Finally got the boat wet
- Thread starter JohnGill
- Start date
No more so than cotter pins or tails of twisted wire. If snagging is an issue, then butyl sail tape is a great way of covering them up. I would argue that split rings, properly applied, are actually less prone to snagging than either of the other two suggestions.
A little reading and my own experience has taught me differently. Here's an excerpt from the book in my hand right now:
Attachments
What is "butyl sail tape"? I have some butyl tape I got from MaineSail, but it is a sticky grey stuff that I use for bedding. If there is some kind of specialty tape that is good to wrap around the pins in the turnbuckles, I may buy some. For example, on the turnbuckles that secure the lifelines.
I’m a fan of self-amalgamating tape. Only sticks to itself. The tighter you stretch it, the better it sticks. Brand name is rescue tape.
https://www.amazon.com/Rescue-Tape-Self-Fusing-Silicone-Rectangular/dp/B07BLZ3812?th=1&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Rescue-Tape-Self-Fusing-Silicone-Rectangular/dp/B07BLZ3812?th=1&psc=1
Scar-pins are handy but fail easily. Many of them will break where the pin is attached to the velcro. This kind of deal is really intended for people that adjust their shroud tension every day. Most people that do that now secure their rigging another way, most commonly by securing the turnbuckle bodies of the uppers and lower shrouds together with dyneema, or a small batten. If the bodies cannot turn the tension will not change.
So it sounds like the best route to take here is cotter pins with electrical tape? I noticed there were a lot of boats that had electrical tape on their turnbuckles at the marina this weekend.
Side note I spent the weekend on the boat doing some random projects but got to sail a friend's O'Day 272 which was super nice. Noticed I needed a lot a practice and got caught in the irons a few times while trying to tack. It was a great learning experience.
Side note I spent the weekend on the boat doing some random projects but got to sail a friend's O'Day 272 which was super nice. Noticed I needed a lot a practice and got caught in the irons a few times while trying to tack. It was a great learning experience.
If that rescue tape is the non-sticky, stretchy stuff that sort of sticks to itself, you can also buy something like it (or identical to it) at the big box stores. HD has it in the electrical department.
Also, if you like them, use turnbuckle boots - they cover the whole turnbuckle so if you have bent over cotter pins the pin's sharp tips are inside the tube.
Also, if you like them, use turnbuckle boots - they cover the whole turnbuckle so if you have bent over cotter pins the pin's sharp tips are inside the tube.
On the scar-pins
Exactly. It's easy on easy off. And yes, the velcro will crack, they need to be replaced every couple of years.