Paul and David many thanks for reassurance re Selden. Their s/s ball and race blocks (the 500kg safe working load version of their Delrin roller bearing blocks) are not all that far from the catalogue price of the Garhauer of similar size, but then of course there'll be tax and shipping on those unlike the Selden. It is probably not of great relevance, but the Garhauer has a swl of  around 1200-1400kg! The Selden equivalent to that kind of swl is their Torlon roller bearing block (swl 1500kg) which is 4 or 5 times the price of the catalogue price of the Garhauer. I'm referring to around 60mm sheaves.

It is interesting that you managed with a 3:1 halyard (and heaps less rope to deal with) on Tystie David. We'll have spare s/t winches at the cockpit after all, although if old habits die hard I may find myself hoisting at the mast - habit and also for the reasons that Annie brings up. The junk is unique in this respect, being able to get underway in a relaxed manner with 2 or 3 panels can't be done with other rigs. Even our gaff main with triced up tack and not-fully-hoisted peak could be a noisy, bearish and overpowering thing if the wind got up and you weren't yet clear of all obtacles! On the halyard set-up I do like Arne's two singles on the yard, one with becket, allowing for a spread of the load along the yard something like a gaff span. Like I say, old habits.....

I'm not sure of the quality of our rope, Asmat. Some is old, some is new. But whatever it is i'm sure you're right that it'll be got round bigger sheaves more easily than littler ones.

I need to look at Johanna's anti-twist sheeting....

While we are thinking about friction in halyards, blocks are only half the story. Branwen's  halyards are 10mm, 32 strand braid on braid polyester found on eBay for a bargain price. I now regret this pennypinching, for while this line is strong and resists wear well, it is rather stiff, resisting every turn on the 6 sheaves around which it passes. I feel that a more flexible rope would make hoisting the sail a lot easier. Big blocks would also help. The larger the sheave diameter, the better.

Following David Tyler's advice some years ago, I replaced my double block at the masthead with two large, high-quality single blocks, which both improved the lead of the fall and reduced friction on my three-part halyard.  I can clearly see the two blocks at the masthead lying in different planes.  Like David Thatcher, though, I still find it much easier to hoist from the mast than from the cockpit.  That deck turning block seems to add a lot of friction.  Nonetheless, I can easily hoist half of my 35sq m sail from the cockpit and then use the self-tailing winch to do the rest.  Some days when I have had a good breakfast I can even get it most of the way up by hand!  I have recently learned the trick of just hoisting a few panels to gain steerage way when sailing off the anchor, then hoisting the rest when clear of other boats.  I don't like hoisting sail before I cat the anchor, as the forward end of the boom is right over the anchor winch and I get annoyed when it swats me, so I cat the anchor, then stroll aft and hoist a few panels, sail clear of other vessels, then hoist the rest.  Recently there was a sudden wind shift just as I was hoisting the head of the sail.  I was unable to clear the bows of the nearest yacht and had to gybe and pass under its stern, to the consternation of the other crew.  Once they saw how easy it was to handle Arion though under just the top three panels, they applauded.

When I changed Tystie's halyard blocks from Barton size 7 to Garhauer (I don't recall the size), there was a notable decrease in friction, so that I thought it money well spent. 

I used to work at Kemp Masts/Seldèn UK, but that was a quarter of a century ago, before the current range of blocks was designed. Nevertheless, knowing how pernickety my Swedish colleagues were, I make no doubt that the quality of engineering will be high. I would choose between Seldèn and Garhauer on the basis of price and availability.

I have long been a fan of using a 3:1 halyard plus a self tailing winch as being the best for convenience and efficiency. More than 3:1, and the length of line that needs stowing is huge. Even at 3:1, it's a 50m halyard for a sail of 50+ sq m. I could manage to hand-haul the first half of the sail hoist, which is enough to give some steerage way, but not excessive speed, in confined waters. Then I could take a breather, and winch up the second half of the sail.

A 3:1 halyard only needs two single blocks at the masthead, spaced well apart at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock, with a single and becket on the yard. But if a 5:1 halyard is rigged, I'd put a double block on the port side, with a single block on the starboard side for the fall. Double and triple blocks hate having the fall leading off at a different angle to the rest of the parts, as this leads to rubbing of the line against the cheek of the block, and eventually, structural failure or jamming of the halyard between sheave and cheek.

POL BERGIUS wrote:

 So I'm still considering Selden blocks with s/s races and s/s ball bearings for that reason, which are readily available here at lower cost, no tax & international shipping... But the Garhauer do look good!

All the best,

Pol. 

Seldon blocks are good. I've had them on board LC since 2012 without any issues what so ever... and they still look like new.