Quote:
Originally Posted by Endemann
QUESTION: When you put tension on a halyard, especially with a bendy mast; is there a mechanical advantage of 2:1 that compresses the mast? I ask this as a comparison to a halyard lock, where the tension might be more than the weight of the sail but not doubled due to the fact that the masthead sheave MIGHT be moving downward as a result of the "purchase" created by a masthead block. Can someone answer this for me, I would love to hear from you. Thanks, Fendemann@gmail.com |
My wife always want to know why I ask a question and I always say because I want to know the answer, not because I think she did something wrong. You asked a question and the answer is yes, there is a 2:1 mechanical advantage in that the mast sees an additional compression of 2x the halyard tension. With a halyard lock, it would be 1x and with a 2:1 halyard setup where the halyard is attached at the masthead, goes through a small block as part of the halyard shackle, then back up to the masthead and down to the mastbase, there would be a 1.5:1 multiplier as the halyard going back down the mast carries 1/2 the load of the sail.