Sourcing a new main halyard

[Kenneth K]

Recently removed the old wire-to-rope main halyard on my 32-3, and looking for an all-rope replacement. Wanted to use 10mm (3/8) New England VPC, for which Defender (at 1.42/ft) is about the only show in town. West Marine is pricey, Fisheries doesn't carry, Vela Sailing is out of stock, APS is out of business....

Anybody else have favorite halyard line and vendor?

 

[Loren Beach]

I might humbly suggest that you consider 8 mm very low stretch line. That size has been holding in our stoppers and on our ST winches for many years. This size is just slightly larger than 5/16, and may be labeled sometimes as 5/16.
We use New England Ropes T-900, but there are other worthy competitors.

I like the occasional line sales at WM, and the rest of the time shop Fisheries.

 

[southofvictor]

Try R & W Rope. I've been really happy with their service. Typically really quick turnaround and fair pricing.

Home | R&W Rope

rwrope.com

 

[patrscoe]

Kenneth,
I also use 8 mm halyards but use VPC on my headstay (roller furling) and spinnaker, and 10 mm on my mainsail halyard. 10mm is a little better on my hands, that is the only reason I use 10 mm on the mainsail, as it is more used than my roller furling headsail halyard.
All are more than strong enough. In fact, 8 mm VPC is stronger with less stretch than 10 mm sta set, which is commonly used for cruisers.
My go to was Vela and pricing is always good but of late, they seem to be out of stock on many product lines. I wanted to get something from the other week but it was out of stock. My next go to is Defender. It's like the Walmart of supplies. WM always seems higher in costs. I have a local hardware store that cares nylon rope which I use for docking. Far less than marine store nylon dock lines and they are just as good.
Endrua is also a good line. I have Endura for my mainsheet and genoa sheets. Sta set X is excellent halyward line but it gets stiff, especially if you use it for your roller furling where it has a static load for a long time.

 

[klb67pgh]

I'm really happy with my switch in 2021 to New England Vapor for my E-25. I bought them during Defender's March 2021 Warehouse Sale online. I replaced Sta Set halyards that were unnecessarily too large. The Vapor is noticeably lighter and on sale wasn't THAT much more. I see I paid $1.31/foot for 10mm. It's $1.49 now at Defender, over $2 elsewhere. I can't speak to whether Vapor is a good option for an E32 or if there are better options. If supply conditions are similar to what they were in the spring, have whatever supplier you chose confirm they actually have the line in stock. I tried to save a few pennies a foot on other line only to find out that "in stock," added to cart, and purchased actually means 3 days later that they don't have it at all, never had it, and don't know when they can get it. I did that several times to my extreme frustration.

 

[goldenstate]

I appreciate frugality, but I say buy whatever rope you want.

I've decided it's easy to obsess about per foot costs with rope, but at the end of the day, if you're talking about $0.40-$0.50 in incremental cost per foot on a 90 foot halyard, you're still only talking about $36-$45. I feel like $36 falls out of my pocket every time I step on board. It's peanuts in the big picture of boat expense.

 

[klb67pgh]

I'm really happy with my switch in 2021 to New England Vapor for my E-25. I bought them during Defender's March 2021 Warehouse Sale online. I replaced Sta Set halyards that were unnecessarily too large. The Vapor is noticeably lighter and on sale wasn't THAT much more. I see I paid $1.31/foot for 10mm. It's $1.49 now at Defender, over $2 elsewhere. I can't speak to whether Vapor is a good option for an E32 or if there are better options. If supply conditions are similar to what they were in the spring, have whatever supplier you chose confirm they actually have the line in stock. I tried to save a few pennies a foot on other line only to find out that "in stock," added to cart, and purchased actually means 3 days later that they don't have it at all, never had it, and don't know when they can get it. I did that several times to my extreme frustration.

NE Viper, not Vapor (I thought there was an edit function but I don't see it now). I wanted to add as well that I have 8 mm for my Genoa and Spinnaker halyards and am happy with those sizes for those sails, and 10 mm for the main. I would have been unhappy with the bulk of 10 mm for the Genoa in particular to just hang there all season. I also agree with Goldenstate's sentiment - get a good price but get what will make you happy and from where it will make you happy/least stressed.

 

[bgary]

I switched all my halyards to 8mm (5/16") VPC, and very happy with it. Easy on the hands, works in self-tailers and clutches.

Defender has it for $1.10/foot (less if you're part of their "club"). Worth the money, IMO

BTW, Vela is pretty much perpetually out of stock on line, I think they order it as they get orders. I recently bought some Samson Control-DPX and they didn't have it in stock but told me they could get it in 3-4 weeks. I let it roll and they delivered as promised. So if it isn't time-dependent, their price ($0.95/foot for 8mm, $1.23 for 10mm) might be good enough to make waiting a month tolerable.

 

[alcodiesel]

I have used these guys and happy with them: https://www.cajunrope.com/

 

[G Kiba]

8mm runs better through blocks and sheaves. I think I am seeing a shift in most line manufactures to a dyneema core. I believe It cost less (for them), And for us, it's stronger with less stretch and is easy to splice. With less selection of the core, the feel of the cover and the flexibility of the line become more of the deciding factor for me.

 

[jkfuller10]

We've recently replaced all lines on our E35-II. We're using Marlow, D2 Racing (all white). We use 10mm for Main, Jib, and Spin halyards and jib sheets and after guys. We use 8mm on spin sheets, topping lift & foreguy, and boom vang. We use 6mm for small control lines (outhaul, Cunningham, etc). Really happy with the line, splices, loops, etc... Also, we pull all the halyards when we're not using / racing the boat.

 

[G Kiba]

Forgot about these guys. They have pre-made halyards and sheets with shackles and splices. I have bought from them in the past with mixed results. Sometimes they are fast sometimes slow. Quality is good though and they will talk to you if there are special things you want. I would buy from them again. https://www.mauriprosailing.com/us/category/Mauripro-Mainsail-Halyards-Cruising-8mm.html

 

[Christian Williams]

If you happen to intend a long voyage, don't go too small on the halyards. Although you can just about lift the boat with modern line, there's also the issue of chafe, which can and does occur at sheaves and halyard exit plates. A little beef gives a reserve, and we don't want to break a halyard offshore.

 

[dhill]

Are there any blocks inside the mast that would need upgrading if switching from wire-to-rope halyard to a larger all-rope halyard? I imagine no changes to mast hardware would be needed if the diameters were the same.

 

[paulrtullos]

Recently removed the old wire-to-rope main halyard on my 32-3, and looking for an all-rope replacement. Wanted to use 10mm (3/8) New England VPC, for which Defender (at 1.42/ft) is about the only show in town. West Marine is pricey, Fisheries doesn't carry, Vela Sailing is out of stock, APS is out of business....

Anybody else have favorite halyard line and vendor?

i've had a set of both vectran and dyneema cored halyards on my 35 footer. while the dyneema was cheaper, i preferred the vectran and will go back with that. it stretches noticeably less. my choice of vendor is fluid as their prices are constantly in flux. i originally bought premade and spliced my own for replacements so i could reuse the shackles. the quality of the premades(from vela) was very good.

 

[Loren Beach]

Are there any blocks inside the mast that would need upgrading if switching from wire-to-rope halyard to a larger all-rope halyard? I imagine no changes to mast hardware would be needed if the diameters were the same.

No issue for our '88 Kenyon spar, but I did try the new hi tech line, and then change them again for my spinnaker wing halyards. 3/8 was dragging on the cheeks at the top, and 5/16 runs freely.

This last re-rig did see a change out from the old alum. sheaves to new ones from https://www.zephyrwerks.com

Many years ago, when changing from the OEM wire halyards, I did lightly machine that scratches out of the alum. sheaves.

 

[Kenneth K]

If you happen to intend a long voyage, don't go too small on the halyards......A little beef gives a reserve.....

On a related note, I use the halyards to climb the mast, which I plan to be doing a lot of while replacing the standing rigging. Don't think I'd feel comfortable ascending anything smaller than about 10 mm, though 8 mm halyards sound attractive in other respects.

 

[Loren Beach]

On a related note, I use the halyards to climb the mast, which I plan to be doing a lot of while replacing the standing rigging. Don't think I'd feel comfortable ascending anything smaller than about 10 mm, though 8 mm halyards sound attractive in other respects.

The break strength of our 5/16 halyards is about 7K pounds. That is as strong as our ss shrouds, approx.
All of the loads on our rigs are spec'd out for a multiple of the expected everyday loading, to provide a safe reserve.
I am confident that our halyards will always be strong enough to hoist my 200# up the mast, but others are certainly entitled to an even higher safety margin.
Note that ability of the line to run thru the sheaves and cheeks is actually an earlier priority in the 'decision tree' to determine this sizing.

Edit: rereading my reply, it may sound like I am really "selling" the idea of the 5/16 or 8mm line sizing. Worth mentioning is that I did try two new 3/8 " ($$) spinnaker halyards, and after feeling the friction/drag thru the cheeks at the mast head, I sold them on CraigsList, replacing them with the 5/16 size. They were not a happy fit in our clutches, either.
There was no practical difference that I could really see in 'handling'. So, yeah, bigger always seems like it ought to be better, but anything above a strength-minimum is really unneeded. And do check your clutches and self trailers for compatibility, too.

 

[Kenneth K]

The break strength of our 5/16 halyards is about 7K pounds. That is as strong as our ss shrouds, approx......

I am confident that our halyards will always be strong enough to hoist my 200# up the mast...

True, no doubt.

I go up the mast using prusik loops, however, and prusiks bite better into thicker rope. It's the small diameter (lack of bulk) and not the tensile strength of high-tech lines that concerns me about 'climbing' the halyards.

It's likely that lack of bulk that helps them turn so nicely over blocks and sheaves though.

 

[goldenstate]

"prusiks bite better into thicker rope" Yes. I prusik my backup for the ATN.

I bought the cheap 110' pre-built halyards from Defender. They probably stretch more than fancy rope, but I have no complaints.

Novabraid XLE Main Halyard with Headboard Shackle

This Novabraid Pre-Made Main Halyard with Headboard Shackle comes ready to use. Features: Polyester double braid Excellent strength Extra low elongation Marine finish on both core and cover for easy handling Excellent abrasion resista

www.defender.com

I would go narrower diameter in the future....