12 replies to this topic

[jagbeats]

Does anyone know the length of a 49er spinnaker halyard? I'd measure it myself if I wasn't a few hundred km away from my boat. I definitely need a new one before the next time I go sailing.

[Reht]

The exact length will depend on personal preference. If I were you I'd over-estimate and then cut it down and splice everything once you've found the length that you like. I'm personally a fan of longer halyards (probably because I'm taller than most 49er sailors) and I find it frustrating when I borrow a mast or boat and find the halyard is short...

[jagbeats]

The exact length will depend on personal preference. If I were you I'd over-estimate and then cut it down and splice everything once you've found the length that you like. I'm personally a fan of longer halyards (probably because I'm taller than most 49er sailors) and I find it frustrating when I borrow a mast or boat and find the halyard is short...

I'm also a fan of longer halyards. Mine is a bit too short for my preference. It also has no splice in it - it's all 5 mm dyneema. I think I'll be changing that. Does 60' of 5 mm spliced to 25' of 3 mm sound right to you?I'm really just guessing at this moment.

[Reht]

I'm not at my boat right now (and I won't be for a day or two at least), so I can't say definitively yes or no. But, just for a back of the hand calculation that sounds pretty good (even a little long, but that's better than too short). If you're willing to wait a little while I could measure mine (which is way too long), or you could wait for someone like CANTP1 to show up or any of the other more experienced 49er sailors that wander through here on occasion.

[cantp1]

Start with 80'. That'll be a touch long, but you can trim, bit by bit. For the exposed length, go with 29'.

[Reht]

And there you have it, no waiting!

Jagbeats, which boat do you have? And will you be at North Americans at the end of August?

[jagbeats]

cantp1, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming 80' is the total length of the halyard with the 5 mm line being about 51' long.


Reht, I have CAN946. I won't be making it to NA's this year. I've got a wedding to attend that weekend and I haven't yet figured out who my crew is primarily going to be. I've got a lot of people jumping on the boat with me but am yet to get any of them to commit to actually attending a regatta.

[BalticBandit]

cantp1, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming 80' is the total length of the halyard with the 5 mm line being about 51' long.

And once you are aft of the cleat , you can yank out the core for weight savings and minmizing retriever line drag in light air.

[Matt D]

cantp1, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming 80' is the total length of the halyard with the 5 mm line being about 51' long.

And once you are aft of the cleat , you can yank out the core for weight savings and minmizing retriever line drag in light air.

Why not simply buy a 50' line then, pull the core out almost 40', stictch in place, and cut the excess core off. That way you would have only cover aft of the cleat, both in the area at the cleat., and only core for the upper part of the halyard.

Less line bought, less weight, less retrieval line drag in the drifters.

[jagbeats]

cantp1, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming 80' is the total length of the halyard with the 5 mm line being about 51' long.

And once you are aft of the cleat , you can yank out the core for weight savings and minmizing retriever line drag in light air.

Why not simply buy a 50' line then, pull the core out almost 40', stictch in place, and cut the excess core off. That way you would have only cover aft of the cleat, both in the area at the cleat., and only core for the upper part of the halyard.

Less line bought, less weight, less retrieval line drag in the drifters.

Not a bad idea... That would at least get me on the water this weekend. I think I'll splice the cover into the core though. Hopefully the cover isn't too shot to act as an effective dowsing line while my new line is on order.

[Reht]

cantp1, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming 80' is the total length of the halyard with the 5 mm line being about 51' long.

And once you are aft of the cleat , you can yank out the core for weight savings and minmizing retriever line drag in light air.

Only concern being that a lot of what you end up making just core would run through your cleat as you hoist, and that's a hell of a lot of wear for an unprotected core. I guess it makes sense if you're trying to save every ounce but at the cost of replacing the halyard a lot more often, I'd rather not have to replace the halyard that frequently as it is these boats seem to eat resources...

[BalticBandit]

cantp1, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming 80' is the total length of the halyard with the 5 mm line being about 51' long.

And once you are aft of the cleat , you can yank out the core for weight savings and minmizing retriever line drag in light air.

Why not simply buy a 50' line then, pull the core out almost 40', stictch in place, and cut the excess core off. That way you would have only cover aft of the cleat, both in the area at the cleat., and only core for the upper part of the halyard.

Less line bought, less weight, less retrieval line drag in the drifters.

Not a bad idea... That would at least get me on the water this weekend. I think I'll splice the cover into the core though. Hopefully the cover isn't too shot to act as an effective dowsing line while my new line is on order.

That's pretty much how we used to do it. Though I got a really good deal on some 3mm spectra from a friend on one of the Seattle fishing boats (like $40 for a spool) and so then we just bought cheap core line and spliced it in. Turns out the big purse seiners and draggers use 3mm spectra as their "stitching" in their nets. So they buy bulk loads of spools and some boats let employees buy from the stores at cost+10%...

[Reht]

That's pretty much how we used to do it. Though I got a really good deal on some 3mm spectra from a friend on one of the Seattle fishing boats (like $40 for a spool) and so then we just bought cheap core line and spliced it in. Turns out the big purse seiners and draggers use 3mm spectra as their "stitching" in their nets. So they buy bulk loads of spools and some boats let employees buy from the stores at cost+10%...

Makes sense when you have the ability to replace the line regularly and cheaply, maybe not if you're paying $0.25-$0.50 per foot at the local store.