Halyard Swivel

[Frank Stich]

Saturday was a perfect day for sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, but my jib halyard did not have such a great day.  I was unfurling the jib (Hood line system) and about 1/4 of the way out I couldn't get the sail to unfurl.  So, in typical male fashion, I braced a foot against the jib sheet winch and gave a good tug and snap went the jib halyard, parted right at the shackle 50 feet up!  Now I'm going to have a fun time installing a new halyard without the old one to use as a messenger.

Has anyone else had this happen and was it caused by a bearing problem in collar that the jib halyard shackles to?

Frank

[Ted Pounds]

Frank,

It was a nice weekend on Lake Michigan too.  I don't know what broke your halyard - sounds like a halyard wrap and maybe you need to lead your halyard at more of an angle away from the forestay - but I can tell you how to rig a new one.  Get some light dacron or nylon line, about 1/8 inch and attach about 3 feet of light chain (the sort of decorative chain you can buy at craft stores)to the end by sewing so you don't have a big knot.  Then go to the top of the mast and feed the chain followed by the line over the sheave.  The chain ensures the line goes stright down into the tube inside the mast that the halyards apparently run down.  Then have someone at the base of the mast with a coat hanger to fish the chain or line out the exit hole.  Now you have a messinger to pull the halyard through.  That's how I did my main halyard when I lost it up the mast.   Good luck.

Ted

[tassber2]

About 2 or 3 feet of bicycle chain works great.

Mike
1996 MkII #1321

[Frank Stich]

Thanks for the advice gents on running the new halyard.  What I'm really trying to determine is why it happened.  Has anyone parted a halyard due to the swivel jamming during unfurling?

#927 "Prime Interest"

[rwilkinsii]

I was given soem advice over the weekend about the same thing.. It was suggested to me to put a block about 2/3's of the way up form where my swivel and where the halyard goes in the mast to keep that from hapening.. Just my .02 worth

Rich Wilkins
Houston Tx
86 c34
S/V Lil Tiger
Geaux Tigers!!

[Stu Jackson]

Frank

If you check out say the Harken website, they will explain what is necessary to keep the halyard in the right position vis-a-vis the top swivel.  Just look at the technical issues related to their furlers.  Some other furlers, like our ProFurl, have a built in anti-halyard wrap stop as part of the top swivel fitting.

Stu

[Frank Stich]

Ron:  Yes, that was part of the problem.  Being strapped for time and wanting to keep my plans to sail to St. Michaels this Saturday, I had to hire a rigger to replace both halyards.  After reading all the opinions on 3/8 vs. 7/16, I went with the 3/8 for ease of operation of the mains'l.

Thanks to all that responded!  Turns out the jib halyard got hung up on something inside the mast (the rigger had to pull quite hard to get the parted halyard free to come through the mast).  Although the halyard appeared taught at the winch, it had slack at the top, allowing the swivel to slide down enough causing the halyard to wrap around the forestay when the sail was unfurled.  With the jib halyard wrapped around the forestay and the swivel rotating as I unfurled the sail, the jib halyard spun the forestay open at the top.  None of the individual wires in the forestay broke, but the stay is much weaker as a result and has to be replaced.

Lesson learned: keep an eye on the angle between the jib halyard and the swivel, if the angle becomes too small the halyard is likely to wrap around the stay instead of holding the swivel stationary.  Rich Wilkins idea above sounds like a good way to help prevent this problem.

Thanks again and enjoy that great Fall sailing!

Frank

#927 "Prime Interest"