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Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem

Posted By: Rum Bum

Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/29/09 10:37 PM

I bought a Nacra 5.5SL this year and am having a couple problems with the main halyard.
1. I cant get the halyard ring to disconnect to lower sail. I've tried not turning the mast, tried turning the mast, nothing works. I've resorted to just tipping the boat over to disconnect it. Any ideas?
2. When I do turn the mast to try to disconnect the halyard ring, my halyard line chafes on the bottom of the mast in the groove the mainsail goes in. I run the halyard line through a harken pully thats mounted on the crossbar. It's fine when the mast is strait, but when I turn it like some have recommended, it chafes on the bottom of the mast, and I have now broke my halyard line because it wore through. If any of you have any ideas of what I can do, I'd appreciate it.
Posted By: JeffS

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/29/09 11:51 PM

G'day Rum if you posted pics it would be easier. When you shackle your ring to the sail it needs to have the halyard between the ring and the mast as it goes up. That way the halyard pulls it away from the mast when you pull it then you twist the mast to move the the locking hook away. If you have it the wrong way the halyard will just pull the locking ring on tighter. All masts I've seen have the halyard pulley on the bottom of the mast somewhere so that the mast can rotate etc. I really like the setup where the halyard exits at a block right at the base of the sailtrack and a bit of the sailtrack is ground off there so it doesnt chafe on the block. Have you had someone pull the halyard while the boats on its side so you can see whats not happening correctly?
regards
Posted By: TEAMVMG

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/30/09 12:51 PM

A few thoughts....

You shouldn't need to pull the halyard while the mast is rotated. Pull up then rotate and then relase tension on halyard.

If you have the type of halyard ring with a small eye that the halyard goes through with a stopper knot, have the knot on the stern side of the ring.

Tip the boat backwards on the launching trolley [Stern down]

Have about 12 goes at getting it down, scream and cuss. someone else will come over and do exactly the same as you were doing - it will come down 1st time!
Posted By: pepin

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/30/09 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by TEAMVMG
Have about 12 goes at getting it down, scream and cuss. someone else will come over and do exactly the same as you were doing - it will come down 1st time!
Lol, so true smile
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/30/09 01:46 PM

I have had problems (actually most of us have at 1 time) with my ring disconnecting on several boats.
my suggestions are:
try rotating the mast the other way ( after 2 years of struggling with my TheMightyHobie18, i found rotating the mast the other way (even thought it was opposite what was recommended) worked first time
try attaching the halyard differently to the ring (turn it around)
purchase a new / different ring.. last time.. i had problems constantly.. i purchased a Murray's Aussy ring... no more problems even though my old ring was also an aussy ring, but slightly different
Posted By: h17racer

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/30/09 01:59 PM

Pretty common complaint with the 5.5's.

Mine (5.5 Uni) has two sails, one was never a problem the other gave me fits.

What I did:
1. Invested in a high-quality, pre-stretched, small diameter halyard line.

2. Invested in a new halyard ring and tied like these guys mentioned...knot faces to the stern.

3. Had a sailmaker redo the headboard & top end of the bolt-rope to match the sail that worked.

4. Adjusted mast prebend to better match the sail luff curve.

End of problems. Worked for me anyway.

Good luck and sail fast.

Tom G

Posted By: rexdenton

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/30/09 05:05 PM

Just to make sure that the obvious things are ruled out, if using just a stainless ring and a shackle, make sure of the following:
1) You are using a capture ring of the appropriate size. If it looks too small, it might be...
2) You are attaching the ring with an appropriately sized *twist* shackle (if using an all-in-one ring-shackle, disregard points 1 and 2)
3) If your mast hook assembly is equipped with a mast locking loop, the halyard needs to go through the loop (over the head, through the loop, down the mast).
4) (and please don't be insulted if this does not apply; I have seen the following on about 5 occasions) make sure that the main halyard is rigged internally, down the mast slot, to the block at the base of the mast, (i.e. not external to the mast slot...)
5) make sure that the bolt rope is not jamming the ring onto the hook. Many times new sails need the bolt rope trimmed about 2 cm in order to release correctly.
Posted By: Rum Bum

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/31/09 01:16 AM

Thanks for the advise. I"ve got a twist shackle that the halyard is tied to, then the twist shackle goes on the stainless ring, it's two pieces. My sails are pretty new, used only twice last year, then 4-5 times this year, but I dont think the bolt rope is too big because once the ring unhooks, the sail slides down easy with the halyard line in the sailtrack. I will take some pictures sometime next week and post them so you guys know exactly what I have and can make suggestions of things I can do different. If all else fails, I'll try the "scream and cuss" idea, LOL... Thanks for the help so far.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/31/09 02:32 AM

on both my boats that have a ring and hook system (TheMightyHobie18 and mystere) there is only the ring. it has a small area for the line. there is no need for a twist shackle
Posted By: JeffS

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/31/09 05:46 AM

G'day again Rum I've got an idea of what you have now. If you are tieing the halyard to your twist shackle that holds your ring loosly you will have the Halyard around the stern side of the ring so that it pulls it onto the hook, once on you have no easy way to release it because you have to pull the sail a long way up from the hook but the top pulley wont let you. If it was mine I would buy a stainless steel welding rod and arc weld the shackle to the ring so that its fixed in position and you would have something like this photo. You shouldn't need the rubber this sail is a pushup sail with no halyard. If you dont have a welder any engineer will do it in 1 minute.
regards

Attached picture Halyard ring.JPG
Posted By: David Parker

Re: Nacra 5.5SL main halyard problem - 07/31/09 01:50 PM

Quote
I"ve got a twist shackle


I had the same problem once. My fix was simple and seemed wrong. I swapped out the twist for a regular shackle. Now the ring wanted to be fore and aft. I rotated the mast to HOOK the ring. To unhook, I just lifted the sail with the halyard and the ring JUMPED off the hook. All was cured. What's to lose...try it!
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