Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot
Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot
5 Star Rated by Sailors
Trusted For 12 Years
Over 50,000+ Orders Shipped
90 Day Risk Free Returns
Price Match Promise
Don't Miss Our Easter Weekend Sale - Site Wide Savings Until Monday
March 28, 2020 3 min read
Here at Sailing Chandlery we have over 100 different reels of rope on the wall all with their own uses and in various colours.
We understand that if you were to stand in front of them it's hard to know what is for what. In this article we are going to help you by providing advice on what the right halyard rope might be for your use.
This article is focussed on dinghy halyards but we also sell halyards for cruisers and yachts.
You can explore our halyard rope options on our website.
When we think of rope halyards we think of the following categories:
Most sailors automatically look at a dyneema rope option for halyards, but that's not always needed for your boat.
We recommend you also look at what your boats manufacturer is recommending for the job.
Believe it or not we sell a fair amount of rope to be used as flag halyards. In all instances we recommend an 8 plait standard polyester, it's a basic rope but is more than up to the job for hoisting your flags on your boat or race box.
Our main halyard rope recommendation will depend on how the sail is attached when fully hoisted. If like our catamaran the rope clips onto a hook at the top then you only need a basic rope to get the sail up, and then the load is taken on the hook and the sail is secured in place with the downhaul.
If you are using a cleat then you're going to need a rope which is grippy, and also will resist some stretch. If your boat is going to be putting minimal pressure on the halyard rope then you should look at an 8 plait pre stretched rope, if there is going to be more pressure then upgrading to a dyneema core rope would be a good idea.
In most cases with dyneema it's best to use a dyneema core rope with a harder wearing polyester cover/jacket. If you can attach your halyard through a loop then a 12 strand dyneema could be a good option as it's stronger as a pure dyneema and won't have any wear in a cleat.
Some sailors like to have a tapered spinnaker halyard, in this case you'll be looking at a dyneema core rope, or you could make up your own using 12 strand dyneema and a hollow braid rope.
Most sailors who use dyneema don't taper halyards and use the dyneema core rope with jacket as standard.
If you're not bothered about tapering, and you don't need dyneema then an 8 plait pre stretched polyester rope for smaller sails would be perfect.
Some jibs are hoisted using a wire halyard with a tail rope to follow the metal wire halyard up inside the mast. For tails we recommend a 12 strand polyester rope such as Evolution Splice, this can be easily spliced onto the wire halyard.
The same process should follow as the main halyard when picking a jib halyard. If the mast tension is taken up by the jib halyard then dyneema should be your choice of halyard rope in this instance.
8 Plait Standard Polyester -
https://www.sailingchandlery.com/products/4mm-8-plait-standard-polyester-rope
8 Plait Pre Stretched Polyester -
https://www.sailingchandlery.com/products/4mm-8-plait-pre-stretched-rope
SK78 Dyneema Core -
https://www.sailingchandlery.com/products/4mm-dyneema-kingfisher-evolution-race-rope
12 Strand Dyneema SK78 -
https://www.sailingchandlery.com/products/kingfisher-3mm-dyneema-sk78-compact-braid
All of these ropes are available in various diameters and with different colour options.
If you've got any questions about our ropes and what might be best for your boat then we are always happy to help. Simply give us a call, or drop us an email info@sailingchandlery.com.
Bought when I changed the wheels - arrived well wrapped with the wheels and on time. Easy to fit quality product. Good service
Easy to fit and seem to be robust as a replacement for my Trolley wheels. Arrived as promised very well wrapped. Worth checking if you need new washers and clips to add to your order.
Though not cheap this control line swivel block is just the job. Well worth the money imho.
Always can rely on sailing chandlery leading up to a busy event season ! Great service, great products all round !
Excellent, fair pricing, fast delivery! Would recommend
Slides easily through the blocks whilst providing firm grip
Item has brilliant bounce back ability, thanks
Simple to fit and makes launching and recovery simple. Well worth the investment
Quality material and design enables my lug sail to be stowed securely on it's spars
Great wide and grippy tyres for a shingle/sharp launching area and compound for an RS400.
Receive fantastic service couldn’t help any more if they tried. Arranged for me to collect my order at a time that suited even when it was outside of working hours. Much appreciated, thank you sailing Chandlery.
Excellent gloves, perhaps the best I have used. The fingers are long enough to provide protection from sheets/halyards and fit nicely so that ropes cannot get between the glove and finger. If the winter gloves are any guide they should also be very durable.
really happy with these! the thick material means that I will be warm whilst sailing, and the 3 finger coverage allows mobility and warmth on the water. the added grip will really help on the heavy wind reaches, can't wait to test them out this weekend. shipping was really quick, with a sweet included in my order thank you.
As always, great stock, quick delivery, perfect, thank you
The footprint of these is much more than standard trolley wheels so they roll on sand much easier.
Save up to 40%on your next order.
