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30+ Main Halyard Question

GrumpyPawPaw

Member I
My 1985 30+ has a rope/wire main halyard. When I raise the main fully, the wire portion is wrapping around the mast winch. Is this suppose to happen? It's difficult to cleat off with the beginning of the wire portion. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 

Mort Fligelman

Member III
Wire Halyard/Winch

Hi Grumpy (Love the name!)

Many years back I had spliced wire to rope halyards, and the thinking was to wrap the wire around the winch (chewed the hell out of the winch!) until you were just at the point of where the rope began, and then cleat off the rope......

In another thread I have expressed my disdane for wire........replace with rope.....you will be a happier camper.....

FWIW
 

GrumpyPawPaw

Member I
Thanks Mort,
I was concerned that the wire could damage the winch. It's just that the wire gets to the winch before the main is completely up.
 

Mort Fligelman

Member III
More on Wire

Grumpy:

Do you have enough wire to put at least three wraps on the winch before you reach the rope?

As I said....the thinking was to wrap the wire on the winch and cleat off with the rope.
 

newpbs

Member III
Cut It

I had a simular situation on mu 32-200. The wire portion of my new halyards were too long. I measured how much shorter I neede the halyard to be and cut it off. I cut the wire using shears borrowed from a local marine store. A new end was crimped on using another tool also borrowed from a local store. The fix cost less than $5.

It teems to me that wrapping the wire around the winch is not good for the winch or the wire. Also, I don't like handling the wire with my hands if I can avoid it.

Good luck.

Paul
 

KanH

Member II
Fyi

I replaced the rope to wire on my 30+ with an 8mm haylard. This size works with all the existing hardware and no fish hooks to worry about.
 

Mort Fligelman

Member III
Wire not on winch!

Losta Luck with all the pressure on the SPLICE......a local chandler many years ago told me that they were never intended to be stretched......the reason for the wire is less elongation than rope.....otherwise...why the wire... a wire to rope splice is weaker than both the rope and the wire.....

FWIW
 

Dan Morehouse

Member III
wire halyard

Grumpy, I've also got a wire to rope main halyard. Before I spliced a longer rope tail onto the existing one and re-routed the halyard back thru stoppers to the cabin top winch, I would wrap whatever wire length there was at full hoist around the mast winch before cleating the rope tail to a cleat mounted lower on the mast. I assume the winch was original equipment, and it does show some grooving from the wire. But that's the way the system was designed to work, and my boat is 30 years old.

Mort, I wasn't worried about the strength of the splice when using the mast winch, since the splice was at a lower load behind the winch. The majority of the load when hoisted was on the wire at the winch itself...especially on the first wrap, judging from the obviously deepest groove. But now, the splice is just above the turning block @ the mast base at full hoist, and it IS loaded fully. I may find myself going to an all rope halyard sooner than later if it fails. The can of worms is going to be replacing the sheave at the masthead for the new rope, since it has a worn, semi-serrated surface from years of wire rolling. I'll bet it would eat a new rope halyard before you could say "Bob's your uncle!"

Dan Morehouse
1981 E-38 "Next Exit"
 
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