Rope halyard to shackle splice.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Paul L

You know when you get a luggage tag at the airport that has a loop line on it. You stick the loop through the handle then run the tag end through the loop. Same thing with a splice.

Also known as a Cow Hitch and, I think, a Lark's head hitch.

Jim

[RaymondR]

I found that the problem with splices was that the sheaves in the masthead were not wide enough to accept the increased diameter of the splice.

[michaelratinter]

Ah, a cowhitch. Got it. I use a halyard knot but luggage tagging a spliced loop makes sense. Thanks.

[roverhi]

Amazed the Lady had issues with tieing in her halyards. Did SoPac with Dacron halyards tied on with a bowline and never an issue. The only problem I've had with a bowline was too short a tail on the knot on a sheet and the tail pulling through from a flogging sail, not a halyard. The exotic halyard had a dacron cover which is critical for a knot holding. Wouldn't want to tie in a single core exotic without seizing the tail. They are just too slippery to trust a knot holding. That may be non issue on a halyard with constant tension, however. Knots in single braid exotic come undone when they loosen after a release of tension and then are restressed not from a steady pull.

Halyards are way over strength for hand comfort so the reduction in strength of the knot is not an issue whatsoever unless you plan on lifting your boat by the halyard.

Used a buntline hitch to attach the halyard when I sailed from SF to Kona. Think the line had a Dyneema core but could have been some other super low stretch exotic. Don't remember the provenance of the line just that it was an exotic core that I got for its low stretch for ease of climbing with the ATN Mast Climber. Was concerned about the buntline hitch locking up but the knot was easily untied after 15.5 days at sea.

Mahalo for the Estar hitch info. Will try that as added security.

Originally Posted by JeanneP

I'm not sure if anyone here remembers, back in the early 90s a retired solo sailor named Mary, sailing across the Pacific in her little boat, Mighty Merry Too. She was behind us as we crossed from South America to French Polynesia, where we stayed long enough for her to catch up with us for a while.

Several times on the Ham net we heard of her losing her halyard when the knot holding the shackle to the line gave way. More than once in that 3-month crossing.

When she finally caught up with us in Papeete, I went over to her boat to visit, and to ask what her problem was with her Main halyard. She said she didn't know how to splice her line. That was something I could do, so I brought over my splicing gear and spliced her halyard to the shackle. By that time the halyard was a bit stiff from age, so I had to be very careful in my splice and whipping the splice, but it never failed in the 3 years after that.

It might have lasted longer, but we lost touch with her in 1996.

We spent 18 years wandering around on the water in our beloved Watermelon before we sold her in Singapore. None of my splices ever failed.

Knots weaken lines. Splices are stronger than the line. It's not that hard to do, with practice it doesn't take much time out of your day, and it goes a long way toward your peace of mind.

Fair winds,
J

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by OZwingle

svHyLyte
Re: You might care to read through this thread on High Tech Halyard Splices before going further.

Interesting story, but we're left with a cliff-hanger...

How did the halyard fail?
What did you find was the proximate, and ultimate, causes of failure?

The cause appears in Post No# 16 although, absent "signing in" on that forum, the photos, reproduced below, might not be visible.



And...

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Also known as a Cow Hitch and, I think, a Lark's head hitch.

Jim

Yep, Cow hitch or Lark's head or:

Lark's foot, Girth hitch, Ring hitch, Lanyard hitch, Bale Sling hitch, Baggage Tag Loop, Tag Knot, Deadeye hitch, Long Running eye , ABOK #59. ABOK #1184 (with leads in opposite directions) ABOK #1673, ABK #1700...

[Jim Cate]

Used a buntline hitch to attach the halyard when I sailed from SF to Kona. Think the line had a Dyneema core but could have been some other super low stretch exotic. Don't remember the provenance of the line just that it was an exotic core that I got for its low stretch for ease of climbing with the ATN Mast Climber. Was concerned about the buntline hitch locking up but the knot was easily untied after 15.5 days at sea.

Your result is surprising to me, for I've had Buntline hitches jam to the point of requiring the dread knife untying gambit. I won't use them for anything that needs to come apart again. The Starzinger hitch seems better to me, but have not tried it in anger yet.

Jim

[OZwingle]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

The cause appears in Post No# 16 although, absent "signing in" on that forum, the photos, reproduced below, might not be visible.

Got it. Thanks.