Main halyard chafe, headboard caught on backstay

[Guilherme Salgado]

Hi,

I have recently bought a 1990 passport 41 and noticed that the main halyard gets seriously chafed (getting down to the core) about 20cm above the head of the sail almost every time I have full canvas and the wind aft of the beam.

After some investigation it became clear that was because it was rubbing against the edges of the tangs on top of the mast. Since then I've glued sections of rubber hose around the edges and after a couple trips with the wind aft of the beam I didn't see any chafing on the halyard, but I don't want to rely on that as the hose can come loose and if I don't notice it early enough the consequences may be serious, so I thought I'd ask if anybody else has experienced this and found other ways to address it?

Another thing that may be relevant is that my main sail's headboard reaches higher than my backstay and sometimes when I change tacks it gets caught on the backstay and doesn't move to the other side. This made me think that maybe my main's luff is too long and because of that, when the boom is open, the halyard rubs against the edges of the tangs. But at the same time I don't think having the head of the sail just a few centimeters lower would change the sideways angle of the halyard enough so it doesn't rub against the mast tangs. What do you all think?

PS: the stopper on the track clearly shows signs that the halyard is rubbing against it but that happens when I'm raising the main so it's not against a single point on the line as would be needed to cause the chafing

[Michael Moradzadeh]

Sounds like you have identified the overlong luff.  Might I suggest a good tightening of the cunningham to pull that headboard down and to tension the main halyard.  I assume you have the halyard attached to the foremost hole in your headboard.

Michael

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[Bill Schmidt]

Boy, have these been problems on Wind Witch over the past 38 years! The problem with halyard chafe has (finally...FINALLY) been solved. The problem is that the Dacron/etc. halyard, being so long, it elongates/contracts/ sailing under load. I don't care how tight you tense the halyard, going down wind, it chafes. Simple solution: wire halyard with a Dacron tail....NO more chafe.

The entrapment of the head board (or topping lift) entrapment is more complex. Shortening the luff of the mainsail solves the main sail shackle problem. If you get the mainsail entrapped on the topping lift, good luck! I had to send my wife up the mast under sail to clear that one! Solved it by switching the position of the attachment of the topping lift at the mast head.

Hope this helps,

Billy Manana

[Michael Moradzadeh]

If your headboard is hitting your backstay either it is too large or you are over-hoisted, I think.

Separately, there is very nice low-stretch rope that can be made into halyards. As good as steel.  Also, the steel will chew up your sheaves, so it's a one-way conversion.  Now, if your sheaves were previously used for steel, that may be a source of chafe!

Michael

Ex-Cayenne

On Sat, Aug 13, 2022 at 10:57 AM Guilherme Salgado <gsal...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm no longer sure my luff is overlong as it's 14.9m whereas in the sailplan drawing I have it should be 15.8m

My headboard has a single attachment point for the halyard, and it has a 4" setback from the aft of the mast (Harken recommends 3.75"), but the headboard itself extends 9" aft of the mast. Maybe that's too long a headboard for this setup

[Guilherme Salgado]

I'm no longer sure my luff is overlong as it's 14.9m whereas in the sailplan drawing I have it should be 15.8m

My headboard has a single attachment point for the halyard, and it has a 4" setback from the aft of the mast (Harken recommends 3.75"), but the headboard itself extends 9" aft of the mast. Maybe that's too long a headboard for this setup

On Sat, Aug 13, 2022, 07:50 Michael Moradzadeh <m...@yachtpc.com> wrote: