I noticed a guy having trouble trying to rig an H-16 on the beach last weekend and offered to help. It was a Frankenboat pieced together with parts from several boats. He had two main halyards, one with wire and rope and the other with wire only. My old H-16 had a comp tip and used the wire/rope version but when we fit it to his boat with the all aluminum mast the wire leader wasn't long enough to catch in the v-notch at the top of the mast. I'm guessing now that the correct halyard for his mast is the wire halyard. If that is the case...where does one store the excess wire after raising the main sail. You obviously can't cleat it....or can you?
The all aluminum mast ORIGINAL halyard was about 26 feet of wire, terminated in a thimble and 27' of rope halyard.
also, remember you do not have to cleat the main on a 16, just bundle the extra rope and tuck it between the jib halyard and the mast.