halyard size 3/8 or 7/16

[stevewitt1]

Hey All

My manual calls for 3/8 halyards.  I currently have 7/16 which I want to replace.  I've read posts from the past discussing the two but haven't seen anyone address it from this angle...... My boat is a 1989 so I have the two 90 degree angles on my halyards to the cockpit thereby making is just short of an Olympic event to hoist the main from the cockpit.  So bad, I installed a winch on the mast and do it from there (not fun up or down in bad weather)  Could the 7/16 add to the loss of advantage while making the two direction changes resulting in the near ripping of hardware out of the deck while attempting to hoist the main?  Would the small diameter 3/8 line have less loss during the turns?  All my sheaves work fine.

I slept through my engineering and physics classes.

Steve

Visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com   and www.warbirdsix.com

[Craig Illman]

I don't think the diameter would necessarily give you less loss in turns if there was adequate room for the 7/16", but the 7/16" gives more drag because it rubs at the sheeves. A PO had upsized all the lines on my boat for some inexplicable reason. It made all the controls difficult. I was at least able to use the 7/16" main halyard line to replace the oversized main sheet.

Craig

[patrice]

Hi,

Do you have to us your winch to raise the main all the way ??

You might want to put some lubricante in the sail track, I did that, and can raise mine almost all the way now.
I use the winch to finish and make sure it is tigth.

[Andrew Harvey]

The sail track lubricant makes huge difference

[stevewitt1]

Patrice:

I don't remember when I looked at your boat at Coney's, are your halyards 3/8 or 7/16?

I have to use my winch to hoist the sail all the way and will involve a pause or two while doing it.  Trust me, I'm not that out of shape.  I can hoist the sail with little effort at the mast by hand easily over 4/5 of the way before switching to the mast winch. 

While hoisting from in the cockpit even the slightest drag by a furling line will make the task much harder.  I literally will reach over the dodger and pull furling lines by hand to avoid any drag from them.

Lubricating the track isn't an issue with me.  I have a harken battcar system which I highly recommend to anyone.  Just be careful lowering the sail because it can come down in a second or two.  You can even lower the sail while going down wind.

Steve

Visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com  and www.warbirdsix.com

[patrice]

Patrice:

I don't remember when I looked at your boat at Coney's, are your halyards 3/8 or 7/16?

I have to use my winch to hoist the sail all the way and will involve a pause or two while doing it.  Trust me, I'm not that out of shape.  I can hoist the sail with little effort at the mast by hand easily over 4/5 of the way before switching to the mast winch. 

While hoisting from in the cockpit even the slightest drag by a furling line will make the task much harder.  I literally will reach over the dodger and pull furling lines by hand to avoid any drag from them.

Lubricating the track isn't an issue with me.  I have a harken battcar system which I highly recommend to anyone.  Just be careful lowering the sail because it can come down in a second or two.  You can even lower the sail while going down wind.

Steve

Visit us at www.ocontoyachtclub.com  and www.warbirdsix.com

Hi.
Unfortunately not sure but 7/16 look more like it.
If you have these car on travk for the sail, I would look carefully at the line at each pulleys and place it could get friction on something.
Try pulling the line in reverse from the mast pulling the line there should have no resistance.
Check when line goes from pulley at base pf mast to the flat turning block on deck.  Mine was rubbing at the top.  So lowered the pulley at base of mast.

[Stu Jackson]

Ours is 3/8".  When singlehanding I go to the mast to raise the main 99% of the way, cleat it off, tail it back at the cockpit and raise the rest with the cabintop winch.  With crew, they do it from the mast and someone else tails as it's going up.  Rick Allen added a simple cam cleat at the mast to make it easier to do singlehanded.  Unless you don't have the halyard led aft, I see no reason for a winch on the mast.

Over-sized halyards do rub on sheaves and make it harder.  Fouled sail tracks make it almost impossible.  How are your masthead sheaves?

Ever since our boats were built, and Tech Notes started in 1987, this issue has been around.

The most prevalent solution is to raise it most of the way at the mast, 'cuz hauling from the cockpit is a PITA.  It's the price we pay for halyards led aft on a rather large boat with a big mainsail.

In the 17 years we've owned our boat, I don't begrudge having to go to the mast to raise the main, even if I have to do it myself!  'Cuz at the end of the day, it's sweet to be able to drop it from the cockpit without having to go forward. 

[George Bean]

We us 8mm T-900 on Freya (metric equivalent to 3/8).  If you plan on using something "stretchy" such as Sta-Set X, I would go with the 7/16.

[Stu Jackson]

Good point about stretch, George.  However, I would NEVER recommend Stay Set X for ANYTHING.  It is just horrible material.  I incorrectly used Stay Set (not X) for my halyard, it's just too stretchy.  When it's time to replace I'll use a lower stretch Samson line.  X is probably the only poor line NER makes.  Nor would I oversize for reasons already mentioned.

[Les Luzar]

I too, when single handing, raise my main at the mast by hand and it goes up with no effort. Then I cleat it off at about 90% raised. Then tail it myself. Then remove it from the cleat and raise it the remainder from the winch. It is better with crew, one raises at the mast, and one tails at the winch. A cam cleat on the mast would be nice for single handing.

Les