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I'm wondering about exactly how and where people are "dead-ending" the throat halyard on the mast. The manual mentions that it's "dead-ended on the side of the mast above the track." Should it be about level with the cheek block on the mast, but off to the side? Man, a photo or diagram would be great, but even just a description would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Bob

Bob,
I'm not quite to rigging so I cannot answer your question, but John H. put these update drawings on here and it seems to answer your inquire. Link:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=650&p=2759&hilit=rigging+plans#p2759

I printed this and added to my plans book with the hope it's clear when I get to this point.

Good luck...

Jeff

Great! That's just what I needed. Thanks Jeff.
Bob

Having studied John's diagrams a little I'm wondering why one wouldn't use bullet blocks with beckets for the jib and peak halyards at the mast. That would eliminate the need for eye straps, creating a cleaner rig with less holes in the mast head.

I think you absolutely could. When I was rigging my boat, I didn't know what those were so didn't consider doing it. Later on, when I had discovered what a becket block was, I thought it would make a lot of sense. Remember though that the throat uses a cheek block but the jib uses a normal block. You can get becket versions of both though.

EDIT: I mis-read your last comment. The throat would use a cheek block with a becket, the peak and jib (which you were talking about) would use a bullet block. Sorry, I missed that you weren't talking about the throat anymore.

The becketts make for much cleaner rigging runs. Harken doesn't make a cheek block with a beckett in the series that sized for the boat. Schaffer or Ronstan might if matching hardware isn't an issue. Placing an eye strap under the cheek block provides the same advantages though. If it gets dead ended on either side of the mast you'll have the halyard chaffing against itself every time it's used. This is a nice reminder since I just pulled the Chucky B. out of storage yesterday and have to put all the rigging back on when it stops raining.

Chris

Well, I've found out a little more. There's a significant difference in breaking strengths between the 29mm Harken bullet block with a becket and without although their maximum working load is the same (so it might not matter).

Harken 29mm bullet block with swivel: Max. working load = 300 lbs, Breaking load = 2000 lbs
Harken 29mm bullet block with swivel and becket: Max. working load = 300 lbs, Breaking load = 900 lbs

I'd sure like to use the one with the becket, but don't want lose my mast, of course. I wonder what the actual loads are on the rig. And is going with the eye strap really any stronger?

The safe working load for 1/4 inch Dacron halyards seems to be well under 900 lbs anyway (from what I can find), but I can't find the actual breaking strength for it. If the line breaks at under 900 lbs anyway it would seem that the becket block could be safely used...perhaps?

Thoughts?

For rope, I believe the safe working load is generally 1/4 or 1/5 of the breaking strength. I also read once that in 20 knot wind (or something like that), 1 square foot of sail yields 1 pound of force or thereabouts. So I guess that the rig would see 150-200 pounds in the worst conditions, hence the 300-pound safe working load for the blocks. I imagine that the throat halyard isn't experiencing much force, the peak halyard is experiencing more force, and the jib halyard the most. I guess you could substitute in that order as far as you feel comfortable. It's actually pretty incredible how tight you need to tension the jib halyard. Early on, I wouldn't get it tight enough and the rope would sag just enough that the mast would start to move. Not cool! Get that forestay good and tight!

They say that wind force increases loads exponentially. So, a 30 mph wind is way more than twice as strong as a 15 mph wind.

I've considered simply tying the the ends of the halyards around the mast. A "taught line hitch" wouldn't slide down, but it would cause chafe and rot too, probably. Why must there always be a "catch." Perhaps wrapping a small piece of dynel fabric around the mast in that little area would prevent chafe.

What about a single fore and aft 5/16" hole through the mast to lead the halyard through with a simple stopper knot on the other side? The over sized "fill and drill" method could be used to prevent rot. I'm speaking only about at the mast head where it's solid, not for the throat halyard - where it's hollow.

However, I'm not ready to give up on the becket block idea just yet.

Just a note here, I've been using these blocks for four years now and none have come close to breaking. If you ever come close to reaching the 900lb breaking point on one of these you have far more serious problems to deal with. Like how and where your 800 lb boat is going to land after the tornado is done with it. The sail is going to be torn or tabernacle and mast ripped off the boat long before that kind of force is applied to any of the halyards.

Chris