Which halyard ring

Which halyard ring works better? The one with the outside loop for the line that's centered or the one with the inside loop off center?

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The ox is slow but the earth is patient

Hobie only sells the one with the little loop on top and it works great.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Agreed. The ring with the small loop on top and the loose twist shackle (rather than welded) works quite well. Just make sure you know how the ring/hook system is inteded to work, keep the boat pointed into the wind when raising/lowering, and remove the flapper if you have a non-comptip mast.

sm

I have a pretty detailed "How-To" on sail hoisting etc in the sailing forums FAQ section.

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=371

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Guys, every year I see at least one of those fancy rings break .... they fail due to improper heating/cooling next to the weld (classic weld failure!!!) ... and then the sail comes down ... usually in the middle of the race!!!! Last year it was Dave Raughleys turn ... I still have my origonal ring from 1984 ... and I LOVE my flipper thingie ... you just have to know how to use it!!!! I raise and lowwer my sail single-handedly w/o assistence (ie: crew)

To Finish FIRST ... first you have to FINISH !!!!

Anything that has a tendency to fail I've eliminated .... now what do I do w/ the "idiot on the stick" ... I haven't figured that one out yet ...

Harry

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

All of the halyard rings that I have seen are welded (including the plain circle)- they're all stainless rod bent into a circle with the ends welded together.

The ring that Hobie supplies with their boats has a small hoop welded to the top made of thin rod (maybe 1/8"). Not saying that the welding of this hoop doesn't weaken the ring, but it's a small weld, not through the whole ring. I prefer this ring because it allows you to tie the knot above the ring so it doesn't interfere with the hook when you latch the ring. I've been using these rings for many years on the 17, 18, and 20 with no problems.

To each his own.

sm

The one I've seen fail the most is the one you discribed .... the one w/ the twist shackle welded to the main ring ... usually it is the shackle that breaks next to the weld .... Dave Raughly flipped the boat between the races ... tied the sail up to the ring w/ a short piece of alsteel/vectra and kept on racing, making the next start ....

So carry some short lengths of high strength line ....

Harry

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

I know there have been many different aftermarket rings made, some with the twist shackle welded in place, some with a regular shackle welded to the bottom of the ring, some with a hoop welded inside the ring, and any combination of the above.

The stock Hobie rings don't have the shackle welded to the ring, the shackle is separate. The only additional weld is a small hoop on the top for the halyard.

sm