Steve, There are several reasons to go to an all rope halyard for a cruising boat: 1. While wire does indeed have low stretch, 1/2 of the rope will still be made from all polyester. In a 45' mast, with a potential 3% elongation at 30% load, that still translates to nearly 1.5' of stretch. Not insignificant. Most high modulus ropes stretch around .4% which is far more manageable. 2. A wire halyard fixed in place on a sheave over a long period of time will exhibit wear and eventually part on the outer radius where it goes around the sheave. While most stainless wire won't show excessive external corrosion, stainless isn't corrosion free (check your lifelines sometime to confirm). When wire wears or frays, it gets nasty meathooks that will wear down sheaves (usually aluminum) and can shred bare skin like a razor blade 3. Wire is heavy. High modulus rope is light and even in some cases buoyant. Most folks don't think about adding weight to a cruising boat, but weight aloft makes for more heel and less stability. As you move away from the center of gravity of a sailing vessel, the weight of an object gets amplified by the distance from the CG. Which is why you always need to compensate with a deeper or heavier keel if you increase your mast height. Adding weight aloft makes more of a difference than one would think. 4. Sail shape is important whether you race or cruise. I'll support the rope/wire halyard logic if you still have the old dacron sails that your boat came with. Pillow case shaped sails can be adjusted with virtually any type of ropes or wires. But if you've made the investment to upgrade your sails to something that has some shape for upwind performance, keeping the sails properly trimmed will make the best of your investment. Old wire halyards grinding on 35 year old worn wire sheaves aren't going to be likely to turn easily under loads, which mean your "set it and forget it" jib will have far too little tension in a blow OR way too tight in light airs. 5. Old rope/wire halyards are likely worn elsewhere beyond the masthead. Anywhere you can find flat spots, broken fibers on the cover or lumps inside the rope means that overall strength of the rope is compromised. Some folks will end for end a rope halyard which extends the life of a rope by changing out the wear segments (rope clutch for example) to a new section on the line. You can't do that with halyards made with wire. 6. Technology improvements. Lighter, stronger, better handling, less hassle (let me know how much fun it was doing a wire to rope splice). Even though I can listen to AM radio in my car, I prefer the better sound quality of FM or digital music sources that can connect via Bluetooth devices. Yes, the sound system probably added to the price of the vehicle, but it was worth it. Chuck Gilchrest S/V Half Magic 1983 35 Landfall Padanaram, MA
I don't see the point in changing to all rope on a cruising boat with roller furling. Set it and forget it, and no worries about chafe or UV degradation up at the top. Wire lasts longer than anything in that sort of service. Steve Thomas C&C36 Merritt Island, FL C&C27 MKIII Port Stanley, ON ---- Gary Nylander via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: I have raced on a couple of J-80’s and now on a C&C115. All have rope – all have furlers, and they don’t take anything down during the season. Don’t see a problem. Gary From: CnC-List <cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com> On Behalf Of Joe Della Barba via CnC-List Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 11:12 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: Joe Della Barba <j...@dellabarba.com> Subject: Re: Stus-List Time for new halyard... Recommendations? Is rope suitable for furling sails that might not come down more than once a year? Coquina Joe Della Barba j...@dellabarba.com <mailto:j...@dellabarba.com> From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Gary Nylander via CnC-List Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 10:27 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Gary Nylander <gnylan...@atlanticbb.net <mailto:gnylan...@atlanticbb.net> > Subject: Re: Stus-List Time for new halyard... Recommendations? I switched from wire/rope to rope without a problem. Gary 30-1 From: CnC-List <cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com> > On Behalf Of Joel Aronson via CnC-List Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 10:00 AM To: cnc-list <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > Cc: Joel Aronson <joel.aron...@gmail.com <mailto:joel.aron...@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: Stus-List Time for new halyard... Recommendations? If there are rough spots on the sheaves they need to be replaced before switching. Also, you need to make sure the sheave is wide enough for the rope you want to use. Joel On Tue, May 15, 2018 at 9:47 AM, Joe Della Barba via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: My jib halyard is shot. I always assumed I needed another wire/rope because the sheaves are made for wire and would damage an all rope halyard. Is this wrong? Coquina C&C 35 MK I Joe Della Barba j...@dellabarba.com <mailto:j...@dellabarba.com> From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com> ] On Behalf Of Neil Andersen via CnC-List Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 9:36 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> ; cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Neil Andersen <neil.eric.ander...@gmail.com <mailto:neil.eric.ander...@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: Stus-List Time for new halyard... Recommendations? Bruce, First thing is to replace the wire/rope with all rope. Neil 1982 C&C32 Rock Hall, MD every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray _______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray -- Joel 301 541 8551 _______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray _______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
