Do I Really Need /Want a Jib Halyard?

[DaveC426913]

What is a "mast-lowering emergency"

I guess if your forestay looks like it is about to give up?

That's the perfect job for the spare jib halyard: you lash it to the pulpit rail. Emergency averted.
(I'm actually going to set this up permanently.)

Or you are heading for a bridge that will hit the mast?

That's, like, the anchor's one job.


(I'm trying to Imagine drifting downstream toward a bridge - one crew on the stern desperately trying to start the OB, and another crew deciding now's the time - while bobbing like a cork in the current, with no time to attach baby stays - to drop the mast. There's only one way that will go.)

[Russ]

What is a "mast-lowering emergency"

I guess if your forestay looks like it is about to give up?

That's the perfect job for the spare jib halyard: you lash it to the pulpit rail. Emergency averted.
(I'm actually going to set this up permanently.)

My jib halyard is LOWER than the forestay. So I can't use it like this. The roller furling jib would be tangled with it.

I added another mast hound ABOVE the forestay and ran a static line down to the pulpit as a backup in case the forestay gives out.

[Highlander]

All I got to say is U can never have enough halyards 5 & counting



Just sayin thats all
J

[WinSome]

I’m presently awaiting my custom made tangs (son’s busy shop) to add 18-24” up the mast from roller furler tang, for dedicated line to pulpit and/or use with spinnaker (some time-dreaming).

[dlandersson]

Ditto

All I got to say is U can never have enough halyards 5 & counting



Just sayin thats all
J

[DaveC426913]

That's the perfect job for the spare jib halyard: you lash it to the pulpit rail. Emergency averted.

My jib halyard is LOWER than the forestay. So I can't use it like this. The roller furling jib would be tangled with it.

It would do in an emergency - which is the context here. Certainly it would be less disruptive than lowering the mast.

(I'm actually going to set this up permanently.)

I added another mast hound ABOVE the forestay and ran a static line down to the pulpit as a backup in case the forestay gives out.

Ah, you got me. My jib hal is below my forestay too. Thanks for catchin; that before I did something bad!

[45Plus+]

I have a CDI FF2 furler and was wondering the same. I was thinking I could permanently attached the genoa to the furler and use the jib halyard which is attached to the mast to raise a protective sock. Then someone mentioned that the furler could jamb, at the worse possible moment of course, and then you'd have no way of getting it down if you really had to. Call it belts and suspenders but I plan to have the jib attached to the internal halyard of the FF2 furler so I can get it down if need be. Belts and suspenders doncha know....

[Highlander]

Belts and suspenders doncha know....

U must b an old timer I guess, depends r ur next option nothing like crapping out when that mast comes crashing down ! u can use it as a back up while raising/lowering the mast should ur MRS ever have a failure !

J

[dustoff]

The jib halyard block and line are redundant with a roller furling headsail. If you don’t need it to conveniently raise and lower a sunbrella sock, I recommend taking it down. The main halyard will often irritatingly catch on the block when your hoisting the main. You wind up having to go up to the mast and unfoul it. If you get a spinnaker or add a stay for a hank on headsail you’ll probably want to add another hound and adjust the cheek block on the mast anyway. (And probably replace it with a better quality on than the stock one)
In theory you could use the jib halyard to swap headsails on your furler while on the water, but I’ve swapped out sails on the flex furler several times, and would not attempt it underway. It’s just way easier to lower the mast on an M from hard stand or a calm anchorage
Keepin it as an emergency head stay doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me. If the headstay in the flex furler breaks under load it would be a miracle that the mast (and everything else) would be in a condition that you would want to jury rig a temporary headstay to raise it back up to continue sailing. And if if that miracle were to occur (and had to sail to make it to safety) you could always simply tie a line directly to the jib hound.
There’s one exception that I have thought of purchasing several times when I had a 150 Jenny on the furler. There are stormsail jibs that are set up with ring attachments to slide over a furled headsail.
v/r
Dustoff

[Highlander]

The jib halyard block and line are redundant with a roller furling headsail. If you don’t need it to conveniently raise and lower a sunbrella sock, I recommend taking it down. The main halyard will often irritatingly catch on the block when your hoisting the main. You wind up having to go up to the mast and unfoul it. If you get a spinnaker or add a stay for a hank on headsail you’ll probably want to add another hound and adjust the cheek block on the mast anyway. (And probably replace it with a better quality on than the stock one)
In theory you could use the jib halyard to swap headsails on your furler while on the water, but I’ve swapped out sails on the flex furler several times, and would not attempt it underway. It’s just way easier to lower the mast on an M from hard stand or a calm anchorage
Keepin it as an emergency head stay doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me. If the headstay in the flex furler breaks under load it would be a miracle that the mast (and everything else) would be in a condition that you would want to jury rig a temporary headstay to raise it back up to continue sailing. And if if that miracle were to occur (and had to sail to make it to safety) you could always simply tie a line directly to the jib hound.
There’s one exception that I have thought of purchasing several times when I had a 150 Jenny on the furler. There are stormsail jibs that are set up with ring attachments to slide over a furled headsail.
v/r
Dustoff

I disagree u r assuming that everyone has the cheap CDI furler with internal halyard which is not good for ur sail when a sail is furled the tension should b eased off the halyard which u can,t do with the CDI furler , but with a Harken 0 unit which is what I have , u can & b done with no issue from the cockpit also changing out head sails on the go is possible & easy with the harken 0 unit as it has a twin grove foil , on the harken 0 unit the jib halyard runs externally on a tube swivel that runs over the Alum foil .
I know of two near demastings of macs one a friend who was powering at about 18knots when the furler became unpinned underneath the drum the clip apparently broke , the other was when the Jib forstay broke in a storm both had the Jib halyard attached to the bow pulpit where the mast is stored they could,nt sail until repaired but at least the mast did,nt come crashing down
it can also b used as a spare shroud if one should happen to break , some guy,s use them on the end of their booms when lifting a dinghy of the deck U do not want to b using the mainhalyard for that !

Anyway just my opinion , yes u r right u would not want to use it too jerry rig a temp. forestay once the mast has fallen , but it can b used as a secondary back up forestay which will prevent a demasting should the forestay fail for what ever reason ! & u now have two options avail to U either keep going weather permitting or u can now attach ur MRS & lower the mast in a controlled manner this can prevent an injury or rigging disaster or both
But to each their own , ur boat ur choice, Me I have 5 halyards & counting
No Pun Intended
PS I bungy cord all my halyards when not in use keeps then from getting tangled in the rigging & slapping the mast I also have all my masthound bolts double nutted to prevent the halyards from catching on the 1/4" to 3/8" exposed threads this also prevends chaffing of the halyards
Ur other idea,s r interesting
Another reason I don,t like the CDI furler is should it fail while sailing their is no way to remove the head sail in a timely manner if at all because of the internal halyard , the harken 0 unit I can just release the Jib or Genny halyard & pull it down or remove it just like a hank on sail !
J

[LordElsinore]

I use mine to raise and lower a jib cover. Have a separate one for the spinnaker. Both my jib/sock halyard and spinnaker halyard have gotten twisted up in the furler before and it is annoying. I’ve learned to lead those around and behind the spreaders to keep them out of the way or just be sure to keep them really tightly cleated. I did remove the block initially but missed having it and added it back.

Like someone else mentioned, I too had a forstay that was frayed and had some broken strands. I didn’t notice until I got in there. I replaced it and my furler foil because it was super bent and twisted from the previous owner. Replaced the headsail at the same time including taking my Mac furler apart and cleaning it. Having done all that I feel must more comfortable knowing how everything works and fits together in case something happens with it in the future

[LordElsinore]

Oh one other thing: my boat came with the excess threads of the bolts for the various hounds/tangs cut off and filed smooth. It’s nice that halyards don’t get caught on them but I really didn’t notice until I added my new spinnaker hound and kept scraping myself on those extra threads when the mast was in the down position. I cut and filed those off.

But…I didn’t really realize how compressed some of these were until I tried removing one from the boom to reroute a reefing line once while under way. It was not easy to reattach that nut and I should have just pulled that reefing line out of the sail and threaded it all back through - would have been a lot easier!

[dustoff]

Really good point about the different types of headsail furlers. I actually have the MacGregor-built one because my dealer was Mike Inmon at the factory, so was limited by my bias. It has the internal halyard and block, which makes the traditional halyard redundant. It also makes it really difficult to swap sails on it underway. It’s similar to the commonly installed CDI one on most M’s but higher end furlers are definitely designed to change out headsails underway.
In that case keeping the block and halyard would be a necessity not even an option.
BTW, I’ve found that the many of the recreational boat salvage outfits harvest those furling units. Seen piles of them at those places for a fraction of the price new. Seems like it may be a pretty good option for someone wanting to upgrade from a hank-on headstay on a budget.

Dustoff

[DaveC426913]

Do wonder about those doing the loop or on rivers or something if lowering the mast is a useful feature.

My came with custom mods for doing the Rideau Canal here in S. Ontario.
The PO was trying to woo his lady and kitted it out with everything for weeks-long cruises.

Notably, he had a mast crutch extension made that allowed him to drop the mast without having to take down the bimini.
He had the Dowsar "party seats" added to the stern. Which can be a problem when you're lashed to the wall in a lock.
But it also came with fenders big enough for a freighter. I counted eleven fenders on first inspection - they filled the entire cabin.

[JotaErre]

Based on this technical drawing of the CDI roller furler (courtesy BWY), it appears that the flattened line running up the spine (K in diagram) is a jib halyard... which makes sense in hindsight, since a jib halyard fixed to the mast would get all wound up when the jib is furled. This makes the standard jib halyard both redundant and useless for hosing any furling sail.

Does anyone else find the jib downhaul (L) a bit hokey? Have to replace my weathered line. Seems awfully weird to secure the jib tack with 8 passes of a glorified shoelace.

That was useful, thank you!