Anyone installed a new internal halyard in a P18/21/23 mast? I know how to install a sheave to get the line into the mast at the top. How do I get it out to its cleat? Could it emerge alongside the jib or main halyards through the existing slots in the mast?
If it needs a new slot, I would just keep the whole thing outside. I'm already contemplating a new hole in the mast for an antenna lead.
Since no one else has offered an opinion......
1. What would the new halyard be used for?
2. Based on the size of the halyard slots on our P-23 mast I think trying to exit a second halyard
would likely cause jams and the potential for stuck halyards.
3. Since our halyard exit slots are centered front to back in the mast I am not sure where a second
exit slot should be located to weaken the mast as little as possible. My thought would be to add
a second slot at least a foot below your existing exit, and probably aft of the original,
certainly not in line.
4. Possibly a bigger concern is the upper mast sheave which might require a larger hole. If for a
spinnaker it should be above the forestay, so probably less of an issue. If for a second head
sail it should go below the forestay, so removing more material close to structural point of the
mast.
5. When I added a spinnaker halyard I routed a slot (so smooth round edges with no sharp corners)
and installed the same stainless steel fitting that Precision used to attach the standing
rigging. Then I attached a swivel block to a T-fitting with a loop on the end which is inserted
into the mast fitting. It's an external halyard which can be removed for trailering.
Thanks. It would be for a spinnaker, probably mounted about 8" above the forestay. The line would probably be 3/16 Dyneema with a poly cover (1/4" total).
You voiced my concerns about the exit perfectly.
Elsewhere, some sailors have recommended a mast hound (not a riveted tang), and that's what I'm inclined towards at this point, with the whole system outside the spar. But I'm still wide open to suggestions.