What is the load on the jib halyard on a hobie 16? Or in other words, if I am replacing a part somewhere above or below the jib what load must it be rated for?
A couple of weeks ago I was using a 250 lb test small carabiner to attach the jib to the halyard and it bent and almost came undone after some 20+ knot winds. I won't go less than 500 lb test now.
Greg
H14,H16
I wouldn't use a caribiner to attach the jib, I think even at 500# rating you could bend it. A shackle is the way to go for safety. If you want ease of installation, there are the quick pins that you can use that would be more secure.
JMO
Clayton
And so, what do you think the correct rating is? 1000 pounds, 2000 pounds? You would think that given the danger of being crushed by a falling mast that Hobie would publish this information. The shrouds on a Hobie 16 are pretty massive and I am guessing that the load forward is the same. I wonder about the halyard line too. I bought a standard Hobie line but it doesn't look strong enough to me.
Did you try contacting Matt Miller at Hobie. I believe the e-mail is mmiller@hobiecat.com. He would know.
While the Jib Halyard does set the mast rake when properly tensioned. The forestay should be the safety mechanism that keeps the mast up, should the halyard system fail.
The non-cable end of the halyard has a reduced load by 2 to 1 the with older systems so the standard rigging line should be strong enough. Use a shackle to attach the Jib to the bridle stay.
Unless you're thinking about replacing the Jib block assembly (with something non-stock), everything should be Ok.
Actually on a normal jib halyard the line runs over a single block inline with the forestay. So there is no mechanical advantage. Running a line around a single block just redirects the force. So the load on the halyard line ( the wire and the "rope") is the same as the load on the wire running through the jib. I know that the forestay is meant to catch the mast if the halyard breaks but it still doesn't make me feel too good. The snapping force on the forestay would be greater than the force that caused the halyard to beak. It might go too.
I don't want to sound like a paranoid, I'm not. At least I don't think so. But I don't think I ought to guess about these things. I think I will write to the email address given and see what they say.
Here's where you need to check your Jib halyard system, against whats shown in the Hobie parts section of your Hobie catalog or against a Hobie assembly manual if you have access to one. It sounds like, you're missing some hardware.
There should be one more block between the "Rope and the Wire", The Downhaul block. There should also be a small block pop-riveted to the side of the mast to use with the downhaul block.
The problem often is, the sheaves for these blocks get brittle and break off and folks throw em away or quit using them. If you aquired yours second hand, it may never have had the downhaul block attached. If the sheave on the mast block broke off, you'd never have had a clue.