1982 Sunfish halyard and mainsheet

[abgates]

I recently bought a 1982 Sunfish with what I'm pretty sure are the original halyard and mainsheet. Both lines are off-white color. The halyard looks like twisted 3-strand and appears to be 3/16" diameter. The mainsheet is some type of double-braid and appears to be 5/16" diameter. I was wondering why the original halyard was not also double-braid. When the time comes for me to replace these lines, I'm thinking of trying to find lines that look like these original lines. Would that be a mistake? Should I switch to a double-braid halyard? For recreational sailing, is the type of double-braid I get important?

 

[tag]

I would just get upgraded lines - Sunfish Direct (or other SF vendors) can supply a "standard" line kit or a "racing" line kit.
The only change I would maybe consider is getting a longer mainsheet (39-ft to 42-ft long) if you plan to do the 2:1 mainsheet setup.

Sunfish Lines

sunfishdirect.com

 

[abgates]

I would just get upgraded lines - Sunfish Direct (or other SF vendors) can supply a "standard" line kit or a "racing" line kit.
The only change I would maybe consider is getting a longer mainsheet (39-ft to 42-ft long) if you plan to do the 2:1 mainsheet setup.

Sunfish Lines

sunfishdirect.com

Thanks! Yes, I think from what I've read on this site that I should get a longer mainsheet than what comes in the line kits, probably about 33', so I'd be buying the mainsheet and halyard separately. For recreational sailing does the rope brand matter very much?

 

[andyatos]

For recreational sailing does the rope brand matter very much?

Hi Abgates, nice to see you sailing already! For recreational sailing, no... rope brand doesn't matter very much. But the type of rope does. For example, main sheets.

When I got my California Sunfish, it was for my brother from Maine who wants to be able to sail when he comes out to visit me. That’s him in the Sunfish and me in my Laser. So, a comfortable, easy to grab and hold on to mainsheet was in order. And because there was no racing involved, a larger diameter that feels really good in your hands was also desirable.

So, I settled on the New England Ropes Bzzz Line with an 8 mm diameter. That's 5/16" in diameter. It’s single braid so it’s easy on the hands and lightweight. Beware of non sailing, single braid ropes you can pick up at the hardware store because they can squish down, flatten out and slip through cam cleats. But not this Bzzz Line. For some reason I can’t seem to currently find this line consistently in 8 mm.

I found that 35’ was the perfect length because that’s enough to have your boom at a true 90 degree angle to your boat when running and still have enough to run through the main sheet block, through the cam cleat next to the block and a bit of a tail on the cockpit floor so it’s easy to grab the mainsheet quickly if you suddenly find yourself in a tight spot.

Figuring out how much rope you need is simply finding a long piece of junk line somewhere, running it through where it’s going to be on the boat then making a knot where you want to have the rope end, measuring that then ordering the rope you want.

In contrast to the main sheet for the Sunfish, the halyard for my Sunfish required different characteristics. One was low stretch. So, a double braid rope was in order. My choice was New England Ropes Endura Braid Dyneema Double Braid rope. On the inside is Dyneema which is super strong and almost no stretch.

On the outside is a tightly braided polyester cover. Because the halyard meant only needing a short amount of time pulling on it, I went with 6 mm in diameter (1/4”). Smaller than the main sheet but not so small that it hurts your hands to really pull hard on it.

Again, by using the long, junk rope technique I came up with 185 inches for the halyard. That’s a clove hitch around the upper boom with a tail there that’s long enough to tie an overhand knot, down to and around the horn cleat 4 feet up the mast, down and through the fairlead on the deck, up and around the gooseneck, down through the fairlead again and to another horn cleat on the deck.

If you decide to upgrade your Sunfish with an adjustable, on the fly outhaul and cunningham (which I recommend you look into… it will allow you to sail comfortably in a greater wind range), you’ll want something like a low stretch, Dinghy control line with a 4 mm (5/32 inch) diameter.

Happy sailing,

Andy

 

[abgates]

Hi Abgates, nice to see you sailing already! For recreational sailing, no... rope brand doesn't matter very much. But the type of rope does. For example, main sheets.

When I got my California Sunfish, it was for my brother from Maine who wants to be able to sail when he comes out to visit me. That’s him in the Sunfish and me in my Laser. So, a comfortable, easy to grab and hold on to mainsheet was in order. And because there was no racing involved, a larger diameter that feels really good in your hands was also desirable.

So, I settled on the New England Ropes Bzzz Line with an 8 mm diameter. That's 5/16" in diameter. It’s single braid so it’s easy on the hands and lightweight. Beware of non sailing, single braid ropes you can pick up at the hardware store because they can squish down, flatten out and slip through cam cleats. But not this Bzzz Line. For some reason I can’t seem to currently find this line consistently in 8 mm.

I found that 35’ was the perfect length because that’s enough to have your boom at a true 90 degree angle to your boat when running and still have enough to run through the main sheet block, through the cam cleat next to the block and a bit of a tail on the cockpit floor so it’s easy to grab the mainsheet quickly if you suddenly find yourself in a tight spot.

Figuring out how much rope you need is simply finding a long piece of junk line somewhere, running it through where it’s going to be on the boat then making a knot where you want to have the rope end, measuring that then ordering the rope you want.

In contrast to the main sheet for the Sunfish, the halyard for my Sunfish required different characteristics. One was low stretch. So, a double braid rope was in order. My choice was New England Ropes Endura Braid Dyneema Double Braid rope. On the inside is Dyneema which is super strong and almost no stretch.

On the outside is a tightly braided polyester cover. Because the halyard meant only needing a short amount of time pulling on it, I went with 6 mm in diameter (1/4”). Smaller than the main sheet but not so small that it hurts your hands to really pull hard on it.

Again, by using the long, junk rope technique I came up with 185 inches for the halyard. That’s a clove hitch around the upper boom with a tail there that’s long enough to tie an overhand knot, down to and around the horn cleat 4 feet up the mast, down and through the fairlead on the deck, up and around the gooseneck, down through the fairlead again and to another horn cleat on the deck.

If you decide to upgrade your Sunfish with an adjustable, on the fly outhaul and cunningham (which I recommend you look into… it will allow you to sail comfortably in a greater wind range), you’ll want something like a low stretch, Dinghy control line with a 4 mm (5/32 inch) diameter.

Happy sailing,

Andy

Thanks a million for all the helpful information!