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S&S Swan Maintenance - Halyards, and Sheaves
14 October 2008 - 14:27
#1
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philippev
Join Date: 02 February 2007
Posts: 202

Halyards, and Sheaves

Hello everyone, hope summer gave you plenty of satisfaction.

Coming back to a previous thread...

On probably most of our boats, the original genoa halyards were mixed textile and steel, and the sheaves were adapted to these with a special shape.

Can one use complete textile genoa halyards (spectra, vectran, etc..) without changing the sheaves?

If this is the case it would be very helpful, as changing top mast sheaves would be quite an adventure and installing textile halyards a great improvement.

Many thanks and fair wind.

Philippe. 41/022

 
14 October 2008 - 18:41
#2
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danielefua
Join Date: 30 January 2007
Posts: 462

Hi Philippe,
I am afraid but using those sheaves for textile rope under tension is not recommended. Sheaves for mixed halyards have a grove that matches well the wire but matches only partially the textile rope: the rope surface is not well supported by the sheave and for high tension the rope will get ruined fast.
Maybe you can use them only temporarily with halyards not too tight and keeping an eye on the section where the rope turns around the sheave when in tension; then replace them as soon as possible.
Regards
Daniel
16 October 2008 - 08:09
#3
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The Professor
Join Date: 02 January 2008
Posts: 1547

Philippe

The existing wire/rope sheaves can be expected to eat rope halyards quickly, but the following trick could be tried.

Put a protective outer sleeve on the rope halyard for a metre or so in the area where there is contact with the sheave under high load.

The sleeve needs to be stitched at the ends to stay in place. Reefing positions would require the same treatment.

Sleeves can be taken off a bigger rope having the same core diameter as the rope halyard outside diameter.

An eye has to be kept on the chafe situation of the protective sleeve, and replacement done in time.

The existing sheaves are probably roughened by the wire, and it could extend the life of the sleeves if the sheaves are smoothened by sanding

Have no practical experience of this approach, but sleeves are used for similar purposes in other places

Aramid halyards need flat sheave grooves and are not suitable here.

Lars
20 October 2008 - 05:25
#4
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hnakajima
Join Date: 20 February 2007
Posts: 119

I replaced all of my sheeves from the original textile/wire halyards to  sheeves without the wire groove..  It is not a big expense and well worth the effort when considering the potential cost of replaceing a high tech halyard damaged from the wrong sheeve type.

 

Good Luck
20 October 2008 - 10:53
#5
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philippev
Join Date: 02 February 2007
Posts: 202

Thanks a lot for these very unseful replies.

Unless I have problems I think I will stick to the original wire/textile genoa halyards, which after all are not that bad.

Kind regards.
20 October 2008 - 11:32
#6
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danielefua
Join Date: 30 January 2007
Posts: 462

Philippe,
yes, at the end I think this is not a bad choice. You may even enjoy learning how to splice yourself the textile/wire junction. Just get the right fid: it is not such a hard job and, once accomplished, it is of great satisfaction.

Daniel
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