Stupid question?

[Scott Berg]

Next time up the mast, using a fiber optic camera like one of these: take a good look at the sheaves... 5M 6-LED 5.5mm Lens IP67 Waterproof Android Video Endoscope Borescope Snake USB Inspection Camera - Tmart I think you'll find they have a narrow AND a larger groove section to accommodate both wire and rope. In that case you can just move to a low stretch fiber next time... oh, and these 'cameras' are GREAT for many things on a boat...

[Exile]

Good recommendations on the borescope, thanks. Had no idea they had gotten so inexpensive, along with being able to provide illumination and a camera!

Met with a rigger yesterday who recommended, like many others here, low-stretch/high-strength Dyneema or similar line for my halyards. To eliminate any possibility of the line wedging itself into the narrow groove for the (1/4") wire, he suggested using the same or smaller diameter core to replace the wire section, and then a cover to match the same, larger (9/16") diameter for the (old) line section. No possibility of corrosion, less wgt. -- makes sense. The only caveat is my having to make sure my bronze sheaves have not developed burrs from years of using wire.

Another tidbit I learned, according to this rigger anyway, is that Dyneema -- as opposed to Vectran (for e.g.) -- is highly resistant to UV degradation. So the cover is more about chafe, ease of handling, fitting around sheaves, etc. than protection from UV. Although a cover surely couldn't hurt for that application either should your lines be exposed. Not sure about the several other types of this type of high-strength line.

Re: using a messenger, I'm now pretty well convinced it was not my bowline tied to 4mm line that caused the snag, but rather the reeving eye itself having flattened out and expanded slightly (with age) to the point where it was too large to run smoothly around the sheave. To remedy this, I was recommended to some stuff called "Chafe Tape" (3M) which both condenses the reeving eye and provides a smoother surface. Also good for chafe areas, obviously.

Details . . . details . . . . details. There doesn't seem to be any jobs on a boat where any such details may be neglected w/o peril!