Life lines and padding

jssailem · Jun 21, 2020

Cushions, we don’t need no stinking cushions!

Lots of folk put cushions on “LIFE LINES”. I often wonder if they consider the issues.

Life lines are meant to be grabbed as a last chance to stay on the boat. Anything you put on them will rotate as you fly past the lifeline trying to grab it and save your life.

Besides do you really want to encourage crew to be leaning on your soft padded life lines, pushing against your stanchions, creating a crack in the base so water can seep beneath the fiberglass surface and eventually into the boat?

Sure being up ended by a rogue wave may never happen to you (because you stay in port when the weather gets nasty). Most accidents happen in the marina. Cleaning the cockpit you trip on the hose, or step back into the bucket and before you know it you are heading for the water. Life line rescue or rolling right over it as you spin on that soft cushion, nose forward right towards that seal that’s been swimming around the boat.

Your boat your choice.

Ron20324 · Jun 21, 2020

jssailem said:
Your boat your choice.

That's why he said "the question was cushions", not a sermon about all your other rantings. If you don't want to accomodate the fellow, go get a beer.

dlochner · Jun 21, 2020

For some of the reasons @jssailem mentioned I would not put cushions on the lifelines, especially the mid section. Leaning against the life lines is not that uncomfortable.

On a J24 that has been raced closely inspect the stanchion bases. The deck is cored and the stanchions take a lot of abuse from the crew hiking out. The bases become loose and water seeps into the core and rots the deck.

NYSail · Jun 21, 2020

On my last boat.... a 1986 Pearson 36-2 I had cushions on the top and middle in the cockpit and also middle at the extreme bow. In the cockpit it was perfect sailing and view position to lean back onto. In the front it accommodates the feet draggers.

be happy and sail. Worry to much and you won’t have any fun

Greg

Ken Cross · Jun 21, 2020

We do have a cushion on the upper line in the cockpit. The lower line is bare. If I sit on the combing, I can't feel the lower lifeline because I hardly touch it. I have no issue with the cockpit padding because I'm not likely to fall that way. If I'm standing it's too far to fall against it. Sitting on the combing it's chest high. I could possibly fall out of I stood on the combing or seat, but it would be unusual for me to do that while underway.

Having said all that, I do find myself reclining against the pushpit.

Forward lifelines are a different animal. I want them bare.

Ken

ontherocks83 · Jun 21, 2020

On our last family owned boat on lake Winnipesaukee we had cushions on the life lines in the cockpit. To be honest sitting on the combing next to the winches and leaning back on the life lines was my favorite seat on the boat. I have years of UNFORGETTABLE memories soaking it all in from that spot.

Now that we have a boat on the ocean, and being the father of small children, and being the captain I do miss those cushions. However, I am much more hesitant to put them on this boat.

Maybe I am getting older and more paranoid but in the 25 years on the lake we had one time where the life line was not secured correctly and one of our crew fell overboard at night. He was able to grab the aft pulpit and stay with the boat while we pulled him back on board with only his ego being bruised, but it was a scary endeavor.

If I were single and childless I would rant and rave about how they are the best thing ever, because to be honest I LOVED having them!!! Now as being the one in charge of the safety of others I am severely conflicted about whether or not they are a good idea. Falling overboard on a dead calm night on a lake while under power is a mostly recoverable event (as we experienced). Falling overboard in the ocean with a current and a swell is an entirely different story. YMMV but it really is your role of the dice on whether they are a comfort item or a safety item. I still haven't decided yet myself.

thinwater · Jun 22, 2020

I have seen 2-inch webbing used for the aft section. Strong enough, probably quite comfortable, won't spin when you grab it, and probably a better grip than bare wire. You would need to replace it every 5 years, but it is just a drop-in section. No personal experience.

Justin_NSA · Jun 22, 2020

G0ri11@ said:
Question is regarding cushions. I’ll do the top lifeline in the cockpit and in the mid portion of the boat. But should I also do the bottom line in the cockpit. Would like to make it as comfortable as possible, but it’s unclear to me how much comfort the bottom will really add.

Given the typical body angle, I doubt lower pads would add any comfort. The admiral thinks we need them but the lifelines are so far outboard no one gets close to leaning against them.

srimes · Jun 22, 2020

The dyneema will be more comfortable than wire, especially if you oversize them. Try it first and see. Still needs cushions? Test with pool noodles and see what you need before ordering permanent cushions.

Tally Ho · Jun 23, 2020

I took the cushions off my lifelines...looked like crap and made stowing their lines when at the dock a pain.

Greg

srimes · Jul 9, 2020

G0ri11@ said:
I'm working on installing the lifelines. I've cut the first line to the approximate length I need, but I'm wondering if I should undersize it a little to allow for stretch.

At the forward end, the line will be attached to an eyelet at the pulpit by looping through a locked eye splice. At the aft end, I'll have a thimble in an eye splice that will be lashed to the attachment point on the push-pit. I'm wondering how long I should plan to make the lashing, or how short I might want to leave the line so that as it stretches over time it will still pull tight with the lashing.

Thanks

Are you going with dyneema? I did, and if so you need to plan on a LOT of construction stretch. You can pre-stretch it before installing, or install and re-tighten.

Meriachee · Jul 9, 2020

They turned out so nice i dont wanna lean on them.

srimes · Jul 9, 2020

G0ri11@ said:
Yeah, I was thinking about pre-stretching. What method did you use? I have a woodworking bench with a tail vise that I have used to stretch smaller sections of line before for soft shackles, but never anything this long (about 25').

Hooked 1 end to the wife's tahoe, other to my suburban, pulled slowly until the tahoe started to drag lol. You could pull it tight between trees and then pull the middle sideways for extra tension. I was trying to get 10-20% rated load on the line. I used 1/4 winch rope, rated at 7,500 lb or so.

Can also use the boat winches to help some, but mine are too small to get full load on that size line. You can just lash it on and pull up hard on the line for a bit and re-lash it.

It doesn't stretch much once the construction stretch is taken out.

Life lines and padding

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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