hi, people, i know ive been asking you alot of questions about my stuck halyard. its the main sail one....i had a cherry picker man to take me up there but he backed out, so i went to west marine, their suggestion was to tie one side of the boat to the dock, with dock line...walk around to another dock with the halyard line and pull on it till it tips the boat enough over ,,to unstick the problem....well i cant tip the boat over its to hard,,,even with 4 people pulling on it it wont come down....i guess i may have to take it down does anyone have anysuggestions other than taking it down,,,,a bosons chair wont work because the halyard that does work is old about 9 years and i dont trust it....well thanks for any info you may have.....chip
Halyard prob
Well it seems to me, that you have two choices. One, replace the questionable halyard and go up on the newly replaced halyard to look at the stuck main halyard, or try and get the mast off the boat. Option two only works if the rig is tabernacle or you are near a yard or crane to get the mast off. Assuming the mast is up at this point. What model ericson is this?? Ryan
Well it seems to me, that you have two choices. One, replace the questionable halyard and go up on the newly replaced halyard to look at the stuck main halyard, or try and get the mast off the boat. Option two only works if the rig is tabernacle or you are near a yard or crane to get the mast off. Assuming the mast is up at this point. What model ericson is this?? Ryan
tenders
Innocent Bystander
Ultimately you are going to need to have a repeatable way to get up there so I agree with Ryan. Replacing the questionable halyard is going to have to be done anyway; why not now?
One other alternative: your yard (or one nearby) may have a "gin pole" or other means of stepping/unstepping a mast. If you can tie your boat up next to this perhaps you can climb up the pole and have a look without relying on your rigging for the time being. My club has a fixed pole with steps on it; it's surprising how much leverage you can have on a boat by grabbing the top of the mast from there (if the mast isn't too tall)! The club I grew up at had an articulating pole that was VERY tall and you could either climb it or have somebody haul you up it.
One other alternative: your yard (or one nearby) may have a "gin pole" or other means of stepping/unstepping a mast. If you can tie your boat up next to this perhaps you can climb up the pole and have a look without relying on your rigging for the time being. My club has a fixed pole with steps on it; it's surprising how much leverage you can have on a boat by grabbing the top of the mast from there (if the mast isn't too tall)! The club I grew up at had an articulating pole that was VERY tall and you could either climb it or have somebody haul you up it.
Last edited:
Geoff Nelson
Member II
Other methods to get up the mast
To get lost main halyards on fractional boats, we just take another boat with a similar or bigger rig, side-tie the boats together with masts aligned, and go up the mast on the boat with the good main halyard, put bodies on both decks next to each other so they tip together (or use the jib halyard from the "broken" boat to pull them together) and work on it that way. Remember to bring something to:
1) Tie the rigs together once they are close
2) Bring something to steady yourself with to the "broken" boat (like a sail tie)
I would NOT do this in a normal b-chair, but always use a climbing harness.
To get lost main halyards on fractional boats, we just take another boat with a similar or bigger rig, side-tie the boats together with masts aligned, and go up the mast on the boat with the good main halyard, put bodies on both decks next to each other so they tip together (or use the jib halyard from the "broken" boat to pull them together) and work on it that way. Remember to bring something to:
1) Tie the rigs together once they are close
2) Bring something to steady yourself with to the "broken" boat (like a sail tie)
I would NOT do this in a normal b-chair, but always use a climbing harness.
Drop the rig
In that case, the factory tabernacle is there, yes???? If so, drop the darn rig and fix it on the deck would be your best option. Replace both of the problem halyards, with high tech rope and be done with it. Put the rig back up and go sailing. Should not be to hard to drop the rig. Moonglow's rig is even taller than yours and is not hard to raise and lower by myself. Ryan E25+ Moonglow
In that case, the factory tabernacle is there, yes???? If so, drop the darn rig and fix it on the deck would be your best option. Replace both of the problem halyards, with high tech rope and be done with it. Put the rig back up and go sailing. Should not be to hard to drop the rig. Moonglow's rig is even taller than yours and is not hard to raise and lower by myself. Ryan E25+ Moonglow
Last edited: