We’re getting hi-tech with new Dyneema halyards
In the heat of yesterday’s midday sun, Rebecca and I decided to tackle installing at least a couple of the new Dyneema lines that we won during the Dyneema Experience campaign.
We started with the Main Sheet which was probably one of the easiest to deal with, running it from the end of the boom, down to the traveller and then back along the boom’s length, working through the blocks and clutches to end up in the cockpit. Inspired by that success, we set our sights on something higher (literally), the lines which could cause us the most trouble: the halyards. For those unfamiliar with sailing jargon, a halyard (Haul the Yard) is attached to the top of a sail and when pulled, will raise it up. What makes rerunning these a bit more tricky is that they go to the top of the mast, inside it. What that means in practical sense is that if we were to lose one of these inside the mast, we have no idea how we would retrieve it.
The process we went through to run the new halyards was to hand sew the old lines to the new ones using sailmakers thread. In theory, we could then just pull on the old one, using it as a messenger to run the new line up through the inside of the mast and then back down to deck level, if the sewing job held of course, and if they didn’t get fouled somehow inside the mast.
I am happy to report that all did go well during this process and we now have rigged a new Topping Lift, Jib Halyard, Main Halyard and Spinnaker Halyard. We still have quite a few more lines to switch which, although they don’t have the potential to ruin our day like losing a halyard would have, will present their own issues. Some of the lines we received did not come exactly as we ordered so will require some modification and others we’re a bit uncertain how to run. We’ll figure it out though and will soon be a completely Dyneema-rigged boat.
Sewing the old lines to the new ones with strong sailmakers thread.
The wind was nice and calm in the anchorage so messing around
with our jib didn’t cause any troubles at all.
Many of the lines were supplied with “luggage tag” splices so that
they could be attached to hardware using a “larks head” type of knot.
Hi Mike
I solved the problem of replacing the old for the new Dyneema lines with duckt-tape. And that worked out fine. It was quick and no trouble afterwards to separate the old from the new lines. As the is virtual no force on the new line the only thing the tape has to hold is the weight of the line.
Best regards
Wilco
I have had duct-tape come off due to the weight of the line! Yes it did cause me lots of problems 🙂 Maybe I was just stupid!
Mike
(Incidentally Mike, it is Haul the yard, not Hall the yard!) Cheers.
Oops… typo. Thanks Mike.
We actually had issues getting the old/new lines through our clutches, primarily due to the cover on the old lines bunching up. They definitely would not have gone through with duct tape. Sewing them was pretty easy, and secure.