One trick I have learned is if you coil a rope clockwise every time, then you introduce twist in the rope. If you alternate between coiling clockwise then coiling anticlockwise, the twist cancels out and you get a nice relaxed rope that runs easily and does not twist when hoisted.

Annie wrote:

The usual cause of halyard twist - once new rope has settled down - is allowing the block(s) to swivel.  Yours are locked, aren't they?

Nope. All the blocks are on swivels. I have fixed blocks, and I planned to use them. More recently I ordered additional blocks, this time with swivels, so I could make my mast head as much like the photos from Arne as possible. Maybe I will go back to fixed blocks next year if this doesn't work out.

I think I had problems with twist for two reasons last year.

1. I bought the cheapest double braided polyester I could find.
2. I was in the habit of coiling the rope around my hand and elbow at the end of every sail before storing it on a winch.

The old halyard is now very stiff and kinks easily. I imagine the core and the outer-braid are very badly twisted around.

edit: And only now do I notice that Arne seized the swivel blocks. darn.

Thank you for the suggestions Annie and David. For now I decided to launch the boat so I can at least try to get sailing before the summer is over. I think I will sand out the existing checks and put some thickened epoxy and paint on them sometime soon. In the coming winter I will (somehow) remove the paint and any bad wood before putting glass and epoxy over everything.

Yesterday with the help of two friends I got the boat from my house on the trailer to the mooring ball in 3.5 hours. That was a lot after already working all day.

Here are the changes so far since last season:

1. A 3 part halyard to replace the 2 part halyard I tried originally.
2. White paint on the tabernacle. (I think it looks a little better now)
3. Swim/Boarding ladder on the stern
4. Rudder cracks ground out, filled and sanded, and the complete rudder painted
5. New mast hinge arrangement
6. Replaced the halyard with this rope. I hope this will eliminate the issues with rope twist.

Scott wrote:

It has been a very slow start to the sailing season for me. My boat is still on the trailer at my house. Every time I think I am ready to launch something else comes up.

The small cracks in the plywood of the mast partners do not look so small anymore. I am trying to decide if this needs to be fixed right now before I use the rig or if this can wait until next winter for a repair.

I plan to sand, or grind or plane down the wood to remove the paint and then add 6 oz glass cloth and epoxy. Right now it it is plywood, un-thickened epoxy and paint. It seems like that is not good enough.

I am embarrassed to show my sloppy epoxy work and even worse paint job, but I could really use some advice.

Would anyone like to guess at how urgent this is?

Hard to tell by just looking at that one photo and without the context of where it is in the overall structure. But assuming there is no rot in behind there this looks like cracking in the outer layers of plywood due to inadequate protection from weathering. But I would not let it stop me from going sailing. If it were me I would take to the area with some gentle grinding to remove the paint and see what is going on. Then to protect and strengthen I would put on probably two layers of double bias fiberglass cloth set in epoxy. Then I would get back to the priority of going sailing! If you do not have any double bias cloth then just some layers of regular woven cloth would do.

Arne wrote:

PS: I guess nylon should work. Mine was made of 8mm line, I think it was, but 10mm should also be fine.

I went way too big when I ordered this line. It is 3/4" which is about 19mm. I thought I would sleep better with something oversized attached to the mooring ball. I didn't think about it being too big for the deck cleats.

Maybe I can use this rope to lift the boat off the trailer!