Dock lines - Make you own or buy them?
- Thread starter Brian D
- Start date
Sometimes I put two twists on mine.
What does that mean? Eye (loop) is too big and just when you hand the other end to someone, it pops off the cleat on the boat. By winding it up it makes the loop smaller and it stays put. Or if you have cleats with the hole under the horns, you can stuff the eye through that first then over the cleat. It won't come off then.
What does that mean? Eye (loop) is too big and just when you hand the other end to someone, it pops off the cleat on the boat. By winding it up it makes the loop smaller and it stays put. Or if you have cleats with the hole under the horns, you can stuff the eye through that first then over the cleat. It won't come off then.
Agree. Can't envision it either, specially in 3 strand. A pic would be very helpful
Hi Brian, trying to find an online photo of the one on our boat short of spending two hours driving to the boat, taking a pic and returning.
What I do is rather than beginning the splice with the normal lay of the rope, I take the bitter end that I have unlaid and wrap it 180 degrees around the working end before starting the splice. That forces a twist in the eye that requires one to untwist the eye in order to mount it on the cleat. That helps to prevent the eye from slipping off the cleat due to boat or crew movement.
Hope that helps. I'll try to take a video clip of it the next time to the boat. Sorry for the confusion.
I splice all my own stuff; I have a set of Selma Fids and a D-Splicer. I made a holder for my fids and ceramic knives by taking a kitchen knife block and filling the big slots with epoxy, then drilling the matching size holes for the fids. I left two of the small knife slots for the ceramic knives and the scissors square hole for my kevlar shears.
Anyway, I think splicing is an essential skill... If one is going to master sailing it is wise to to keep up the practice on such things and keep learning new tricks.
I completely agree that eye splicing double braid is a royal PITA... My solution is (breaking out another thousand) and building myself a rigger's bench out of an 8 ft section of butch block counter top, has belay pins on the ends, and a bronze self tailing winch permanently mounted in one corner. Brion Toss will $hit himself when he sees this bench completed.
Anyway, I think splicing is an essential skill... If one is going to master sailing it is wise to to keep up the practice on such things and keep learning new tricks.
I completely agree that eye splicing double braid is a royal PITA... My solution is (breaking out another thousand) and building myself a rigger's bench out of an 8 ft section of butch block counter top, has belay pins on the ends, and a bronze self tailing winch permanently mounted in one corner. Brion Toss will $hit himself when he sees this bench completed.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,786
I've sourced bulk rope from a logging rigging store, finding the same line sold in marine stores for half the cost. Splicing, braided and 3 twist rope for the various needs on the boat. It is fun. My first lines were a bit short. Then I heard from a fellow sailor to make lines long enough to reach from the bow to just short of the prop. This makes so much sense.
I did pick up a pair of the 25ft Red-White-Blue lines. It was just to good a deal. I use them when I visit other marinas. They elicit positive comments.
I did pick up a pair of the 25ft Red-White-Blue lines. It was just to good a deal. I use them when I visit other marinas. They elicit positive comments.
Fixed that for you, Cloud.
Did you send a picture to the Hutton folks? If you send me a copy, I'm going to post it in the "Favorite Sailing Pics" thread.
Most run the eye through the center hole of the cleat before wrapping the loop around the horn.
I did email a pic to Hutton... no reply, LOL. If you click the pic I posted in that thread it should take you to the photo bucket page and you can make a copy of the pic. I will be working on welding up the steel frame for my Riggers Bench soon, so hopefully I'll have pics of that with the winch mounted on it, maybe a video of who the winch helps to set in the eye in a double braid eye splice as well.Fixed that for you, Cloud.
Hi Brian, imagine, if you will, that the line in the pictures below is three strand. Rather than beginning the splice as you normally would with the working and bitter end laying naturally, I start the splice 180 degrees from the normal position. That places a twist in the eye. The eye remains the same size, except you have to untwist the eye to mount it on the cleat.
What I do is unlay the bitter end to the length I want and where I have placed a piece of electrical tape to prevent further unlaying. That tape is my splice start point.
In the picture below imagine that the line is un-layed to the tape, I then place the taped part of the line underneath the working end by 180 degrees and start my splice there. As you can see that places a twist in the eye, making it smaller in size while on the cleat, thus helping to prevent it from coming off. The eye is still the same size in diameter, but the twist makes the loop part smaller. I hope this helps.
There is a simple technique that I use for mounting and dismounting the twisted eye from the cleat rather than actually opening the eye, and that is to swing the eye from side to side letting the cleat horn slide through the eye twist.
A short video clip will help answer questions and I will do that the next time to the boat. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,786
Was just up in Toss land. He now has a Toss Mobile (see car in foreground)
Your bench may be a bit big for his wheels...