DaySailer.org Forum

I bought a DS2 at the end of last summer. The running rigging is in bad shape, the rope part that is. I am looking for input on going to a one piece rope line for the halyards, or splicing new rope onto the wires In my mind a one piece rope line would be a lot easyer to coil and stow during transport and storage. I would like to hear what others have done on there boats

Having rope only on the DS, then moving up to rope/wire on my current boat, I would definately recommend wire. The luff of the sail stays straighter, and does not creep as the day wears on.

If your sheeves can handle the wire, I would recommend that you not splice, but cleat on a wire loop and thimble on the aft part of the masthead sheeves for the jib halyard, and the same on the forward part of the masthead sheeves for the main halyard. You can then simply run a halyard through the loop, and splice it. It is easier to replace the rope halyard down the road as it will not likely last as long as the wire. The thimble is irrelevent as it does not have to run through the sheeves. My rope portion of the halyards are knotted, so I can turn them end for end each season. You could also create an eye splice, and loop the standing part through the thimble, eliminating the need for a knot altogether.

Thanks My boat is a '73 DS2. When I got it there was no boom vang and when I raised the main up to where I thought it should be I was already to the wire and had wrap it around the horn cleat on the mast. I felt that it couldn't be good for the wire part of the halyard to be wraped up like that. Maybe the boom was raised to high and I didn't know it. But if I tied off on the rope part of the halyard it didn't seem right. Is it ok to wrap the wire around the horn cleat?

Hi Adam- I have a 73 dsII and replaced the main and jib halyard last fall with a low stretch rope which has worked well. I had a similar problem where I couldn't pull the sail up fully. The Downhaul cleat on the mast is held in place with a screw and a slider and it had slipped up the mast a couple of inches. I just loosened the screw and slipped it down and retightened and it has been fine since. Hope this helps.

I wouldn't be wrapping the wire halyard around the horn cleat! Your wire will eventually abrade, and you will likely mar the cleat in the process.

Your boom should be level. If it is not, shorten the sail end of your wire halyard so that you can wrap the rope part on the cleat.