Dyneema lifeline gates Q’s

[fred1diver]

Hello all

we are getting our lifelines modified, we had them cut at the last stanchion and have our local rigger add an eye so we can open and close the gate there instead of the back.
We are planning to make the gate out of dyneema, we have everything on hand.
My question is this, should I make them with eyes at both ends (non adjustable) or make an eye at one end and a woopie sling at the other to facilitate the adjustment???

once properly adjusted I would probably see the trailing end so it wont move.

what are your thoughts???

 

[Foswick]

I tried this a few times on our current and previous boat. The conclusion I came to is that it wasn't worth using Dyneema for that short stretch. Replacing the entire lifeline makes tons of sense, but by the time you add something like a pelican clip on one and and a loop on the other end, there isn't much left. So, the low-stretch benefit is really minimal.

Would still be a good upgrade, but we found adjustment to be too much hassle. Because the adjustment needs to be so fine, after fussing with a few approaches, I finally concluded that the only way we were going to get a good result was to add a turnbuckle. And, that would leave something like a foot of cordage.

I'm sure there is a satisfactory way to do it, and someone here will know it, but that was my experience and conclusion.

I still have the materials on-hand, so would be interested to hear other suggestions.

 

[thinwater]

Unless the stanchion is braced as a gate opening you must be mindful that it does not take much weight on the top wire to bend the stanchion.

I've used whoopee slings + wire gate climbing carabiner for this and still do; they are light and simple, but tend to be hard to adjust after they age, so I would go with a pelican hook-type if it is used frequently. For a gate that is only infrequently used, a great solution. Adding a little athletic tape for grip in the right places helps. The trick is that you need a tiny bit of slack before they will let go and release.

 

[fred1diver]

our gate is around 4 feet long, the front of the lifelines will still be as line with turnbuckles at the front, the eyes my rigger installed do have adjustments as well, I am just so seeing if it would be better to take exact measurements for the gate or make it adjustable for ease of making it.
In the end even if I make it adjustable, it will end up fixed after final adjustments, I was mainly wondering if the fact that the woopie is adjustable, it might cause too much friction and weaken the adjustable eye. But thinking about it, I don’t think it would.

Our port gate is our main gate, so it is used every time we go sailing, the starboard is mainly used when going to pump out!

We don’t want the dyneema for the low stretch, but mainly because when we open the ss gate, it always tends to be a trip hazard, the dyneema being more flexible will allow us to keep it out of the way of the ins and outs of the boat.

 

[Foswick]

our gate is around 4 feet long

Ah, then it does start to make more sense. Ours are ... I don't know ... something like 20".

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Hello all

we are getting our lifelines modified, we had them cut at the last stanchion and have our local rigger add an eye so we can open and close the gate there instead of the back.
We are planning to make the gate out of dyneema, we have everything on hand.
My question is this, should I make them with eyes at both ends (non adjustable) or make an eye at one end and a woopie sling at the other to facilitate the adjustment???

once properly adjusted I would probably see the trailing end so it wont move.

what are your thoughts???

Dyneema will relax a bit over time after splicing due to “conformal stretch”. In a low load application such as lifelines that isn’t from fiber elongation - it’s from working the spaces out of the splice.
The best way to allow for adjustment is to add a lashing at one end.

 

[thinwater]

our gate is around 4 feet long, the front of the lifelines will still be as line with turnbuckles at the front, the eyes my rigger installed do have adjustments as well, I am just so seeing if it would be better to take exact measurements for the gate or make it adjustable for ease of making it.
In the end even if I make it adjustable, it will end up fixed after final adjustments, I was mainly wondering if the fact that the woopie is adjustable, it might cause too much friction and weaken the adjustable eye. But thinking about it, I don’t think it would.

Our port gate is our main gate, so it is used every time we go sailing, the starboard is mainly used when going to pump out!

We don’t want the dyneema for the low stretch, but mainly because when we open the ss gate, it always tends to be a trip hazard, the dyneema being more flexible will allow us to keep it out of the way of the ins and outs of the boat.

A whoopee sling is about 25% weaker than a spliced eye according to Samson. It will not slip. I don't under stand the friction question.

This replaced a stainless line that was stiff and in the way. The tape is NOT at the rope exit, but rather is there to make grabbing the rope easier for making adjustments. Just like making an eye splice except ...

• Leave the tail very long.
• Put a stopper knot on the end so that it cannot accidentally pull in. Some folks use a smaller backsplice (looks neat), but the knot is easier to grab. Function over form for me.
• No lock stitching. Obviously.

The only downside is that if you pull it very tight it can jam. You need a micro bit of slack in order to release the whoopee sling. Practice.

 

[jssailem]

I installed fixed length dynema gates on my boat back in 2016. I’ll take a photo when it gets light. I used pelican hooks. I like their hand feel. When released they hang vertically out of the way. I’ve not observed any sagging. If such occurred it could be taken up by adjusting the pelican hook. They have been in the weather 365 for 9 years. I chose to bury the ends of an eye splice. This has the additional benefit of increasing the hand feel by doubling the diameter of the line.

 

[thinwater]

I installed fixed length dynema gates on my boat back in 2016. I’ll take a photo when it gets light. I used pelican hooks. I like their hand feel. When released they hang vertically out of the way. I’ve not observed any sagging. If such occurred it could be taken up by adjusting the pelican hook. They have been in the weather 365 for 9 years. I chose to bury the ends of an eye splice. This has the additional benefit of increasing the hand feel by doubling the diameter of the line.

^^ This is what I would do for a frequently used gate. Just like that. I had two gates like that aft on my cruising cat. The forward (less used) gates use a fork secured with a hitch pin through a welded eye on the pulpit. That also worked very well.

 

[Richard19068]

I installed fixed length dynema gates on my boat back in 2016. I’ll take a photo when it gets light. I used pelican hooks. I like their hand feel. When released they hang vertically out of the way. I’ve not observed any sagging. If such occurred it could be taken up by adjusting the pelican hook. They have been in the weather 365 for 9 years. I chose to bury the ends of an eye splice. This has the additional benefit of increasing the hand feel by doubling the diameter of the line.

That's pretty much what i have done.

How do you feel about the 9 years? What life span are you thinking of getting?

 

[jssailem]

Here are the images I promised.
Note: I have a defined gate supporting the stanchion, not just a single stanchion.

 

[jssailem]

The new line shine of the outside fibers is starting to show age.