Safety Alert - masthead pulley for foresail

If you are using a wire halyard for the foresail, replace the foresail masthead pulley at your earliest convenience. It is a Shaeffer 33-02, and they are still available for $25.00. Here, from the school of hard knocks, is what happens - and there is no way I know of to check for this problem in advance. It is a wear problem and possibly corrosion. This experience is a fresh water experience. It would be worse with salt water conditions, I would imagine

The masthead block is all metal, with an aluminum pulley. My understanding is that the pulley is designed with a softer metal than the halyard so that wear is on the pulley, not the halyard. Over time (and corrosion might also enter into this), the pulley groove gets deeper and the flanges on either side of the groove get thinner - but this is not clearly visible. Then, without notice, the flange on one side of the pulley groove breaks. Now there are two grooves for the halyard to follow: one in the center of the pulley, as it should, and the other between the pulley frame, and the outside edge of the pulley, where the flange broke off.

Initially, it will seem that, on occasion the halyard is difficult to come up or pull down, but most likely, you would believe, it is just caught, or twisted around a stay or something. Flick it a couple times and the problem clears itself.

Then, finally, the halyard is forced between the pulley and the outer frame and stuck hard. Your sail will neither come up or go down. (And all the while the wind is picking up while the 170% jib is still flying).

For $25.00, replace the doggone thing and don't take a chance.