re-routing main halyard

[Peter McMinn]

Recently lost my main halyard and need to rout it back though the mast. I plan to work some wire from mast head pully to access hole and pull the halyard back through. Can anyone with experience confirm this strategy? Anything I should be aware of?
Peter

[Guest]

I'm not sure what your masthead looks like, but on my DS-1 the halyard does not run through the mast at all--just up the forward side of the mast, across a pulley at the top ,and down the aft side. You might be able to save yourself considerable trouble both now and in the future by not running the halyard through the mast.

Hope that helps!

--Mark Miller
Boston, MA

Mark Miller (miller_mark_web-at-yahoo.com)

[Guest]

I assume you have an internal halyard. Here's how I re-routed mine when it came out:
Make a messenger of very small strong line, fishing twine would work. Use a length long enough to go from the masthead to the exit point of the halyard at the base of the mast with enough extra so that you can tie your halyard to it. To one end of this messenger attach small lead fishing weights. Use small enough weights so that the messenger can fit into the opening between the sheave and the masthead. Feed the weights into the top of the mast where the halyard is supposed to go. Raise the mast to a vertical position so that the weights will pull the messenger down.
Lower the mast, and attach the halyard to the end of the messenger at the masthead. Pull the messenger out of the mast from the bottom of the mast, and when the halyard comes out, disconnect it from the messenger. The halyard is re-routed.

I keep this messenger in a tool kit I take with me when I go sailing, just in case I have a problem with a halyard when setting up.

Bob Hunkins (rhunkins-at-pdq.net)

[Guest]

Peter, I have internal haylards on my DSI. They are common to Procter masts. To replace haylards I use an electrians fish, which I got at Home Depot. The fish is a stiff wire which is easy to feed up the mast. After the fish is feed through the mast, up or down, I attach the haylard with, tape to the fish, and pull it through. It's a very easy procedure. On Procter mast you can remove the base of the mast which makes it even easier.

Ed Hutchinson



Ed Hutchinson (edhutchinson-at-worldnet.att.com)