Main sail halyard stuck

pixelbeans

New Member
Hi guys,
I've recently got back into sailing after about 30 years. I bought an old laser 2.
I've changed all the ropes including the jib and main sheet. I spliced them onto the metal hoops so there are no knots in there.
I've been sailing fine with it but yesterday the main halyard got well and truely jammed/caught on something. It's raised all the way apart from the last 12" or so. I've taken the mast down, given it a good shake. Jib halyard running smoothly, removed the spinnaker rope to make sure that wasn't the problem (won't be needing that for a while anyway).

Any pointers gratefully received. Do I need to remove the rivets on the base of the mast to get in? I think the problem is definitely at the bottom end. Apologies for no photos. Will get some when I'm next down the club.

Best

Paul.
 
:rolleyes: Well... there's really no other explanation than the wire/line joint (including the wire sleeve) having caught a rivet inside the mast. What is there about 30 cm in from the halyard cleat? The diamond turnbuckles? It sounds like you really may have to take the heel fitting out, so get ready for rivet drilling and re-riveting.

When you say "spliced onto the metal hoops", are you talking about the sheets or the halyards? (The halyard tails are the only lines that may be spliced.)

How old is your boat, what number?

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Thanks LaLi.
Not sure how old the boat is. Where do I find the number?

I think you're right. It feels like it's caught on the other side of the halyard cleat on a rivet.

The only splice I did was attaching the new rope for hauling the main sail up by passing it through the metal loop on the main halliard tail and then threaded the rope back in on itself so there was no knot and that I could pull it through the small hole in the mast. I just redid what was already there but with new rope. I've been happily sailing her with no problems until the weekend when it just jammed.

Not done any riveting before. I've done some youtubing and think I should be ok. Just need to buy a rivet gun and I guess a selection of rivets. How's best to remove them? with a chisel and hammer to remove the top and then just knock them through carefully?

Thanks for your help.

P.



IMG_7286.jpg
 
A small thing to check. You have wire halyards? Main halyard is prone to coming off the mast head pulley if boat is not rigged head to wind or if sail is taken down not head to wind. Wear and old age I'm afraid.

Old spliced wire halyards love to hook up on bits inside the mast. They are a pain so:

I have replaced all the halyards on club Laser 2 Regatta with 5 (main) and 6mm (jib) dyneema terminating in clam cleats attached where the racks are. Two cleats in series on the jib. Much better.

Replace every block on the spinnaker system with a ball bearing one. This makes hoisting so much easier.

Looks like you have the traveller rigged incorrectly. Block must stay central all the time. Can't sail it well upwind otherwise. Just knot it in place. We never adjust the traveller. 10" vertical approx between block and rear deck works ok.

Great boat in a breeze. In light winds both crew need to be ahead of the mainsheet. I'm tall so always sheet off the boom. I take off the block on the floor when sailing. Lots more space.

Drill the top off the rivets. 8/9mm and then knock the rest of the rivet through with a pin punch/ nail with the end filed off flat.
 
Very nice-looking boat! The "Black Magics" aren't ancient as Laser 2s go. Black boats were built later, too, but the white spars place it in the late 1980s/early '90s. The number should be on a plaque on the aft wall of the cockpit. Should be in the 7000 - 9000 range. (And of course if the mainsail is original, just read it there :rolleyes: )

Also, looking now at the picture, besides the diamond turnbuckles, there's the main cunningham cleat that's in the "danger zone" as well.

Riv wrote about several things some of which I agree or disagree with:
Main halyard is prone to coming off the mast head pulley if boat is not rigged head to wind or if sail is taken down not head to wind. Wear and old age I'm afraid.
That's a possibility, but doesn't sound like it's the case here. If the top block is old and sloppy you can replace it with a new similar Allen block. (More riveting!)

I have replaced all the halyards on club Laser 2 Regatta with 5 (main) and 6mm (jib) dyneema terminating in clam cleats attached where the racks are. Two cleats in series on the jib.
The main halyard can be replaced with a line (and any type of cleat), but the jib halyard should really be a wire/rack thing, as it keeps up and tensions the whole rig.

Replace every block on the spinnaker system with a ball bearing one. This makes hoisting so much easier.
Well, they are all BB blocks, except the top one on the mast. Nearly all of the friction in the system comes from the launcher tube anyway.

Looks like you have the traveller rigged incorrectly. Block must stay central all the time. Can't sail it well upwind otherwise.
Yes. There are many good ways to run the traveller (and many more bad ones), and they all have the sheet block tied to the line - so it works not exactly like a "traveller" but a bridle. (There's a good diagram somewhere that I'll post when/if I find it again.)

I'm tall so always sheet off the boom. I take off the block on the floor when sailing. Lots more space.
Not a a good idea! You need the ratchet and the cleats, at the latest when you start using the spinnaker.

(Note: the above items have everything to do with the class rules of the Laser 2. Adherence to those is really a discussion of its own, as this class is a special case.)

Drill the top off the rivets. 8/9mm and then knock the rest of the rivet through with a pin punch/ nail with the end filed off flat.
That is how you do it. The bit doesn't have to be bigger than the rivet hole itself, though.

If you're unsure with all or some things about riveting, take the mast to a professional rigger. I do that myself occasionally; in fact, I am planning to do it tomorrow with a spinnaker pole :D (Lightning, not Laser 2.)

_
 
Thanks. I've only managed to sail her a couple of times. Sail number is 8999. It was black with dirt when I bought her and she came with a complementary wasp nest inside :-D

So the wee pully on the traveller should stay in the middle so I need to put a knot either side I guess to stop it flying around.

I find it quite therapeutic working and doing this boat up so I'll try and do it all myself. I've ordered a rivet gun.

49a78433-b50e-4be9-b507-18d397826729.JPG
 
Cool number :D I'd say that's a late 1991 or early '92.

You can delete the smaller traveller block altogether and tie the line to the hook on the bigger one. Wrap some tape around the hook and block so they don't kink.

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Cool number :D I'd say that's a late 1991 or early '92.

You can delete the smaller traveller block altogether and tie the line to the hook on the bigger one. Wrap some tape around the hook and block so they don't kink.

_
Hi LaLi, will this sail fit my boat?


Is a Laser 2 the same as a MK2?

Best

P.
 
If you have time check for corrosion under the bolt that secures the shrouds to the mast. Ours, which had been mostly on salt water snapped at the bolt hole when the boat blew over last winter. The corrosion had caused cracks from the bolt hole and weakened it. Clean and add anti corrosion paste. I use Duralac. Other products are available!
 
If you have time check for corrosion under the bolt that secures the shrouds to the mast. Ours, which had been mostly on salt water snapped at the bolt hole when the boat blew over last winter. The corrosion had caused cracks from the bolt hole and weakened it. Clean and add anti corrosion paste. I use Duralac. Other products are available!
Thanks Riv. Will check it out.
 
Ok, so today I removed the rivets and got into the mast to see what the problem was.

It wasn't a rivet snag.

The previous owner hadn't put all the cables down the centre of the mast and they were running down the side of a short internal cylinder and this was what was snagging. After I removed the base, I tied the halyard to a fence a pulled really hard and freed it. As the halyards are slightly frayed I'm going to take advantage of this moment and get new ones.

In the picture (apologies for poor quality) you can see the lines passing around the side of the cylinder instead of in the middle.

Thanks for all your help guys.

Paul.

IMG_7629.jpg
 
Ok, so there's a round "extra" tube inside the mast. I didn't know that! Can you measure its length and how far its ends are from the mast foot? In the picture it looks like it starts between the halyard racks and the diamond stays.

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