My jib halyard is fraying, and we won't have a new one from Murray's by Saturday, so I would really like to fix the one we have.



Can I buy some dacron or polyesther line and attach the sister clips from the jib halyard that is breaking? How would you attach the sister clips? I don't want to sacrifice the old one by cutting it open until I'm sure I can make something work....



Jonathan

need to give more details. is hayard wire or line? how is sister clip attached to present halyard? sometimes these are answered just by saying boat type.

if it's furling jib, may have very different answer then non-furling jib.

Instead of the sister clips,learn how to tie a sheet bend. Very simple knot to tie.similar to a bowline.I'm assuming you have a long line(hoist or painter) attached to a shorter line(luff tension) attached to a wire? The long line is just used for hoisting so get something small and cheap. The short line is used to adjust the jib luff,get something low or no stretch. The sheet bend is used to tie two similar or disimilar (size&material) lines together.I've been using this ever since my line frayed and I had to replace my sister clips...............



Have Fun Mike

It's a Prindle 16, if you know the boat. It's just line, with no wire, with a hook for hanging off a ring up top, a shackle to hold the head of the sail to the hook, and two sister clips.



Jonathan

Jonathan, we had been sailing our Hobie 18 for many years before I had ever heard of or seen such a thing as "sister clips." When I finally saw a jib halyard that had them, I said, "What a neat idea!" But all they are is a more convenient and faster way to do what we had been doing for years -- using a bowline in the end of each line to attach one to the other. So you don't even need them -- just learn to tie a fast bowline and do it the old-fashioned way. When you are a sailor, it is always good to know how to do almost everything without having to rely upon new-fangled gadgets. A Hobie 16 sailor at one of our recent fleet races did not even have a tiller extension -- he used a rope attached to his tiller crossbar to steer when he was out on the trapeze. And he did well in the races, too. Not that I recommend doing this, but it is nice to know that it CAN be done.

I assume that you are using a thinner line for the longer line, and a thicker one for the one that matters? My current halyard is all of one thickness.



So I take it that the sheet bend works pretty much as well as the sister clips? It's easy enough to tie...



Jonathan

Try it.....You'll like it. Just make sure you draw up the knot properly.One other thing, if you are using larger line the knot may not fit into the zippered luff. so go easy as you hoist.Yes thinner for the longer line.I use vectran for "the one that matters". It is quite thin also.Just use something good.



Mike

I too have had to use a rope as a hiking stick while on the wire.



Only problems is, you can't head up, only fall(bear) off while on the trap!



YOu really have to keep the main sheeted to give you some weather helm, so you can keep control.

the halyard does not take any of the load. the hook on the ring at the head of the jib takes it all. thin line will work just fine. you can find splicing directions at http://www.neropes.com/splice/ i would use some single braid and some heat shrink tubing. single braid is way easier to eye splice than double braid. you should be able to make a halyard in about half of an hour.

;;Hi, Mary,

Your post reminded me of something I considered last time I sailed a Wave:



Could you tie the tail end of the main to the crossbar so you could sit further forward when necessary? Would it be legal in a race?

There's no rule against it. Of course, if it works well, I'm sure it would be outlawed pretty soon.