Halyard Lengths

Moderator: GreenLake

Halyard Lengths

Postby timmeraw » Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:38 pm

Hi,

I just picked up an '81 O'Day Daysailer and I need to get running rigging for it quick( the local West Marine is going out of business and has lines at 1/2 price). I don't know the exact model besides the registration says 1981 Oday. The HIN is XDY1071M81F-D if anyone can tell me the model that this means I'd appreciate it.

But in any case..I need to know the length and diameter of the Main and Jib halyards. On the technical section of this site is lists the DSII lengths as
Jib 20' 1/4 Dacron and Main 27' 1/4 Dacron....but I find that hard to believe because the mast is over 20' and I would assume the main would have to be twice that length plus some to go to cockpit.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Tim
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Postby GreenLake » Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:13 pm

A keel-stepped mast is 25' long (keel to top). So 50' would reach up and down all the way to the keel. I'd go for at least 45' (the stuff's on sale) and then trim it to the length you need. That depends to some degree on where you cleat it (on the mast or on the cockpit). The Jib's at 7/8th of the mast above deck, so 35' should reach up and down (deck to deck), longer if you want the jib to come all the way down to the deck while the other end of the sheet is cleated.

The material is the same for both, so you can get a single piece of 85'-90' in length and it should allow you to cut these to measure once you're back on your boat. When I replaced my rigging, I went for a bit longer lengths for both halyards, so they were easier to reach when the sails were down. I now think I have 8" too much on the main and 1' too short on the jib - so measuring things in place, with care, is probably the best option. If the lines are for sale, buy a few extra feet.

Last time I bought rope for halyards it was for more than one boat (different designs) and I estimated as above. I now have a few shorter lengths left over, but they've all come in handy - 1/4" is a good sze for some miscellaneous uses.

The measurements on the site are apparently for mixed wire/dacron halyards, that's why they show only half the length in dacron. If you add those value together, you come close to what I estimated.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Postby timmeraw » Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:59 pm

Thanks for the advice Greenlake. Mine is actually not a keel stepped mast but is stepped on the cabin top so it is a bit shorter at about 22.5 feet. Therefore i will adjust my lengths accordingly and get extra...as you said ...the 1/4 dacron line is so useful in any situation and at half price(even at West Marine's prices) is still a good deal.

Now if someone can possibly help me figure out what exact model I have based on the HIN. There are no numbers on the sail by the way ...just a large DS. Exactly like this boat:

http://www.sailingtexas.com/soday17106.html
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Postby GreenLake » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:30 am

Well the one you are showing as an example claims to be an '83 DSII. If your interior looks the same and your registration (and hull number) indicate it's from '81, then I'd say you have an '81 DSII.

From the hull number index (http://daysailer.org/tech_hullindex.php) it would match. I understand that there's a book available describing the DSII's, see the DSII specific part of this forum.

In any case, welcome to the forum!
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Postby timmeraw » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:43 am

Well unfortunately the identification page you referenced is based on Sail numbers...which mine does not have. I am pretty confident that it is an 81 DS II and based on colors of hull and sail looks just like the one I referenced which is supposedly an 83. As far as comparing the interior....I have not even really gotten to completely check that out yet as the boat is upside down on a trailer(as I got it) as I have been working on the bottom to get ready for paint. It's a long story but I basically got it in return for refurbishing a boat trailer as it was supposed to be too costly to repair after sinking( not the case as besides some blisters and a seperated deck/hull seam across the transom, it is FINE. I will post some pics soon as I am getting ready to do the minor glass work on the seam and paint the bottom. After that the next big thing is to find a suitable trailer(the one I got with it is way overkill with dual axles, surge brakes, and 2 feet too long) ....then find somewhere to lift it off, turn it over and put it on the new trailer.

Looking forward to finishing it up.
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Postby GreenLake » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:13 am

As someone wrote in 2007:

"If you search the forum, there was someone who was trying to collect the numbers and ages of DS owners who post on the forum. You might try to do a search for that."

I've seen that thread recently but couldn't locate it right away - perhaps if you poke around a bit, you'll hit on it.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Postby navahoIII » Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:01 am

To add to what GreenLake said, you might want main and jib halyards to have easily recognizable color differences rather than look exactly the same. May come in handy in moments where quick action is called for, especially since they are close neighbors. Also, if they get fouled about eachother they'll be easier to pull apart.
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