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Question about spinnaker halyard riggiing...

Frank Langer

1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
Hi,

I'm reading a book on rigging and it states: "Spinnaker halyards should always have a ball or disc above the halyard shackle". Can someone explain why this is needed? I'm not aware that I have one on my boat, and certainly not on the main or headsail halyards. :rolleyes:

I'm guessing that it might avoid losing it in the mast, but then it would be needed on all halyards, not just the spinnaker.

Thanks for any helpful explanations!

Frank:nerd:
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
An Answer, altho probably not the only one

When racing or any other time you are hoisting the chute really fast and trying to top it up before it fills (usually with a 'bang') it's best to get it to Full Hoist fast.... So, there you are hauling on the halyard, often with crew jumping that halyard at the base of the mast, and that line is really moving fast through the blocks.

If there is the usual long buried splice at the shackle, it is pretty easy for the thick part of the splice to jam with real force into the sheave and side cheeks at the mast head or wherever it enters the spar. It can be difficult to get it to let go when you want to drop the sail, altho I guess that if you are sailing in heavy air the chute will pull it loose OK. Probably maybe.

With a tight-fitted ball (or disk) the thick splice part of the line will not be allowed into the sheave. Of course this has it's own downside -- since the chute is best hoisted so that the head is very close (as possible) to the spar, you could have over a foot of that halyard sticking out where the buried splice will not allow it to be hoisted any further.
My solution has always been to attach the spinnaker halyard with a knot. I realize that some strength is sacrificed, but modern hi-tech line has thousands of pounds of strength and so losing some to a knot does not seem like much of a compromise. For instance, my T-900 halyards, size 5/16, are rated at 7K pounds, IIRC.
Heck, that's about the same as our shroud wires. :0

There are some types of knots that minimize the strength loss. I used either a halyard hitch or an anchor hitch on all of our halyards. Having the ability to untie them from their shackles was great last season when we lowered all four of 'em for laundering and then end-for-ended each one when putting them back into place.

Regards,
Loren
 
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