What is a peak halliard and why should I have one?

A peak halliard is only used on gunter rigged Gulls. Basically, it allows you to hoist the gaff first and thread the sail into it as if you were rigging a Bermudian boat. I have used this device for years on two Herons and my present Gull, and believe me it makes rigging a gunter boat very much easier.

How do I modify my mast and gaff for a peak halliard?

Let’s take the gaff first. Near the top is the upper black band, and the groove above this does not do anything. Firstly, clean off the varnish in the groove and slot above the black band (easily done with a small length of dowel with glass paper wrapped around it, and the slot with glass paper doubled over and rubbed up and down). Now obtain a small length of dowel approximately 6-9” long, of the same diameter as the circular part of the groove and, using glass paper for final trimming (the groove will not be truly circular), push the dowel down the groove until it is about ⅛” above the upper edge of the black band. Do not cut the dowel to length at this stage, as the bit sticking out of the groove at the top is useful for pulling it out after the trial fit. Measure the width of the slot (usually about ⅛”) and plane a piece of timber to fit snugly in this, again within ⅛” of the upper edge of the black band. The slot is approximately ¼” to ⅜” deep, so make your piece of timber ⅛” by ½” and slightly longer than the distance from your ⅛” mark on the gaff above the black band to the top end.

Thoroughly coat the dowel with glue (Aerolite or Cascomite) and tap it into position gently with a mallet. Wipe off excess glue from the groove below the dowel, otherwise your mainsail luff rope will jam. Coat the small piece of timber for the slot with glue and tap it into place (a clamp is recommended here to hold it in position until the glue hardens).

After the glue has set, you cut the dowel and slot timber to length at the top of the gaff and plane off the slot timber flush with the surface of the spar.

You now have a choice of cutting a mortise in the gaff top or fitting a ‘screw-on’ encased sheave onto a flat planed surface of the spar adjacent to the slot. I strongly recommend the latter course of action, as cutting a mortise will substantially weaken the top of the gaff.

Assuming you take this advice, you now plane a flat onto the gaff so that the pulley block can sit firmly above the slot (see diagram). I suggest that the fitting has at least one bolt holding it to the gaff, and the nut is recessed into the timber, as screws have a habit of working loose. Also fit the block as near to the top of the gaff as possible. Messrs. Seasure, Jack Holt and RWO make suitable blocks — mine is a Seasure, secured by one round headed machine screw (bolt) and two screws. I believe these are known as micro or mini cheek pulley blocks. Secure the block to the top of the gaff after thoroughly varnishing the bare wood so that it is slightly off centre (as shown in the diagram). I will assume that you will lead the halliard down the starboard side of the gaff. The reason for setting the block off-centre (to the right of the groove looking up the spar) is to give a more ‘direct’ lead to the halliard from the groove. Now fit a small fairlead (Holt/Allen fitting HA52 or HA153) to the starboard side of the gaff midway between the top and bottom (be careful to locate this so the screws do not enter the sail groove. Use a very short screw in the fairlead hole nearest the groove and slot). Approximately 3½” to 4” from the bottom of the gaff (starboard side) screw Clamcleat model no. CL209 ‘midi’ to the spar using 1¼” screws. (The measurement of 3½” to 4” is for the bottom of the gaff to the bottom of the Clamcleat). Approximately 6” above the top side of the Clamcleat, fasten another small fairlead to the gaff, being careful again to avoid piercing the luff groove. That has dealt with the gaff. Now for the mast.

On the starboard side of the mast, approximately 15” from the heel, place a small cleat (HA130 or similar) and 10” above this another small fairlead (HA52 or HA153), All you need now is a halliard — 38 feet of 6mm pre-stretched Terylene — and a rigging link (see diagram for size). Splice a soft eye close around the bow of the link and give it three tucks only. Heat seal the ends of this splice, and whip it for its entire length (a Cornish whipping is best — a series of overhand knots). Heat seal the other end of the halliard and mould it into a point. You are now ready for rigging.

Rigging a peak halliard

Put up the mast in the usual way, not forgetting to thread the gaff halliard through the sheave and the jib halliard through the block at the top of the mast. (Incidentally, tie the two ends of the jib halliard together and secure the end of the gaff halliard — saves losing them up the mast!)

Reeve the end of the peak halliard through the block, and thread through the middle and lower fairleads (tie the ends together). If you are a cruising type, then insert the pennant in its socket; if you race, then reeve the racing flag halliard.

(An aside here:- the racing rules state that you must be able to lower your racing flag if you retire. One way is to have a short halliard on the gaff with a plastic sail ring as shown in the diagram. Braided Terylene cord stretches rather well, so no cleat is necessary; and if you want to lower the flag, the crew merely has to reach up with the jibstick hook end, engage on the ring, and lower the flag about a foot or so).

Hoist the gaff. Be careful here to hold the bottom of the spar whilst taking up the slack on the halliard. Hold the slide, in fact, until the gaff is vertical. Failure to do this will result in the slide whizzing up the track, the top end of the gaff dropping on to the crew’s head (the crew by a well-known law will be standing exactly in the correct place to be clobbered!)

Thread the peak halliard end through the fairlead on the mast and tie a figure of eight knot in it (stops it rushing skywards!). Secure the rigging link to the head of the sail, and when the battens are in and it is threaded onto the boom, mainsheet reeved etc., you are ready to hoist.

All the previous preliminaries are best done ashore, and when afloat the sail may be hoisted.

As you will have to thread the luff of the mainsail into the groove on the gaff, the easy way is as follows:-

With the boat head to wind, pull on the peak halliard with one hand whilst letting the luff of the sail run through the other. When the head of the sail is at the bottom of the gaff, tighten the halliard and you will find that by holding the luff, threading it into the groove is quite easy. Once it has been ‘started’ in the groove, just pull away as if it were a Bermudian mast, putting each sail slide into the track as you hoist. When the sail reaches the upper black band on the gaff, secure it in the Clamcleat, pull the fall of the halliard down to the cleat on the mast, and coil the rope neatly. Tighten down on the adjustable gooseneck.

Lowering the mainsail is easy. Just uncleat the peak halliard from the mast cleat, hold it above the mast fairlead, and jerk it sideways and downwards. This releases the rope from the Clamcleat, and the sail can be lowered into the boat.

A few why’s answered

Why bother with a Clamcleat on the gaff?

a) It allows you to lower gaff and sail together should the need arise b) It reduces the length of halliard that can stretch

Why fit a fairlead in the middle of the gaff?

A gaff bends, and the halliard is therefore kept nearer the spar

Why fit a fairlead on the mast?

To stop you losing the halliard up the gaff when lowering the sail

Why have a cleat on the mast?

To stop the length of halliard from the Clamcleat to the bottom of the mast from flapping about.

A few don’ts

Do not use a Clamcleat with a built-in fairlead. If you do, the halliard will not run smoothly down when you lower sails — it will catch in the ‘V’ of the cleat. Do not use a thin halliard. It will stretch, and is harder to manage with wet hands. Do not use a shackle to attach the peak of the mainsail to the halliard. The gaff is not long enough to allow you to hoist the sail to its marks, and the shackle will jam in the top sheave.

Advantages of the system

Permits the gaff to be hoisted closer to the mast as there is no ‘weight of sail’ on it at the time of hoisting — more efficient to windward. Much easier to rig than having a gaff flapping about! Also, of course, it makes lowering of the sail so much safer, particularly at sea. Reefing is simpler, as all you have to do is release the peak halliard slightly, take rolls around the boom, and re-tighten. Kicking strap arrangements for reefing will be dealt with in a later issue of the Bulletin.

Disadvantages

Additional windage (halliard etc.). Another rope to stow in the boat.

Materials needed

‘Screw-on’ micro/mini block + bolts and screws 3 small fairleads+ screws 1 small cleat (mast) + screws 1 Clamcleat — CL209 + screws 38 feet of 6 mm pre-stretched Terylene rope 1 rigging link whipping twine (Marlow beeswaxed size 4)

If you have any difficulty, please contact the author, Andrew Dawson, who will be pleased to assist — it works all right on 1546 Spinaway! Incidentally, I do not work for Jack Holt. I just have a Holt catalogue, and they are probably the easiest to obtain.