How should I set up the jack lines in the cockpit? What kind of ring should I connect it to and where is it placed ? Also I have a dodger. Should the lines run near the companionway, under the dodger, so they stay on the deck?
Jack Line attachment
- Thread starter Jwhy
- Start date
Often you can slip one of these under an existing bolt. Where is rather boat-specific.
The purpose of a jack line is to allow you to clip on from the cockpit and traverse the boat bow to stern if necessary without having to un-clip - i.e., two hands for the boat at all times until you reach your destination. At sea, on all of our boats, we have run the lines P & S along the decks from bow to stern cleats, outside the headsail track, inside the shrouds. As far as cockpit safety, we have most often had well-backed 3/8" - 1/2" ring-bolts P & S adjacent to the companionway. These are much stronger than a fitting with an offset attachment point.
Pete
Perhaps, but you should think about how many hundreds of thousands (millions perhaps?) of falls have been taken on bolt hangers by rock climbers. I'm sure I've taken thousands myself. I don't think any marine safety hardware has this sort of safety track record, so there isn't a safety difference. Just sayin'.
Point taken, but I'm at a loss trying to figure out where I could "slip one of these under an existing bolt" in a piece of hardware mounted with 3/8" bolts on the aft doghouse bulkhead. If I'm gonna drill a hole that large, it will have a proper ring bolt.
"Thouands of falls" climbing?? Like an average of one or more a climb? That's gotta seriously limit your sailing time!
Pete
Don't you want to prevent the tether from being able to drag you six feet behind the boat of you fall out of the cockpit?
I've heard a lot of recommendations to stop the jack lines at the front of the cockpit so that never can happen.
I've heard a lot of recommendations to stop the jack lines at the front of the cockpit so that never can happen.
Put a folding pad eye just outside the companionway for tethering. Can be reached without climbing out. Plan to put one on the port side and use for the jacklines but for the moment I just tether the baby in so she can't jump ship.
She looks just like she's wondering why the skipper is yelling "sheet! sheet!"
Why is it that some people comment on subjects of which they are ignorant, thereby proving themselves to be fools?
^^ My jacklines stop on the cabin top (hard top). That allows enough length to just reach the stern rail. Similarly, they stop 3' short of the bow. I don't like using deck cleats, since they have other uses.
The forward end is secured to a bolt hanger with a backing plate. These tramp bolts go through a nice meaty bit of hull flange. The aft end is also secured to a bolt hanger, in than case under a bolt that secures a hand rail (backing plate). No new holes, $40 in hardware (both sides). Yes, I actually use rope, because it withstands UV and is not located where I can step on it (cabin side); polyester webbing is better for most folks.
http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2016/06/too-long-tethers.html
The forward end is secured to a bolt hanger with a backing plate. These tramp bolts go through a nice meaty bit of hull flange. The aft end is also secured to a bolt hanger, in than case under a bolt that secures a hand rail (backing plate). No new holes, $40 in hardware (both sides). Yes, I actually use rope, because it withstands UV and is not located where I can step on it (cabin side); polyester webbing is better for most folks.
http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2016/06/too-long-tethers.html
So I assume by the distinctly un-civil tone of your remark that the "falls" referred to are intentional maneuvers rather than what us ignorant non-climber "fools" would assume to be scary, unintentional drops rescued by the harness belayed to a bolt or piton. So, being the expert on climbing "falls" you claim to be, how many thousands of these have you experienced?
I just went through a big debate on this subject on another forum before setting up a jack line for a single handed trip I did last week. The consensus seemed to be that with jack lines at the rails, and a reasonable length tether, if you fall overboard you'll go in the drink and be dragged beside the boat, with little hope of being able to get back on board. One train of thought was a single jack line from cabin top to bow down the center of the boat such that in a fall you wouldn't end up in the water. This made sense to me, and that's how I set mine up. I have cleats at the right places on the cabin top and at the bow I attached the jack line to. Fortunately I didn't have to put this setup to the test during my trip.
I didn't, nor have I ever, claimed to be an expert on climbing falls. On the other hand, I know enough about climbing so that I trust the equipment and protocols that climbers use. I can clearly see that most sailboat jackline setups are made with ignorance of falling forces and distances, so I trust people who understand climbing protection more than I trust comments like "...we have most often had well-backed 3/8" - 1/2" ring-bolts P & S adjacent to the companionway. These are much stronger than a fitting with an offset attachment point."
To answer your question, I have no freakin' clue how many times I have fallen while climbing. Let's just say countless. I prefer sport climbing, so my multiple of falls on fixed protection vs. trad is at least 50:1. Falling on fixed protection has rarely been scary for me; trad protection sometimes is sketchy (which is why I prefer to lead, but I still get anxious). I've never fallen on a piton, nor have I ever used one.
My climbing experience informs my opinion that sailors should be short-tethered to fixed points that are strategically distributed and jacklines should be eliminated or at least de-emphasized. I'm not the first person to reach this conclusion. My harnessed-to-a-boat experience is limited to being tied to a fixed point in the cockpit, so I am interested in reading about experiences of people who have actually fallen while tethered rather than the conjecture that is so prevalent in sailboat forums and blogs.