Halyard, Halliard Rope, Halyard Marine, Sailing Halyard, Main Halyard, Jib Halyard, Genoa Halyard, Gennaker Halyard, Spinnaker Halyard for Sailing Boat, Yacht, Ship and Dinghy

Sailors use an aerodynamic effect for propulsion: The sail behaves similarly to an aircraft wing and generates lift (or thrust) on the side facing away from the wind. To achieve this effect, it is important that the halyards are properly tightened. This ensures that the air currents are cleanly divided and detrimental wind turbulence is avoided.

In order for the desired tautness to be maintained, even when the wind possibly gusts onto the sail and load changes occur, the halyards should be as stretch-resistant as possible. Sailors also refer to rope stretch as "creep". Halyards should therefore have as little creep or be creep-resistant. The rule is: The longer the total length of the line, the stronger the creep. With inferior halyards and high masts, the creep can easily be one meter or more. In this respect, high-quality Dyneema rope in a braided core-sheath construction stands out. High-performance halyards made of Dyneema fibres that have been "pre-stretched" by heat treatment have only minimal stretch of less than 1%.

The halyards need to be easy to operate on board – and this even in rough weather. In this respect, it is helpful if the rope is grippy and supple, so that it can be easily grasped by hands and holds firm and secure on winches. In this respect, a braided cover of polyester has proven particularly useful. The cover not only increases the diameter slightly, which makes handling the halyards more comfortable, but it also increases the abrasion resistance and chafe resistance of the lines. Since halyards regularly pass over pulleys and through blocks, halyard stoppers or clamps, their lifespan is effectively extended by a polyester cover.

Another criterion for choosing suitable halyards is resistance to moisture, salt water, high temperatures (heat generated by friction) and UV light, to which the lines are strongly exposed. Here again, a cover of the Dyneema fibre, which is more sensitive to heat and UV light, with robust polyester braid has proven successful.

Last but not least, the diameter of the halyards must also be selected appropriately. While the breaking load of the halyard is largely determined by the material used and the strength of the line. Modern synthetic fibre rope, however, has such high strength that suppleness rather than breaking load becomes the focus when choosing the diameter: For better handling, a larger diameter should be chosen and the line should be partially stripped of its cover.

At Kanirope, you will find a wide range of halyards suitable for use on your boat. Whether you are a regatta, cruising or leisure sailor: In our shop, you will find both low-stretch high-tech rope for maximum performance and solutions that convince with a very good price-performance ratio.