Halyards & sheets

[Doug Stuart]

I would be grateful for some information as to the type & quality of halyards & sheets that association members are using on their boats as mine are in need of replacement. The boat is equipped with with Easylock 1 rope clutches. The lengths required would also be welcome as the boat has a masthead kite.
Regards
Doug Stuart
#367

[sawalt]

I use samson apex for my mainsheet and xls for jib sheets and litespeed for my spin sheets.

[Rudeman]

Hi Doug,

We use Sampson Warpspeed for all of our halyards with Spinlock XTS rope clutches. This is overkill in a Dennis Rodman kind of way, however we get no stretch and no rope slippage either.

For spinsheets we use the same as Scott - Sampson Litespeed. For the genoa we use Warpspeed and for the mainsheet Marlow SD-3 racing.

Most of the line lengths can be found on the class website, with the exception of the MH Spin Halyard as that is not class legal. You will need at least 70' feet to make that work.

Best of luck this season !

[Doug Stuart]

Thanks for your help.
Would there be any advantage gained in reducing halyard diameter from the standard 3/8" to 5/16"?
If the spin is launched from the hatch companionway, what lengths & diameter of sheet would be suitable?
Regards,
Doug

[Rudeman]

Yes – 5/16 is the perfect diameter for halyards on the 7.9, aside from costing less, you save weight and eliminate friction – all are good things. The only downside is that you might possibly get some halyard slippage if you are using older rope clutches.

As for your Spin. Question you could use either 5/16” or ¼” for your halyard and sheets depending on predominant winds of your area and what type of rope you are using. On our boat we use a ¼” Sampsom warpseed for the spin halyard and 5/16 Sampson litspeed for the sheets. Both have an Amsteel SK75 Blue dyneema core however the lightspeed has a polypropylene jacket that does not absorb water so the sheets stay lighter. The warpspeed main halyard has a polyester jacket so the rope wears much better and is more durable working with the sheaves.

As for lengths (I seem to recall you were using a MH kite) if you plan on cockpit dousing I would suggest the following – for the halyard at least 70’ preferably 75’. And for the sheets I would suggest at least 60’ preferably 65 feet.

I have a simple philosophy with cordage that reflects the fact I have to encounter difficulty from having a line that is a few extra feet long, however a few feet short is another story all together. Good luck.

[Doug Stuart]

Thanks very much for your prompt response.
Regards,
Doug

[dave]

If you keep the bearing surface where the cam rides on the axle lubed [supelube, etc] they will close that last little bit and keep the line from slipping and the handles will close with much less force, which saves on handle breakage. This works on every type of clutch that I've used, even with the minimum line size. Little things make a big difference. Try it and you will agree.

David Sample