J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Replacing Halyard & Sheaves - Advice Sought

Hi all! So, I finally got out sailing this past weekend - my first *real* experience on the J/30 I bought in September. And wow, does she sail like a dream.

Sail handling, however, was another matter. The mainsail took a ton of force on the winch to raise, and refused to drop when I let go the main halyard (I have a sail track with almost no friction, so it should come down like a guillotine).

My friction is coming from the main halyard. I replaced the old, weathered line with 7/16" Sta-Set X (the old line was also 7/16" - I measured). However, I think the sheaves are 1) worn out and 2) not intended for such a thick line.

So I intend to replace the sheaves, one at the masthead and one at the boot where the halyard turns towards the cockpit. What are my options here? I know RigRite sells the replacement sheaves, but are there better/more efficient designs (I don't care about being class legal)? What dimensions should I look for? I'm asking in advance of having someone go up the mast to inspect the sheaves - will probably do that this weekend. Also, is it possible to replace the sheave without pulling the mast? I'd really like to avoid that - still kicking myself for not having it done last time I was in the yard.

So once that's done, I'll need to replace the halyard. 7/16" seems much to big. I'm thinking Amsteel, 1/4" for the mast section, spliced to Sta-Set X for the winch and clutch. Or maybe just all Amsteel, with a cover for the winch/clutch.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
-Alex
Ananda, #140, San Francisco

Alex,

The J/30 and J/24 use the same size sheaves in the mast crane. There are two sheaves at the top. The Main Halyard Delrin Sheave is 1.75" OD x 3/8" ID x 1/2" wide with the Main Halyard Sheave Bronze Bushing 3/8" OD x 1/4" ID x 1/2" Wide.

Look at my old post at this link with the info. I bought new Delrin sheaves, pins and bushings from Annapolis Performance Sailing.

Your halyard is too thick and is probably binding in the mast crane. StaySet X is a good strong parallel core rope that is fairly low stretch, and has a good cover for the rope clutches. The recommended diameter is 3/8" to work with the sheaves and the stock rope clutch. Use this page as a guide for your rigging.

You can get Amsteel but if you aren't racing, there is no sense spending that kind of money. The StaSet X will last a long time and is much lower cost. I use 3/8" Endura Braid that has a Dynema core, but I race and don't want any stretch. It's more than double the cost per foot.

You probably want to lubricate the turning blocks at the base of the mast too. On Rhapsody, since I changed the sheaves and have a new halyard the main goes up and down very easy.

Now - for working on the mast.... You only have a single masthead halyard so it makes it difficult to work on the sheaves with the rig up. Best bet is to get a friend with a mast a little taller, tie the boats along side. Tilt the boats towards each other by crossing the jib halyards to the opposite boat and winching them together to pull the masts toward each other. I did this in a slip last spring to replace a broken main halyard. Check out this post with the picture.

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the great advice! I suspected the line might be too thick but had a hard time believing that 1/16" would make that big of a difference. Your post confirms it. I'll switch to a thinner halyard. I'll send someone up soon to check on the sheaves and make sure there aren't any sharp edges (not equipped to ascend myself).

I like the idea of crossing masts to do the work! I'd also thought about ascending on the halyard and installing two fold-out steps at the top, suitable for standing on with a safety tie around the mast while doing work on the sheave.

I'm kicking myself for not pushing the boatyard to check on them while the mast was pulled last month. I asked once about it and they forgot.

1. look for simple fix first ... sounds like your main halyard sheave is frozen at top of mast ... hammer taps and WD 40 ... see if it is groved badly from prior use of wire.
2. sheave at bottom of mast also will freeze ... if it is turning at all just oil. also see if grooved.
3. the main can be heavy ... mine are over 40 lbs.
4. most crews do a jump and sweat at the mast to raise sail
5. pain in ass to winch.
6. I am using 10mm for halyards ... max size but doesn't jam.
See how a 9 and 12 yo handle sail raise in this video.

Nice video Vic. The 9 year old is now 12. Strange how that happens.

If you buy a tech line (endura braid etc.) you can go 5/16" to save cost. 3/8 is overkill I think (that is what we use on our 40' ocean racers).

1/4" single braid amsteel is actually relatively cheap, especially if you are doing all your halyards and buy a spool.

I know you 20 somethings feel that you can handle halyards thin as a string ... duh ... but us old guys with arthritic hands and not addicted to winches ... and the younger kids [and the 20 something gals] who are in charge of jumping sails ... like to have something big enough to grab onto.

we only use our 1/4 in spin sheets when the wind is under 7 for example.

[Photo of skipper of J/30 Hornet showing pretty gal how to coil starboard spin sheet]

You coil rather than flake?

when young blonds with muscles are involved we try to do whatever sounds good at the time.

we replaced all the running rigging on St Elmo's Fire last year when recommissioning. due to various ages of crew we carry three weights of sheets to accommodate
the main sheeve was OK but the shaft had come loose from one of the sides so we removed it, rebuilt the opening and reinserted the assembly, it has worked well since, we have three mains from a heavy tempered Dacron to a light Kevlar fully battened and they are tough to raise without someone at the mast. the sail luff guide was gummuxed so got a replacement from Rig Right and although pricey vastly improved raising.