A few dinghy halyard and hardware questions

Posted by BitterStatus9@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 6 comments

Novice sailor here. I own a 2022 Fulcrum Rocket, which is great - but, the all-Dyneema halyard hates the v-cleats and slips out. The cleats aren't grippy enough, even with firm downward motion to seat the line in the cleat. And the Dyneema is like a steel cable - no give, shiny and hard as rock, so the cleat doesn't grip it.

To keep the line from popping out of the cleat (and dropping the upper spar on my head), I am thinking I will replace the Dyneema line with something softer. In looking at various lines, I note there are 1) Dyneema-core lines with a softer outer layer, and 2) non-Dyneema lines.

Questions:

- If I don't care much about stretch (I'm not racing or anything), what line do y'all recommend getting? I would probably drive over to West Marine, so it would end up being what they have in stock. I've seen Samson MLX3, Marlow Excel, and New England Sta-Set recommended online.

- Does anyone happen to know how long the halyard is on a Rocket? It's not on the web, and I can call Fulcrum this week I guess. But if someone happens to know, that would save me time. And based on the cleats and a quick measurement, it looks like the halyward is 6mm (1/4 in). If that's wrong and you know it, please advise.

- Finally, if I want to tie a knot on a bight using the Dyneema-core lines above (that have a polyester sheath), how hard is it to bend and tie the line, compared to a line with no Dyneema core? It's a bit of a challenge with the all-Dyneema.

Thanks all! Happy Fourth!

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overthehillhat@reddit

What do the UFO / Rocket people say?

BitterStatus9@reddit (OP)

They said "File down the teeth on the cleat so they are sharp and grip more. But be aware that this will lead to much greater wear on the line."

Definitely Don't sharpen

if you might use replacement material

Yeah not going to try that. I’d replace them but I have no access to the underneath so I’m not sure about the backing etc.

2airishuman@reddit

If stretch is not a major consideration, I use and recommend Samson XLS3 double-braid polyester. It is similar to NER Sta-set but has better availability at the places where I buy rope. There are slight differences in sizes because XLS3 is sized to metric dimensions while Sta-set is sized to fractional inches.

You mention Samson MLX3 which is a mid-grade rope with stretch somewhere between XLS3 and Dyneema core rope. I use MLX3 on the halyards for my 38' boat because the cost savings compared to Dyneema core is considerable and because the amount of stretch in halyards that long is otherwise a nuisance.

Marlow Excel has a nonwoven fiber code that is not spliceable but that has similar performance to XLS3.

True Dyneema core lines (like NER Endura or Samson Warpspeed) are stiffer than XLS3 but nonetheless can be tied using familiar knots if desired. They are really meant to be spliced, but have better performance in cam cleats and clutches than the Amsteel you're using.

This is super-informative and gives me more of an idea of the differences, pros and cons etc. Many thanks.