Do I need to replace the main halyard?

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Stickinthemud57
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Do I need to replace the main halyard?

Post by Stickinthemud57 »

I recently purchased a '94 Macgregor 26s, and judging by the condition of other rigging, I would not be surprised if the main and jib halyards were original equipment. Sidenote: I have recently replaced the mainsail and jib.

I recently installed a snubbing winch so I could get the halyard nice and tight, but usually find about an hour into a good sail that the luff of the sail has gone a bit slack. I was out recently and had a friend at the tiller, so had him come up to the wind briefly so I could tighten it, but after another hour of sailing, it appeared to have loosened up.

The halyard makes off to a standard cleat. I do a full loop around the base of the cleat before finishing in the standard figure-8, being sure to do it properly, so I'm pretty sure the rope is not slipping at the cleat.

Are older ropes more prone to stretching? Will I get less of this if I replace it with a new rope (assuming, of course, I buy the proper kind of rope)?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice!
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C Buchs
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Re: Do I need to replace the main halyard?

Post by C Buchs »

I'd plan on replacing it. Blue Water Yachts has it for $43.56. http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/l204-100.htm When I replaced a bunch of line on my :macx: West Marine was having a 30% or 40% off sale. BWY's price was still a little better and I like supporting them!

Jeff
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WinSome
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Re: Do I need to replace the main halyard?

Post by WinSome »

Replace your halyard. I suspect the portion where it has been snubbed so many times is worn. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to some other new lines also. They just work so well. I have found lots of uses for retired lines!
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NiceAft
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Re: Do I need to replace the main halyard?

Post by NiceAft »

Stickinthemud57,

You say you have a new Jib and main. How new? New sails also stretch. That being the case, it may not be the halyard.

When I bought a new Genoa, I had to lengthen the halyard until the sail stretched.
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Re: Do I need to replace the main halyard?

Post by Interim »

You could mark your halyard at the cleat after you tie it off to confirm whether the line is slipping or stretching. That said, I tend to lean towards replacement on running rigging. Gives you a chance to practice finishing lines :)

And to confirm the cleat hitch is tied properly:



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Russ
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Re: Do I need to replace the main halyard?

Post by Russ »

It's possible the previous owner used nylon for a halyard instead of non-stretch polyester.

If it looks to be in decent shape, I would try the suggestions above before replacing it. However, new halyards are not expensive. I'm considering replacing mine with a length long enough to make a loop and possibly a color so I can tell the crew "release the black line". It's so hard to explain which one is the halyard.
--Russ
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