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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Halyard tore through mainsail

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/06/2010 : 07:09:55

Hi all,

Last night during the Wednesday Evening race winds were 20+ and gusting. This is heavier air than I'm accustomed to, and as such probably contributed to what happened.

Anyway, the shackle holding the mainsail onto the halyard tore through the top of the mainsail, ending my race and leaving the hardyard at the top of the mast. It seems like it'd be a relatively simple do-it-yourself kind of repair. Has anyone done this before? There's a plastic board sandwiching the top of the sail, and it appears the shackle was simply put through a hole drilled through these plastic boards and sail material. Could I do the some thing with a large drill bit an inch or or so below the now torn-out hole?

Getting the halyard down is another matter, but a club member has a mast ladder that I might be able to use with the jib halyard.

Anyway, thanks for any advise!

Ben
Beneteau 361
Viking Kitty
Columbus, Ohio

Edited by - on

JudOWNED
1st Mate

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USA
98 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2010 : 07:32:19

Hm. Mine has a heavy duty metal ring sewn into the sail that the halyard attaches to. I'll let the people with more experience speak on it, but I'd say the rig you had (a whole drilled through the plastic piece at the top of the sail) was insufficient.

But what do I know? I'm just a newbie! lol Look forward to hearing what others have to say.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9075 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2010 : 07:35:13

A bad night at the office... It seems to me the repair you describe would make you at least as vulnerable (if not more so) to the same failure. To be able to really harden the luff as you presumably had done, I'd probably let a sailmaker repair the head of the sail.

As for your halyard, there should be a few threads on this, with techniques both proposed and attempted... For example, on another boat, I tied a messenger line to the tail of the jib halyard with a large, treble fish-hook tied upside-down at the knot, hoisted the hook to where it could snag the shackle (with a little moving and shaking), and then pulled it back down with the messenger.

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5895 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2010 : 07:49:40

Check with Sailor's Tailor, in Spring Valley, Ohio (a little over an hour from Columbus). I have had numerous repairs made by them, and the repairs were always skillfully done and moderately priced. I'd bet they can replace the headboard.

http://sailorstailor.com/contact.asp

Edited by - Steve Milby on 05/06/2010 08:00:53

Unsinkable2
Captain

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USA
273 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2010 : 07:58:19

I lost a jib halyard up to the top of the mast one time. I posted ehre asking for ideas, and finally decided to go down to the boat with a piece of bailing wire and duct tape. I fashioned a multi-pronged hook with the bailing wire taped to the main halyard, and sent it up to retrieve the jib. I was expecting to be working on this for half an hour before I could hook it. To my surprise, I hooked it the first time - it was easy!
And maybe this says something about me, but it was so easy that I thought, "I'm going to try that again." And I did. Got it back ont he second try.
So I keep a piece of bailing wire in my boat toolkit. You actually have a very fine control over the hook if the hook is taped to the other halyard because you can twist the halyard to rotate and position the hook. It helps to use a pair of binoculars from down on the deck to see the detail of the shackle and the hook.
I saw a special device westmarine was selling to retrieve halyards, but bailing wire worked great - even a thin coat hanger would do the trick.

Edited by - on

Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2010 : 08:15:58

The ideas using the other sail's halyard to carry a hook up intrigue me; but how would it work with the main and jib halyards being on opposite ides of the mast? In my case I would use the jib halyard, which is of course running up the forward side of the mast. How would I get the hook around to the aft side of the mast to hook the shackle or line of the main halyard?

Thanks Steve, I'll try Sailor Taylor. I called Doyle and the low cost estimate was $50, but he said it's likely to be $100 or close to it, which seems a shame for such an old sail.

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2010 : 08:36:27

Get an Aluminum headboard. A small electronics soldering iron, the headboard should come with aluminum rivets, small hammer, anvil like spot for finishing the rivets.I would contact UlmanVentura.

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2010 : 13:13:06

Here's a tip to determine if you even want to repair this sail. Try to rip it. Take a section, fold it over and try to rip it. If you can, chances are very good that your sail has seen better days and will be a waste of money to repair.

sten

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9075 Posts

Response Posted - 05/06/2010 : 20:41:32

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Ben
 ...I would use the jib halyard, which is of course running up the forward side of the mast. How would I get the hook around to the aft side of the mast to hook the shackle or line of the main halyard?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Ohhhhhhh yaaaaa..... You have those lovely internal halyards. Those of us with cruder rigs have both halyards running on both sides of the mast so the "up" side of the main halyard was next to the "down" side of the jib halyard. So I guess you can fuggetabout my system... unless you can fashion a wire that wraps around the mast from the jib halyard. Beyond that, it's probably up the mast, or drop it.

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crcalhoon
Captain

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USA
303 Posts

Response Posted - 05/07/2010 : 09:28:12

One more reason why internal halyards are a "damned unseamanlike contraption."

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 05/07/2010 : 16:54:57

Tape 3 or 4 sail slugs at equal distances to two 10' sections of plastic conduit (Lowe's etc.) pass a small, long line through the two conduits. Tie a slipknot loop at what will be the top end of the line and wrap a wire around the conduit to support the loop. You can then slide the top section up the track and follow with the next section when it is high enough. When the loop reaches the halyard clip pull the line hanging out the bottom to tighten the loop on the halyard. The conduit is flexible, so it needs the slugs.

Edited by - on

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