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Boom/halyard strength

Denise McDonald

Member II
Greetings,
This question will highlight what a newbie I am but I’d rather be safe than sorry. We’ve been going over different ways to get our dogs in and out of the cabin with the steep steps. Several have suggested a hoist system hooked to the end of the boom. At the same, hubby and I have been discussing how we would get him on board with the life sling in the event he falls over ( or I push him )
When I bring my mainsail down I move the halyard to the end of the boom. Do you think that the boom and halyard will be strong enough to hoist a 225 man out of the water ( using the life sling tackle system) ?
 

goldenstate

Sustaining Member
Blogs Author
Greetings,
This question will highlight what a newbie I am but I’d rather be safe than sorry. We’ve been going over different ways to get our dogs in and out of the cabin with the steep steps. Several have suggested a hoist system hooked to the end of the boom. At the same, hubby and I have been discussing how we would get him on board with the life sling in the event he falls over ( or I push him )
When I bring my mainsail down I move the halyard to the end of the boom. Do you think that the boom and halyard will be strong enough to hoist a 225 man out of the water ( using the life sling tackle system) ?
Unless your halyard is in awful condition, yes. That's how the lifesling is intended to work. I'm not sure how the boom is involved.

If you are worried about the rope, you can buy a new halyard. Probably get the same size (rope diameter) that you already have. You can get a new 3/8" halyard from Defender for $105. https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1581914

It's rated at 4,900 lbs tensile strength so in theory could pull two Mazda Miatas out of the water (though your boat would probably tip over before the rope broke).
 

Denise McDonald

Member II
Unless your halyard is in awful condition, yes. That's how the lifesling is intended to work. I'm not sure how the boom is involved.

If you are worried about the rope, you can buy a new halyard. Probably get the same size (rope diameter) that you already have. You can get a new 3/8" halyard from Defender for $105. https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1581914

It's rated at 4,900 lbs tensile strength so in theory could pull two Mazda Miatas out of the water (though your boat would probably tip over before the rope broke).


Thank you. Where the boom comes in is that when my sail is down my boom is resting on the dodger. There is a hook tied between the two rear stays that hooks into the end of the boom when the sail’s not up. So to keep the boom up and usable for hoisting dogs in and out of the cabin, I would imagine I would need the boom hooked up to my halyard and the hoist hooked up to my boom. I don’t see how I could hoist the dogs straight out of the cabin using just the halyard without it dragging terribly on the companionway hatch. As I said I’m a newbie and trying to picture these things in my head is sometimes difficult for me LOL
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Note: the Lifesling hoist tackle is intended to be attached to the main halyard shackle. Boom is not involved. This does have the tackle going over the lifelines at an angle, and someone would have to push/fend off the MOB as he/she is winched up from the water beside the boat. True for canines, too...

Note B: having lifted out our former 280# engine, from cockpit over to dock with the halyard, with the boom acting as a gin pole, as long as the load and the hauling lines are at the same point on the boom, there will not be any bending force on it -- just compression against the gooseneck, and it's designed for that.

There are LifeSling video's on the 'net, also. The printed diagram on the side of the 'sling case shows this.

ps: Interesting that when Tom anchors he hooks into sunken Miata's ! In a more upscale anchorage he would at least hook a BMW... :)

pps: just reviewed the LifeSling instructions on line. Same as I remember, and they also show it rigged with the main halyard shackle clipped directly onto the MOB. With our size 40ST house top winch, this would make it more than reasonable to lift a person or a large dog. Since most dogs weigh under 100#, you could pretty much just use high gear.
 
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