main halyard

[Peter McMinn]

Blew the main halyard yesterday and need info on finding a replacement and/or repair. It's the wire rope / dacron variety with swaged pin shackle and swaged stopper beads (for lack of a better term) for cleating to mast. I can't find the dimensions for this type of halyard at West Marine or Hamilton Marine.

Thinking of just going the lower-tech way and running all prestretched dacron and tying to the shackle, but this means I need a different way of cleating.

Also wondering if I could just repair the exisiting halyard. The swage failed around the shackle stem, and the halyard itself is in good shape.

Ideas?

[Phill]

Peter,
Same thing happened to me -a few years ago.. My wire/rope halyard lost the shackle ball swage. I have three balls swagged on the lower end of the halyard, so that different heights could be used. I just had a new ball and head shackle swagged on, and then do not use the highest setting as that would cause an illegal above band hoist. If you already have the three lower balls, just get a new shackle and ball. You will only lose about 1- 1 1/2" of halyard, and the second ball will be perfect height. If you dont have the extra balls on your halyard, then you can still use that halyard, but will need to cleat the rope tail. Without knowing your layout, you could put a thru deck fitting at the base of the mast (either above or below) and then mount a cleat on or below the cuddy deck. I will soon have a picture in the 'My photos' section, of a clam cleat I have under my cuddy for the toping lift, that might give you some ideas.
I think Layline or APS can do a new halyard if you give them the dimensions of what you need. Also, Balenger Masts might make them.
Jim Skeen may still be a dealer for Balenger.

phill

[Peter McMinn]

Thanks, Phill.
I also have a Ballenger setup. Love it, performance-wize, but it's a pain in the ass in these situations. I'll look into the leads you suggest.

Found out after scanning through the W.Marine catalog that in fact it was the terminal ball swage that had failed. Ordered a new terminal ball (less than $2.) to swage onto the old end of the wire rope.

I have the three cleating balls and normally use the middle. Not sure if I want to lose even an inch of halyard as compromising length probably effects adustability. Why did you lose 1- 1 1/2" of halyard when you did this?

For the interum, bought a standyby halyard of 3/16 pretstreched poly. Just need to figure out a temp. cleating arrangement--probably a bowline with a stainless ring to hook at the right place on the mast.

[Phill]

Hey, glad you can still use the original halyard. I have never used anything except full hoist on the main, so even if you have to use the longest ball to get full hoist, you should be able to get the necessary luff adjustability from the cunningham.

For your temp, could you piggy back something to your vang anchor? Or is your cunningham turning block on that side of your mast? (thats where mine is)
Just a thought.

I dont exactly remember how much distance is between the balls. I was just guessing about the length of loss. I figured about 1/2" for the broken ball and frayed wire + length of new ball on to good wire, about 3/4".

Phill

[Peter McMinn]

The kids are begging to get out, so I'm working on that temporary cleating arrangement.

Last night I fashioned a double-hole rope buckle out of 1/4" brass. Filed one end down to fit under the ball cleat on the mast. I'm going out this afternoon to thread the temp halyard and see how this thing works.

I'll take pics for posterity, but I'm counting the minutes before I get the original fixed and functional.