Hi there,
might sound stupid (but OK, I'm a newbie :-) )

When the mast is stepped up, no sails set but main and jib
(wire) halyards are at the mast, how are those secured properly to the mast if not in use ???

Any "proper" procedure here so nobody immediately recognize my land lubber status ???

And if we are at it, where do you guys leave all these rope ends while sailing. ???

Thank you

i fasten the main halyard shackle and pull it down to about 1' above the main (starboard) halyard cleat. then i pass the tail of the halyard under the cleat and back up through the shackle and back down, take out all the slack, under the cleat and cleat the halyard. same procedure for the jib halyard to the port (jib)cleat. a seamanlike cleat: the line goes once around the base, then one figure eight around the horns, and finish by making half a second figure eight, but "turn the bight over"-twist the loop- so that the line crosses itself as it comes off parallel to the line in the first figure eight.. ok i could show you a lot easier than tell you. the 'once around ' is accomplished when you go under the cleat, over the shackle, and back under the cleat, so all thats left is the figure eight finished with a 'twisted bight' if you do this right the tail of the halyard is pointing down as it comes off the cleat...what to do with all that line after you hoist the sails? my trampoline has a pocket near the mast base so i just coil the halyards and stuff them into the pocket.(make sure they go under the jib sheet) no pocket? coil the halyard and pass half the coil over its cleat between the mast and the halyard so its trapped with half the coil on each side of the cleat. hows that? clear as mud? ; )

Higgins,
Do not tie the halyards tight along the mast when not in use. Tight halyards viberate in the wind just like a banjo string. They will wear themselves out as well as wear the paint or anodizing off the mast in local areas if strung along the mast tightly when not in use. A better halyard storage scheme is to tie the halyard ends away from the mast, like to the shrouds/trap wires or forestay, and leave then slightly slack so they will not viberate. Also when trailering, do not tie the halyards against the mast for the same reason. Where the mast rests in saddles, no wires allowed. Otherwise the SS wires will cut into the soft aluminum mast and damage it while the rig is travelling down the road.
Bill

Thanks guys, thats a lot to think about and no dannyb9, it's not mud clear .

I print your post, go to my mast and sit down for a while and try to figure it out. But SOUNDS just great


Any yes, BillRoberts, I had these sounds yesterday night (the cat is still on the lawn in front of our bedroom).

I thought it was nice to hear that thru the night, my wife not !
I use a bungee tonight to keep the wire away from the mast.

Thanks again for your time and help

Just wrap you halyard a few times around the mast so that it spirals down from the top to bottom along the mast. Solves all troubles. We do it like that over here on our beach side parking and this is a way of making sure you can use all the lines etc for years before replacing them.

Wouter

Err, am I alone in using the main-halyard to hold the boom when the sails are not hoisted?

We have a cover over trampoline and aft hulls, and the boom is used to hold the cover 'tight' so snow and water dont pile up on the tramp. Also discourages the ¤#%&*¤ birds from nesting on the tramp. (it's bad enough when they sleep on top of the mast. Birds dont seem to like the Marstrøm '94 section. They surely love the flat top of the IYE '80s section tough).

Our halyard is 3mm spectra, with a 6mm sleeve on the end. Secures to the outhaul on the boom, and taking in the slack with the mainsheet (_not_ tight, to avoid vibrations, just the slack).

The jib halyard is secured to the bridle strop, and that takes care of that.

This way, there is no tangles and no contact between halyard and mast. There might be some vibrations from the main halyard, but not setting it tight seems to take care of that.

When sailing, the jib halyard runs inside the jib luff, så that rope is out of the way. The main halyard is neatly coiled (not really coiled, as that twists the halyard, but more like 'bent' repeatedly) secured tightly with the halyard end, and strapped beneath the trampoline with a bungee (just behind the mainbeam). Easy, no pockets in the trampoline, and we have not had the mainsheet work loose yet..

Rolf,
One thing I would suggest is to get a less costly line to hold the boom up. Figure out how much you need,attach it to the main haylard hoist the the haylard to the top. This will keep the line out of the sun and elements.

Thanks for the tip, but how bad is UV degration at 63 degrees north? In Florida and near equator, I guess this is very much different..

So far, we have had very little trouble with UV, most lines holds for several years. And having an extra line is one more step to spend time on while rigging/unrigging the boat before sailing. I think I'll prefer to buy a new halyard every 3-5 years instead of using a extra line and loose time on the water

Well, I was going to make some comment about your location like do you know what the sun looks like or how long does your sailing season last? Three weeks? However I'm jealous of the people who get to snow ski on a regular basis.

Have Fun

Hi Rolf,

Seems us Tboat sailors think alike...yes, this is also how I store my main halyard...shackled to the boom to hold the boom up. One further tip, I tie a stopper knot (figure eight) at a point along the halyard where it exits the base of the mast so that when the other end is attached to the boom, the knot stops the line passing further through the lower turning block. Now all I need do is apply some main sheet tension and presto, everything is done with no need to tie off the halyard at the mast base. This stopper knot is also very hand if you locate it such that when you've got the mainsail attached, it hold the head board just a few inches higher than the opening in the mast track. Once started in the track, you can let go of the halyard without the sail falling out of the track.

PS I agree, UV damage on the good quality spectra line is neglible, even in sunny Southern California.

Mike.

yep, holds the boom up. The guy I bought the boat from said that any halyard noise at their club would result in cut lines (friendly place), so it's silent anyway. It doesn't seem to have affected the line strength as I believe the line is original (1991) and I certainly can't break it (sometimes it pays to look up while hoisting the main in case the battons have caught on the rear trap line). But then again, there's the latitude factor . . .
I can take up the slack on my jib halyard by cleating it through one of the downhaul cleats at the base of the mast. My jib halyard runs down the inside of the mast, so this probably doesn't apply to too many others.
While sailing, I also have the pockets in the tramp.
Al

Thanks again for all your time and expertise.

Although, why should I keep the boom up ?????
Mine is just now peacefully resting on the aft beam and
a tarp is fixed with bungee over it, running smoothly down from the booms gooseneck at the mast so the tramp is protected against sun and rain ??

Michael

when the boom is resting on the back beam you could be scratching the boom or the beam or damaging the travler track. put a pad in there.
the no halyard slap rule could possibly come from harbors where people sleep in their boats.

forgot to say thanks, sorry