Not our sexiest post to date if you know what I mean, but still another boat project we recently crossed off our dwindling list. And one that might also help other sailboat owners having trouble locating just the right rigging hardware. And if we can save one person from a future headache, then that’s a good thing in our book!
On our boat, we have four sheaves that were in serious need of replacement. Two for the reefing line and two for the topping lift. For those of you (like me) who might not totally know what the heck a “sheave” is…well, let me tell ya. 🙂
A sheave (pronounced “shiv”) is simply a wheel with a groove for a rope to run on. Basically, so the rope doesn’t chafe whatever it is moving around. There are sheaves on the boom, at the top of the mast, and in any kind of block (pulley).
All four (of ours needing replacement) were made out of a white plastic, known as delrin. And our original sheaves were in pretty crappy shape. One was even totally disintegrated…
^^it’s crazy what the sun can do to plastic!^^
Jereme figured our sheaves were standard. Or generic, if you will. You know, ones that he could buy replacements for from basically any marine hardware store.
Not so much.
After buying *several* different sized sheaves from West Marine and a few other stores, we quickly realized that none of the replacements were really the perfect fit — they were never the exact inside/outside diameter or width.
So after further pondering, Jereme realized that our boom was made by a specific manufacturer, Kenyon. So, he searched “Kenyon sheaves” on the web and found >>Rig-Rite Inc.<< an online dealer of the exact sheaves we needed for our Kenyon boom! Needless to say, we immediately ordered the four replacements.
Back to the actual project…
To replace the sheaves, you need to remove the end cap fitting on the boom. There are three screws that secure that fitting on the boom. Unfortunately for us, those stainless steel screws were welded to aluminum and corroded (just like the problematic screws we had on the gooseneck fitting way back when). So, we found ourselves faced with the same duddy “welded screw” situation (again) that took forever to get out of the boom. 🙁
^^we somehow perfectly timed this project with our canvas beefing up. it was much easier to work on the end of the boom without the bimini in the way.^^
After a few days of work on these corroded/welded screws, and some help from our friend Todd, we had them out! Phew!
And once the newly ordered sheaves arrived in the mail, it was a super easy fix. I cannot believe finding the correct replacement sheaves took months, but replacing them took mere minutes. Typical.
>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing, as we cruise the Bahamas + Caribbean.
We actually need to replace a sheave in the mast block for our main halyard that has shattered and currently looks identical to the one you needed to replace. That’s on our list today before we cross over to Eluthera tomorrow or Saturday! Under strong winds it can really chafe your lines so its good to take care of it now. So excited for you guys!
I am interested in the mechanics of removing and reinstalling the pin that goes through the center of the sheave. Details of that operation would be greatly appreciated.