, and you are NOT an idiot!

yeah... definitely going to tighten all the other halyards before I go up there....

And I was definitely the pirate queen!!

[LittleWing77]

Okay, well then, where's your Pirate Queen pic?!? Com'ON I showed you mine!

Avast Ye Matey!
LittleWing77

[David B]

Originally Posted by Searles

You are on the right track ,clean push bike chain about 300mills tie mouse through link and feed over sheeve ,take two magnets with you to the correct position on the out side of the spar ,tighten all outher hlyds ,carefully come down the spar using the magnets to hold the chain to the inside of the spar , use both magnets to get around fitting ,this way mast rake doesn’t mater come all the way down to the exit box, bobs your uncle I E All done 👍⚓️

Excellent! (and you are very close to home .

[walkabout08]

I use the bicycle chain approach noted in an earlier post. Make sure you can clear the old halyard which is piled up in the base of the mast as cats are mostly deck stepped. If you can't manage to clear the old halyard you may have to pull the mast . . . .

[walkabout08]

Oh, and use a magnet to retrieve the chain when it gets to the exit point

[mdenize]

Originally Posted by scarlet

So, file this under "Scarlet is an idiot"...

I had Halloween party on Saturday, and since it was a pirate themed party, I had the bright idea to run a pirate flag up the mast. I tied it on to the spinacker halyard... well, half way up the mast, the grommet that it was attached to, ripped out of the flag... the flag fell, and left the halyard dangling half way up my mast. So, since it was already late, I decided to just leave it, and when I got a chance, I'd get hoisted up the mast to retrieve it.

Well... we have a gale in Delaware today.. (the wind actually blew the water out of the marina and during low tide, over 1/2 the marina was nothing more than mud). needless to say, the wind has literally pulled the halyard up into the mast....

How the HECK do I run the halyard through the mast?!

(I have a Lagoon 450 catamaran)...

Great ideas all, but I was wondering... you said you tied the flag on and this knot ripped out with the grommet... did this knot get pulled right through the block at the mast head? If so that could be tricky getting the knot out of the mast... but is it at all possible the knot is still at the top sitting snugly on the outside waiting for you to go and get it when the wind dies down?

[Old fella]

This happens to me a couple of months ago. When feeding the halyard back in, it wouldn’t past about the spreaders, so I pulled it back out and threw it in the tide for for 5 minutes. The weight of the wet halyard worked perfectly, and a little sharp wire hook got it out of the slot , ( deck stepped mast ).

[Capt.Don]

Originally Posted by Pillroller

Beware of using too small a line, they can jam over the sides of the mast-head pulley wheels.
My best method to fish out the weighted end at the bottom, is to feed a metal measuring tape into the mast through the appropriate exit hole. Feed it in doubled up, until it has spread out to the sides of the mast, drop the weighted mouse line until reaches the bottom or is seen to have passed the hole, pull out the tape with the line trapped inside it!!! Job Done.

That's a brilliant idea!
Don