I replaced the halyard on our 26 last spring; have the old halyard still with the shackle on and wondering what to do with it.
Q: With the spare block bolted to the outside port side at the top of the mast, is it worth putting the old halyard on it? New halyard has a well spliced eye (not by me, by a professional rigger) and I don’t expect it to break nor do I expect to lose the tail up the mast.
Currently, that block is used for a flag line, a small 4mm line which I tie off on the pulpit. I’m thinking about flag lines on the boom where the forward reefing/topping lift blocks are, and not worrying about the flag line to the top of the mast.
Any “current best practices” from anyone for this relative newbie?
PS - Paul Miller - the old halyard shackle has a roll pin holding the middle bar in place, not screwed like yours is. FYI - always learning something.
I have a thin flag line that goes from the very front end of my boom down to a 5" loop of shock cord (bungee cord) that is tied right through the middle of my bow cleat, forward of my mast. That is where I fly my club burgee from. The line is mildly taut and the shock cord keeps it taut as the boom turns from side to side. I have a permanent dock line tied to this cleat so the whole thing never gets undone or messed up.
Question - I know that this “spare block” at the top of mast has been covered a fair bit in this group but just how beefy and well-attached is the block ?? I ask because there has been discussion about a spare halyard being used as a safety for a bosun chair lift of “someone”.
Furthermore, NONE of us ever expect to lose our main halyard up the mast. Ha Ha Ha !!!
Ernie’s approach strikes me as a pretty nice way to do a flag halyard.
As for the block on the top port side of the mast, you might consider a compromise. Leave the current flag halyard light line in place and think of it as a messenger line for pulling up the old halyard line if/when you need it. A second halyard has additional uses over and above going up the mast. It’s handy to have two if you’re raising/lowering the wishbone, as well as if your topping lift or its stopper line fails or is being replaced. None of this happens often enough to merit leaving a big line in place permanently. But keeping the old halyard in storage just in case and a light line in place as a messenger makes life easy if you ever need it.
I have the cheek block at the top. I run a 1/4 line to it and can use it to run a beefier line when I need a safety line. There are modern mast climbing rig that preclude the need for a second line.
However I have a 1/4 line that I run to a block secured to the side of the boom casting with a hose clamp, I have some rescue tap under the clamp. I use this line for flags and the radar reflector.
Would you have a photo of that setup? I cannot picture just where you have that block on the boom. I cannot reach the front casting and the aft casting seems as though the line would interfere with the sail.
Tim in STL
White O’morn NS26U #216
Harbor Point Yacht Club
West Alton, MO
Just a “thanks” for the very welcome replies to my query; interesting stuff to ponder - at least nobody’s suggested I rig a blooper like the manual says. (smile)