Securing Halyard for Winter

[Smithsonian]

What is the best way to securing the halyard for winter storage?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Smithsonian

What is the best way to securing the halyard for winter storage?

Swing it over to the lifeline and attach it there.

Keeps things nice and quiet.

I do this all season long if one isn’t in use because I don’t like listening to them either.

[FAST FRED]

4 to 6 months of more sunshine ,freezing rain and breeze will not help the life of most halyards.

Replace them for the winter with cheaper line .Wrap them around the lower part of the mast to silence.

[JPA Cate]

Friend of ours puts a messenger line to the snap shackle(s), and hauls it/them up to the sheave(s) at the mast head, then bags the tails of the lines in sunbrella bags.

Ann

[dougweibel]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Friend of ours puts a messenger line to the snap shackle(s), and hauls it/them up to the sheave(s) at the mast head, then bags the tails of the lines in sunbrella bags.

Ann

Best is to tie a messenger line on to the working end and pull the halyard all the way out, securing the messenger line so it won't slap. If your halyard has a reeving eye in the end this is a quick and easy job. Make sure your messenger line is long enough before you start.

Next best is as above. That gets all the halyard out of the sun except for a bit at the shackle and a bit from the mast exit to the storage bag.

With any method the end/beginning of the season is a good time to scrutinize the eye-splice at the shackle. That is the most common failure point (unless you have a chafe issue).

[Calif.Ted]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Friend of ours puts a messenger line to the snap shackle(s), and hauls it/them up to the sheave(s) at the mast head, then bags the tails of the lines in sunbrella bags.

Ann

I know nothing of this "winter storage" you speak of but this seems an elegant solution short of removing them entirely.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Smithsonian

What is the best way to securing the halyard for winter storage?

Best is to move boat to warmer climate and continue sailing!

Something we've done for many years. Our Covid driven winter in Tasmania has reinforced the opinion!

Jim

[atoll]

keep halyards or messengers away from rubbing on the spreaders,over time the outer core will get damaged or worn through

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Swing it over to the lifeline and attach it there.

Keeps things nice and quiet.

I do this all season long if one isn’t in use because I don’t like listening to them either.

I agree with the concept. I have a small cleat on the aft lower for my main halyard. Easier to reach from the cabin top.

[fcallard]

I’ve been using 1/8” braid messengers for many years. The Dacron running rigging is completely removed from weather exposure over the winter. Keeping the messengers under tension reduces the slap against the mast (which is minimal, anyway, because the messengers are substantially lighter than the running rigging.). We can’t tie the messengers off to the stanchions because we have the boat covered (mast up).

[dfelsent]

In New England ( and I suspect elsewhere) a common solution is pull the mast and put it in a shed.
Or somewhere covered.
This gets you an inspection by a second set of eyes too.
[emoji1]

[Marathon1150]

Originally Posted by dougweibel

Best is to tie a messenger line on to the working end and pull the halyard all the way out, securing the messenger line so it won't slap. If your halyard has a reeving eye in the end this is a quick and easy job. Make sure your messenger line is long enough before you start.

Next best is as above. That gets all the halyard out of the sun except for a bit at the shackle and a bit from the mast exit to the storage bag.

I used to do the second, now I do the first because it isn't that much harder. Fortunately the halyards all have reeving eyes (installed by a thoughtful and experienced rigger when I order the halyards). Getting the halyards out of the sun was particularly important in Mexico over the summer when sun, temperature and rain conspire to do evil things to expensive halyards.

[Buster007]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

I know nothing of this "winter storage" you speak of but this seems an elegant solution short of removing them entirely.

It leaves the most important and stressed part of the line, the shackle end, exposed to sun and weather. defeats the whole purpose. a