Posted: 19 Oct 2008 at 1:21am
I received a good set of sails with Grand Finale, but no halyards. What size, length and type do I need for the main and jib?
Beautiful boats and fair winds!
Sailinmike
Dolphin #300
Grande Finale


Posted: 19 Oct 2008 at 10:45pm
Hi Mike
You have lots of options and lots of variables and performance/price trade offs. You could go to West Marine's Advisor.
Or New England Ropes selector at http://www.neropes.com/PleasureMarine.aspx

That said, Grand Finale's own set up - internal/external halyards, need for halyards to lead back to aft of cabin option?, types of halyard sheaves; and your intentions for her - cruising, occasional racing, hard core racing; and how much you want to draw on your home equity credit line.

Marionette is raced only occasionally, but then seriously, has external halyards, needs long halyards so I can bring them back to the aft edge of the cabin top when I want to (rarely), and has the old style large double groove fixed sheaves at the top of the mast originally used for wire/rope halyards, and a cost conscious owner.

I needed 'thick' halyards to replace the original wire/rope halyards so that the new halyards would not/could not (they don't) get jammed in the small grooves in the sheaves. Its been 12 years since I bought these but I think they are low stretch Sta-Set 3/8" double braided polyester. I bought red fleck for the main and blue for the jib. The main was 70' (really too long, but better than too short) and the jib halyard 75'. These have been excellent in my opinion.

If and when I ever get a new lighter mast I will get lighter halyards.

Ron Breault
Marionette, #12


Posted: 19 Oct 2008 at 11:12pm
Thanks Ron,
West Marine and I are becoming close friends. The good thing of starting with a stripped boat is everything will be new when I'm finished, the bad thing is I don't know everything I'm missing. I took lot's of photo's of Doug and Eriks boats last month, so I've got some good references to start with . There'll be many more questions before I'm through.
Beautiful boats and fair winds!
Sailinmike
Dolphin #300
Grande Finale