replacing halyards - Cal 28

[Cal28]

I am looking at replacing the running rigging on the Cal 28.

I am in abit of a quandry as .. when I review the original specs per the Cal 28 owner's guide (yes I know .. circa 1967) .. it calls for main and jib 1/8" 7X19 ss with tails 5/16" dacron yacht braid .. I measured the ss and it is indeed 1/8" ss .. but the tails are 3/8" ..

My problem is that I am trying to identify sizing as I wish to replace with spectra .. (I also have a professional rigger coming to inspect the standing rigging .. which I may replace if needed .. with spectra as well).

Can anyone offer any advice?

Thank you in advance.

[Waltthesalt]

Don't know about you specs. Most are going over ti low stretch instead of wire. I'll probably do the with my Cal 29. When you make your make your change make sure that what you put in is comaptible with the sheave in the masthead. You may need to repace it and the one there may have a groove for wire that would cause wear on the spectra.

[BigZ]

If you are measuring the original halyards they are probably very old. The SS portion won't change diameter, but the tails will have "puffed out" a bit and grown in diameter.
Be more concerned with the sheaves, they might need to be replaced to ensure no damage is done to the spectra.

[sailingdog]

first, if you want to go with all line halyards, you will need to do the following:

1) Inspect the masthead sheaves and cheekplates for any damage or wear that would damage the line halyards

2) Replace the sheaves with ones that have a u-shaped groove if they are too narrow or have a v-shaped groove.

3) Inspect the mast's exit slots.

The requirements for a new halyard are:

1) Has to be strong enough to handle the loads involved

2) Has to be thick enough to be comfortable to handle

Either 5/16" or 3/8" line would work for your halyards, but the 3/8" will be easier to handle. If the line has a spectra or dyneema core, the line will be far stronger than the 1/8" steel cable.

Originally Posted by Cal28

I am looking at replacing the running rigging on the Cal 28.

I am in abit of a quandry as .. when I review the original specs per the Cal 28 owner's guide (yes I know .. circa 1967) .. it calls for main and jib 1/8" 7X19 ss with tails 5/16" dacron yacht braid .. I measured the ss and it is indeed 1/8" ss .. but the tails are 3/8" ..

My problem is that I am trying to identify sizing as I wish to replace with spectra .. (I also have a professional rigger coming to inspect the standing rigging .. which I may replace if needed .. with spectra as well).

Can anyone offer any advice?

Thank you in advance.

[mitiempo]

If you decide to replace the rigging don't use spectra. Use Dybex Dux. Info here Home
Also pictures here Synthetic Searunner pictures by jmolan - Photobucket
And there are a few threads on Sailnet about this as well.

[Boatsmith]

There is a great Cal 28 website Cal 28 Sailboat Cal Boats Cal Sailboats Cal Yachts Classic Plastic Jensen Marine Cal 28 Bill Lathrop Jack Jensen Good Old Boat The spectra/dynex will work well for your halyards. You can use 6-8 mm and put a thicker cover on where the halyard runs through stoppers and also where you have to pull hard on it with your hands. I think the stuff is great. David

[sailingdog]

Dynex is a horrible material for HALYARDS. I think you mean Dyneema, not Dynex.

Originally Posted by Boatsmith

There is a great Cal 28 website Cal 28 Sailboat Cal Boats Cal Sailboats Cal Yachts Classic Plastic Jensen Marine Cal 28 Bill Lathrop Jack Jensen Good Old Boat The spectra/dynex will work well for your halyards. You can use 6-8 mm and put a thicker cover on where the halyard runs through stoppers and also where you have to pull hard on it with your hands. I think the stuff is great. David

[Sabreman]

I think that this is a simple job. IMO, I think that for a Cal 28, Dyneema or its sisters are overkill. I think that 3/8" StaSetX or Samson XLS will be perfectly adequate. The difference in the stretch will be minimal and the cost will be far lower. If I had to chose between StaSet and XLS, I'd probably chose XLS because it's easier to splice. With that said, I replaced the wire to rope halyards on both our Sabres with StaSetX. It's a pain to splice but we've been VERY happy with the results. When we bought Victoria 5 years ago, it was the one of the very first changes that we made prior to setting out on our delivery cruise.

Sailingdog is correct that the masthead should be inspected first. With that said, I didn't do an inspection before replacing my halyards but there was no problem because the sheaves were made for wire/rope.

Don't be intimidated by the job. Splicing is easy and you gain great confidence in your rig. There is virtually no down side to the job since the worst thing that can happen is that your sail could fall down (You would never hoist yourself up a mast using the shackle, right?).

A tip - taper the tail end. It will make reeving the new lines easier. If you pull your running rigging when you lay up for the winter (you should), the job is much easier with tapered lines.

[Boatsmith]

Right you are Sailing Dog