It has been a long time since the halyards were mostly made in metal and, with the constant increase in rope technologies, the options can be endless: for example, they may vary from the simplest double braid polyester to new, performant, and technical materials.

Moreover, it is crucial to choose the halyards that can best equip your sailing boat as they help improve the sail’s performance and well-being.

Imagine finding yourself in the middle of a sailing race and losing a halyard. Sure, it is not something reassuring… that is precisely why it is so important to choose adequate halyards.

In this blog article, we evaluated a few factors that we believe can be essential to determine whether a halyard should be chosen.

Length and diameter

The diameter of a halyard depends on:

  • The material thickness according to the load onboard;
  • Dimensions of stoppers and winches.

It is well known that the above-mentioned characteristics rely on the Safe Working Load – SWL, which is normally specified by the material’s supplier.

However, as new materials and technologies have entered the rope market, we cannot base our choosing criteria only on SWL because it can lead us to wrong choices. For instance, you could choose a rope with a bigger diameter than the one you need, leading to difficulties in handling it.

Here’s a table that could be considered as a starting point but cannot be taken as a Bible:

Materials

Generally, the halyard’s material depends on its intended use. In a few words, if you either want to use it for a cruising purpose or a racing one.

The material is composed of two elements: the core and the cover. The core defines the thickness and the stretch of a sailing rope while the cover plays a fundamental role in identifying how a rope can be handled.

Core material

For those who intend to use their sailing boat only for cruising purposes, polyester is always a great choice. Indeed, it is easier to splice. On the other hand, if your sailing boat is bigger (around 40 – 45 feet), it is not a bad idea to take into consideration Dyneema® as it has lower stretches.

Cover material

Also, when it comes to the cover material, if the user is merely for cruising, polyester is, again, a great choice as it ensures high resistance as well as more grip the more it is used. On the other hand, when the user is more extreme, high-tech fiber should be taken into consideration such as Cordura, Technora, Vectran, or Kevlar which, together with polyester, can increase the grip.

Splicing

There are many different kinds of splicing ropes and, even here, the difference consists in their use.

For example, on our webshop, you can find halyards where both the core and cover are in polyester the splicing type is the “Samson” one. It is a splicing type that’s made with low module fiber that uses both the core and the cover. It is perfect for cruising purposes.

We also make “Australian” splicing for halyards that have a Dyneema core and a polyester cover. With this kind of splicing, you create an eye without taking the cover into consideration. It is commonly used for racing purposes.

Hardware

It is strongly recommended that a splicing rope could go hand to hand with shackles or snap hooks. Well-made splicing can handle up to 100% of the rope’s working load. Among the most popular choices, there are standard/long D shackles or 2:1 shackles for the main halyard or the Speedlink shackles for the spinnaker and jib halyard.