halyards, wire or rope

[magiccardvince]

Hi all,
I am about to replace the halyards and would like some advice on either wire/rope or just rope. The old ones are rope.
Thanks Vince W7584

[Swiebertje]

Main: 4mm Dyneema, but make it too long and cut of 5 inches from the top every year to stay ahead of wear. Note: all other sorts of rope stretch too much.

Jib: Wire.

[magiccardvince]

Thanks, very helpful as usual.

[BluTak]

For the jib if you use wire with a long (say 3″) soft eye at the end and small taulrit copper band you will find this should pass over the sheaves in the mast ok. You then eye splice on a rope tail and this is used for pulling the eye over a highfield lever hook. You can resplice the rope tail every now and then as it gets worn. You must not use hard eyes or they will catch in the sheaves.
For the main I use prestretched 3 strand polyester as its easy on the hands (especially when I reef) and since I don’t race its fine.
Good luck. Robert

[AUTHOR]

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