Add New Halyard

[Beth]

I would like to add a spare halyard. My mast is currently down. Is it better to do this mast up or down? I read a previous forum on how to do this mast up but none on mast down. Any suggestions on how to do this mast down to avoid tangles inside the mast?

[Brion Toss]

Hi,
You are right; tangles are easy to come by. But try taking up all the current lines, firmly, and belaying them, then turn the mast so that the pathway for the new halyard is lowermost. Then insinuate a piece of 1x19 or similarly stiff messenger, from either the exit or the sheave end. If you secure a short piece of string to the end of the wire, you should be able to snag it, and attach a longer string messenger, or even the halyard itself.
If things still seem tangle-prone, take the effort to replace all the current lines with string messengers. These can be made off tighter and more out of the way.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss