Knotting and caring for genoa sheets

[Rich18836]

We had to take down our furling genoa and get the leech cord replaced and the seam re-stiched because the seam opened and the cord got hooked on the shroud while tacking. We dropped the genoa and took it to a sail loft. In the next couple of days we will be reinstalling it, but we realized we didn’t notice the type of knot that was used to tie the sheets to it. What type of knot would be best for the port and starboard lines? We couldn’t find anything on the forum about this even though I remembered seeing something about a year ago.While we had the lines off, it was suggested to soak them in fabric softener in a 5-gallon bucket to un-stiffen them. Any suggestions on what type of fabric softener to use, and what the proportion of mixture should be? How long should they be soaked, a couple of days? Should they then be rinsed in fresh water and let to dry in the sun before hooking them up to the genoa? We searched the forums on this subject too, but to no avail. This is our first time, but I am sure there are lots of sailors out there that have done this many times. Any help would really be appreciated.Rich

 

[fsupersal]

Knot

the knot is called a bowline . It easily can be takin apart and is twice the strenth of the rope

 

[Joe]

Knots and sheet care

Attach the jib sheets with a bowline. You can soak the rope in mild liquid detergent or fabric softener, one or two capfulls in a 5 gallon bucket, whatever the directions say on the bottle. Soak them for an hour then flake them out somewher and let them dry in the sun.The best way to take care of your sheets is to remove them when not sailing, to keep the sun and elements from damaging them. Most casual sailors with roller furling don't however. So the if you want to leave them attached all the time, like most casual sailors do, then coil them up and store them in a bag on the pulpit.If you don't know how to tie a bowline, I suggest you get a basic sailing fundamentals book where your basic maintenance issues will be answered.

 

[Jentine]

WASH YOUR LINES

When I remove my sheets, I coil them in a loop that will fit the drum of the washing machine and tie the coil about every foot around the circumference, put them in the washing machine on gentle cycle and wash them with a fabric softener and detergent. I do the same for the docklines and any painters or other assorted lines. They handle better in the spring and last longer IMHO. Hang them to dry in a well ventilated space and you are good to go.Jim

 

[Didereaux]

NO knot is stronger than the line

NO knot is or can be stronger than the line it is tied in(Newton, Physics, and horse sense won't allow it!). A bowline is ~85-90% of the ropes strength.

 

[Gord May]

Knot Strength

For roller-furling jib sheet attachment, I’ve sometimes used an “Alpine Butterfly” knot on a shackle or carabineer. This allows me to use a single (double length) sheet, on a quick-disconnect attachment, making it easy to remove and properly store the sheets (I’m lazy).http://www.scoutxing.com/knots/alpine_butterfly/alpine_butterfly.htmfsupersal:ALL knots, including the Bowline, reduce the strength of the rope in which they’re tied. The bowline is (variously) estimated to reduce the strength of a rope to about 60 - 75 of the rope’s original strength. The Alpine Butterfly is estimated to reduce the rope strength to about 70 - 75 percent of original (it’s stronger than the bowline).For a little more info’, goto: http://cruisersforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1885FWIW,Gord May

 

[Stu Jackson]

Jib Sheets

RichIf you use the bowline, make sure you tie it in the right direction.This means: make sure the easy "untie" loop of the knot is running away from the loop of the line through the clew of the sail, or else it'll be hard, if not impossible, to get the knot off later, which is the whole reason for using it in the first place.To better understand, and to avoid typing five pages here, try this: get a length of line about the same diameter as your jib sheets. Tie a bowline through a hoop of some kind, and do it first, facing the hoop, and second away from the hoop (the hoop taking the place of your sail's clew). Snug the lines tight and see which is easier to get apart. If the "untie" goes towards the loop made by the bowline, there won't be any room to move it and you'd eventually have to cut the line off anyway.I've gotta write a better explanation than this one of these days, but I did learn the hard way.Stu

 

[Warren M.]

Knots and Sheet Loading

I use two separate lines and tie bowlines to the genoa cringle. Never had one slip. Never had a line break in over 30 yrs of sailing. Some people use a long single line in which they tie an overhand knot about 8-10 inches back from the bight, then feed the two ends thru the loop which is around the cringle. I don't recommend any type of metal shackle attachment as if you ever have to go forward to deal with or tame the sail, a flogging metal shackle will make a believer out of you quickly.FWIW, the "sheet load" formula on your genoa sheet is: windspeed squared x .004 x sail area in square feet. Using this formula, you can see that it would take an enormous amount of wind loading a large,unfurled/unreefed headsail to even come close to the breaking strength of the average sized sheet tied with any kind of knot. So don't worry about knots reducing the strength of your sheets unless you plan to sail unreefed into hurricanes...

 

[bleathen]

Chlorox??

The previous owner of my boat told me that I should wash some of the lines in a mild solution of Chlorox. I think he had done this when he owned it. Frankly I have never taken the time to do that, but from this discussion, - What do you all think about chlorox as a cleaing solution?

 

[Calif. Ted]

I'd hesitate to use Clorox, it does bad things

to most synthetic fibers. Your cleaning lines for feel and appearance, shouldn't take much and the milder the better. Mostly just a good freshwater rinsing will remove a lot of the grit, fabric softener to keep rope from drying stiff. Dirt is bad for rope cause it's abrasive but I think bleach would be just as bad.

 

[Gord May]

Never Bleach Ropes

As Ted said - Don't bleach ropes !!!Basic Rope Care:Dirt will shorten the life of your rope by increasing internal and external abrasion. Wash your rope occasionally in cold water with small amounts of mild soap only. Make sure to rinse thoroughly. Fabric softener may be used to give better flexibility and a softer hand to the rope. DO NOT USE BLEACH OR BLEACH SUBSTITUTES. Your rope should always be air dried away from direct sunlight – DO NOT DRY ROPE IN A DRYER.Protect your rope from exposure to harsh chemicals. Do not allow your rope to come in contact with any compounds containing acids or alkalis, oxidizing agents or bleaching compounds. Be especially careful to avoid contact with battery acid or acid fumes.Avoid contact with petroleum substances such as gasoline and oil, which do not appreciably affect nylon ropes by themselves - but may contain additives that can cause damage. These substances also attract dirt which causes the rope to wear more quickly.Never step on a rope. Stepping on a rope grinds dirt into the rope fibers, causing excessive wear.Inspect your rope before and after each use. It is the user’s responsibility to know the history of the rope and to determine when it should be retired. When in doubt, retire your rope. Generally, a rope should be discarded after any substantial shock loading, if it has flat or soft spots, becomes stiff, or shows mechanical damage (chafe). About Fabric Softeners & Rope:Tests conducted in a study by Smith (1988) indicate that treatment with concentrated fabric softener reduced the strength of a new rope.Frank (1989)* showed that certain ropes treated with dilute softener (per manufacturer’s recommendations) were stronger than the same rope without softening, after aging and washing.Frank reported that the likely mechanism at work explaining these results, is that the fiber lubricants contained in new rope are lost with age, allowing the fibers to cut one another. Fabric softener replaces some of the lubricants. Excess softening leaves the rope effectively wet, with the corresponding loss in strength.* “Fabric Softener and Rescue Rope” by James A. Frank (‘Nylon Highway’ 128' - 1989).HTH,Gord May