Sorting out the halyard

[casually-lost05]

Friend of mine asked me to help him get his '82 Catalina 27 ready for the season and we ran into a small issue with the main halyard. It wasn't in the mast top and we're trying to make sure we route it correctly. One end should go up but does the other one exit at the mast bottom?

 

[WindAndSea]

Friend of mine asked me to help him get his '82 Catalina 27 ready for the season and we ran into a small issue with the main halyard. It wasn't in the mast top and we're trying to make sure we route it correctly. One end should go up but does the other one exit at the mast bottom?

one end goes up to the masthead sheave, and the other end comes down to the mast base. That's the typical routing
If you're having trouble getting it through, a 'mouse' or 'messenger' line is your best friend
Tie a small weight (like a nut or a few washers) to a thin string, drop it down, and then use that string to pull your actual halyard through. Much easier than fighting a stiff line!

 

[casually-lost05]

That's a huge help. Thank you for confirming the routing for me! Using a weighted mouse line is a real lifesaver, we were just about to start fighting with it the hard way lol