Anyone have a recommendation for Spinnaker halyard length and reasonable size? The one we have on The Sheep right now is just one mm larger than piano wire and needs to be replaced.
I run 5mm and it's about 85'. the actual length is somewhat dependant on where you puller patches are on your kite. Start with 90' and shorten as you see fit.
6.1 (a)...............................
(d) Halyards and the retrieval line shall be a minimum diameter of 4.0 mm (approx 3/16").
I also run 5mm. , 4.0mm is class minimum.
A crew without slices in their hoisting hands is a happy crew.
Thank you for your help guys.. I seem to recall that Brad and Lee said something about switching to 6mm for the plush factor but can't remember for sure. the NA's are a bit of a blur.. anyone using 6mm for comfort?
6mm paraloc marlin. Been using the same line for 4 years too. It's not about how well you sail it's about how plush your lines (and crew) are.
thank you Ben, big help..
We use 6mm at 88'. Does not knot as easy at 6mm and the bow does not cry as much...
That said, when you see a 6mm spin halyard, you say to yourself "wow, that looks slow." Then you realize whose boat it is on and you say "ok, clearly they are making it work, but it's got to be in spite of that crazy thick spin halyard." Then Lee defends the spin halyard selection for 10 minutes. I still find it hard to believe that in light air, the extra weight of a halyard that size doesn't make a difference, but having smooth douses and happy crew may be worth the tradeoff.
hum... good feedback no one wants to look slow thats for sure...
As crew for a majority of our races, I am all for the 'no crying' option.
Will let you know how it turns out.
Peter, what kind of spin line will fix my problem of looking slow AND being slow?? Glad to hear about this, I've been wondering what my problem is!
:)
how about a tapered one whit a 5mm tail to connect to the retrieval side?
I am sure it must be illegal but that would sure look fast anyhow...
PART D – Technical Committee Interpretations
14.1 Rule 6.1 is interpreted to mean that tapered sheets and halyards are prohibited.
:-(
hmmmm....save the case and stitch it back on for class events?
I'm happy to report that the 6mm Paraloc Marlin the Ben bought for the boat (#22) finally bit the dust, fall of 2016.
2009-2016....value for money. Shopping for a suitable replacement before spring.
We have been using Rooster Polilite as its made inside out such that I doesn't tangle as much. I think it started in the Laser class.
I've overthought the spin halyard quite a bit over the years and am now back to using 5mm stock Marlow super prestretch believe it or not. I've used 4mm stuff and found it too hard on the hands. I've used expensive stuff and had mixed results (except for SK90, which was way too expensive but was added to 222 as a charter fee by someone else who wanted a Gucci setup - it was nice, but you'd hope a halyard would be nice after you spent $300 on it...). I still think 6mm is too thick if you sail in light air more often than not, though admittedly it's really nice if you sail in 10+ kts consistently.
Went the overkill route, Samson MLX 6mm, Defender Marine had it for a reasonable price, 6mm cause I like my crew to not be bleeding on the boat. Hoping for a nukin' summer on Lake Champlain
Not sure why people think an extra mm of halyard is slow in light air. The only reasonable argument would be weight up high.
Also smaller halyards slip through the bigger cam cleats.
RE: Tech committee interpretation on no-taper for spin sheets/halyards.
Does this count for the retrieval end as well? 6mm with case, 4mm without. Still meets the size requirements and reduces the weight being held by the button. Also makes the size passing through the blocks smaller so hopefully less snarls?
Keeping the case on for now.I was thinking of stripping the last 12-15' on the retrieval end.
I am not on the Tech Committee, but am 99.99% sure that no tapering of halyards means no tapering of any part of the halyard.
I'm 100% sure.