Life lines

Ed Schenck · May 31, 2010

Originally your boat had the covered lifelines with pelican hooks at the very ends. Some have added extra hardware for a gate. Ideally a gate requires two different stanchions with side support. Most do as I do, simply unhook at the aft end and drop the wire to the deck. That's only for very old people who cannot step over the lines.

There is lots written about the merits of bare wire. The problem is the wire is very small and uncomfortable without the cover. The next size wire without a cover is too large for the holes in the stanchion. Most stay with covered wire. If you Google "lifelines" you will also find the debate about using synthetic line or rope.

dbecker68 · May 31, 2010

Thanks for the info, Ed.

I have been giving thought to replacing my old, ragged lifelines, too, on my 1982 H-30. No damage yet, just unsightly. The existing lines are the plastic-coated stainliess, with pelican hooks only on the aft end.
The Admiral wants a gate mid-ships to allow less agile guests to step through, rather than over, the lifelines. I had not considered the side support issue. I appreciate your bringing that up, Ed.

Ed Schenck · May 31, 2010

The lateral support is important: lifeline_gate . I have seen it done with existing stanchions using a couple of eye ring ends. But you can't tension the wires. Or if you do then you can't open the gate. The lateral support can be as simple as having a good welder add an angled support with the appropriate foot

J Hunter · May 31, 2010

You guys re-fitting your lifelines might have noticed this but on my '76 h-30 only one end of the original lifelines (with the threaded end on, but the pelican hook and lock nut removed) fits through the holes in the stanchions. I forget if I looked to see whether this was just an aggressive crimp that happened by coincidence to one end of each lifeline at the aft end, or if it was a different, larger diameter end, but before I noticed it I was under the impression that I had to do the crimping on the boat when I shortened them the first time to compensate for stretching. Would have been easier and cheaper if I knew I could have just slipped the other end through the holes and had them shortened at the boatyard shop, like I've done once since.

DianaOfBurlington · Jun 5, 2010

Upgrading lifelines

There are two major considerations for fitting new lifelines. The first is the wire. Prior wisdom specified that horrid white coating over SS 7x7 (steering and halyard) cable. The first issue is that 7x7 cable, being what it is, has many more crevices to collect moisture, which seems to ooze its way down the cable from the ends and lurk under under the 'protective' plastic coating till it can corrode away as much of the cable as it can. This weakens the cable and, best of all, does it out of your sight. People tend to replace this stuff only when the white stuff begins to look bad. That's about twice as long as it should have been on the boat.

Modern conventional wisdom specifies 1x19 (rigging) cable for lifelines. In fact the ORC prohibits any offshore racing boat from having anything else. 1x19 is stronger, less prone to corrosion, smoother (not like naked 7x7 which is full of burrs to snag your skin), stiffer (but lifelines do not have to bend round halyard sheaves), and best of all does NOT come with that horrid white stuff that goes chalky over time, collects grease and bird-poop stains and demands way more time than it's worth in keeping it clean.

The other consideration is for the hardware. Good solid machine-swage fittings, as from Hayn or C Sherman Johnson, work as well on 1x19 as they do on 7x7 (the machine swage is actually overkill on the weaker 7x7). And it is absolutely vital that you use ONLY machine-swage hardware. Rigging Only tell you in their catalogue, in BOLD letters, 'WE DO NOT SELL HAND-CRIMP LIFELINE HARDWARE'. First of all, hand-crimp will not work on 1x19. Hand-crimp is for small racing dinghy shrouds and for hanging porch swings. It is not for anything that might need to save you from flying across the deck in 60 MPH of wind into 20-foot waves in the dead of night when it's the only thing keeping you from a watery unmarked grave that you won't even get to relax in till you get to tread water for 30 minutes of hypothermia watching your boat sail away without you first.

Also, and this goes without saying, the fewer ends with hardware swaged to them at all the better you are. On Diana I have (count them) FOUR separate lengths of lifelines on each side, including the secondary, upper, length from the forward stanchion to the pulpit that can be removed to let out the jib. This is not good; but it kind of has to be what it is to do the job right. Therefore it is all 5/32" 1x19 rigging-grade cable, with cast-SS Hayn rigging-grade fittings (and the fabricated-SS CSJ pelican hook, because I like it), with bronze-bodied open turnbuckles with appropriate cotter rings to keep them from turning.

(BTW I was not fond of Suncor's lifeline hardware which we installed on the latest C44. It was clunky, HEAVY, poorly polished and awkward to install and adjust. I'll stick with old standbys that I know well.)

So I have basically a bulletproof system, but it's adequate for clipping the harness to it; and I really don't see a point to having lifelines at all if they won't support your harness cord.

Blaise · Jun 8, 2010

We just replaced Midnight Suns lifelines with 1x19 1/4 inch wire. Big enough not to ebe painfull, but must be swaged in place because the swage ends will not go through the holes in the lifelines. Bare wire is going to be required by PHRF soon. The plastic covers corrosion. The bare wire is VERY hard on sheets.

Jim Legere · Jun 9, 2010

"The other consideration is for the hardware. Good solid machine-swage fittings, as from Hayn or C Sherman Johnson, work as well on 1x19 as they do on 7x7 (the machine swage is actually overkill on the weaker 7x7). And it is absolutely vital that you use ONLY machine-swage hardware."

JC: I always enjoy your input - it as close as we get to the designer in this world! What is your opinion of a machine rolled swage on one end of the lifeline and a made-up terminal like Gibb/Norseman or StaLoc on the other? This way a large diameter 1 X 19 wire can be threaded through the stanchion tops without the need to remove pieces to the rigging shop. I am planning to replace my vinyl covered lifelines with 1/4" as Blaise did.

Don12364 · Jun 9, 2010

And Another Thing

It is not a good idea to use a turnbuckle at the cockpit end because if ever you need to try to recover a man overboard then it takes far too long to undo the turnbuckles to get rid of the lifelines so he/she can be pulled on board.
A lanyard of several turns of thin cord is so quick to cut in an emergency and equally easy to replace afterwards.

The Offshore Racing Council does not permit turnbuckles.

See below as lifted from 'Dock Talk':-
"New for 2010, the ORC special regulations will accept Dyneema lifelines for Cat 1 and 2 type events. See the following new rules.

Quote:
3.14.6 Lifeline Minimum Diameters, Required Materials, Specifications
a) Lifelines shall be of :
- stranded stainless steel wire or
- single-braided Dyneema® rope

b) The minimum diameter is specified in table 8 below.

c) Stainless steel lifelines shall be uncoated and used without closefitting
sleeving, however, temporary sleeving may be fitted provided
it is regularly removed for inspection.

d) When stainless wire is used, Grade 316 is recommended.

e) When Dyneema® is used, Grade SK75 or SK78 is recommended.

f) A taut lanyard of synthetic rope may be used to secure lifelines
provided the gap it closes does not exceed 100 mm (4 in). This
lanyard shall be replaced annually at a minimum.

g) All wire, fittings, anchorage points, fixtures and lanyards shall
comprise a lifeline enclosure system which has at all points at least
the breaking strength of the required lifeline wire.

TABLE 8
LOA minimum wire or rope diameter
under 8.5 m (28ft) 3 mm (1/8 in)
8.5m - 13 m 4 mm (5/32 in)
over 13 m (43 ft) 5 mm (3/16 in)"

DianaOfBurlington · Jun 16, 2010

More lifeline considerations

First of all, Blaise, good job; but that 1/4" sounds whopping big! Mine is no bigger than the rigging wire. It does not look too great in the big holes of the stanchions but it's adequate. You have to keep in mind the 'jerk load' -- much more than a static or even progressively increasing load, as on backstays (except when jibing, which is more of a jerk load). A 200-lb guy going into the lifelines at a good rate-- or, worse, his MOB harness point-loading the wire at one small place-- shouldn't rip the fittings off or break the wire or yank stanchions out of the deck. I once sailed with an uncle with new lifelines who wouldn't let anyone lean on them. I insist on being able to stand on mine. Remember this stuff is RIGGING-- not decoration. The worst thing in the world is a safety crutch that really isn't reliable.

Jim, thanks for the vote of confidence. I try to impart as much from the boat-BUILDING and boat-DESIGNING trade as I can, assuming this is probably a minority viewpoint. I worked at West Marine, too, long enough to know that what is presented to boat owners is barely the tip of the iceberg and quite often just plain untrue. Also keep in mind that there are suppliers and parts available through channels other than big retailers like WM. Don't be lazy-- do your research! I use Jamestown and Rigging Only frequently. APS and Landfall are excellent with sea-grade safety stuff as well.

I have to say that in restoring Diana I have used as much builder-grade process, equipment, and so on as I could, to the point where the boat is definitely better-built and better-equipped than it was when new. I would take that boat anywhere (and may).

Donalex, thanks for the specification from the ORC. I had heard about the TB the cockpit end. My boat has a fixed section spanning two stanchion-spaces (about 11 ft) at the middle of the side. In front is a fixed section leading down from the forward stanchion to the deck at the bow. This is to keep permanent tension on the whole system. Above this section is a piece going straight from the top of the stanchion to the pulpit. This is the one removable for facilitating the jib flying out and has an adjustable pelican hook. Aft of the main fixed section is the gate with another pelican hook. (Right now I don't really have the pulpits on; they're being redone. The piece from stanchion down to bow holds tension on the whole system and the 'gate', for now, is a longer piece going to the deck aft.)

I just have not been persuaded over to Dyneema at all. We had a C-48 schooner rigged with it. It worries me. If the strength rating is there, fine, but a badly-thrown fileting knife can de-rig the whole boat. No thanks!

If I have to bring a MOB aboard I can get him in under the lifelines, for I have no secondaries. These I may add later. I am actually considering using Sampson cordage for them. But, we'll see.

Remember your goal with safety harnesses is to keep you ON the boat. At worst you should fall on top of the bulkwark/rail with one leg and arm aboard the boat. Even if you went head-first, if you were in decent condition you could swing round and get a hand aboard. What you DON'T want is a safety harness that lets you leave the deck and be held to the boat by only the harness. This is the nightmare, exceeded only by the nightmare of the MOB with NO harness at all.

DianaOfBurlington · Jun 18, 2010

Jim-- I forgot to answer your question. This is what flattery does to me.

On Diana the lifeline wire is 5/32" so it and the machine-swaged fittings slide through the stanchion holes easily. I am also mounting all the footless stanchions into fixed stanchion bases on the deck, replacing the former system of rigid footed stanchions that, if you grab them or bump them, they wreak on the deck till they can let water in. The bases get mounted to the deck with 5200 and good backing plates (the factory flange provides flats for them) and the stanchions get through-bolted in the bases using 1/4-20 machine screws with lock nuts going longitudinally to avoid cutting bare toes as they pass. I have really cool old Schaefer gate braces (that I got on another WM closeout) mounted through the toerail for the stanchions at the front of the gate spaces. The last stanchion forward has a collar (through-bolted) and the 'add-on' wire going down to the rail under the pulpit, so taking down the upper section there does not loosen the whole system. I can tighten this up enough to make the boat creak.

Having stanchion standards that are removable for their bases allows you to take the whole mess to the rigging shop if you must have fittings that do not slide through the stanchions. But I don't see why you have to. If my 5/32" will stop me on a little boat, it will stop me on a bigger boat. The 7x7 crap with the white coating we all once used was only either 3/16" or 1/8" -- that's all it came in. And-- supposedly-- that held us on board.

Use swage-on threaded studs and assemble the TBs as you put it all together. Hayn and CSJ both make swivel eyes that, also, can be assembled after the basic part is swaged on. I specified rigging-grade aircraft eyes and shroud TBs and so on. Why should lifeline stuff be any less? The TBs are open-bodied so as to see adjustment, check corrosion and stop spinning from vibration. To be 'yachtie' you just tape over the cotter rings with white tape.

Even the really cool old-fashioned CSJ pelican hook can be taken apart; or just make sure the OTHER end can be more easily and assemble it from that end.

I am not a fan of the cast-SS snap-shackle-like pelican hooks (Hayn and Suncor) because they look really easy to snag on and pry open. I'm sure they're not really; but I am used to the CSJ, in spite of how clunky it looks, and I know its merits. Better the devil you know.

Blaise · Aug 4, 2010

Just a clarification. Midnight Sun's top lifelines are 1/4" and had to be swaged in place. The lowers are 3/16" which would have been fine for the tops, but I didn't like the way they looked. One more comment. In 32 years of ocean racing my boat I have never had a pelican hook open accidently. Maybe I have just been lucky. On shock loading the lifelines, once we did an accidental jibe after breaking a steering cable, in 45 kts of wind. This resulted in six men being thrown from one side to the other at near supersonic speed. The lifelines held them, but we broke two welds on the stern pulpit. I was surprised the rig stayed up.

sandpiper10471 · Aug 10, 2010

Curious - why is it necessary to use only swaged terminals on lifelines rather than the norseman type which one can do oneself?

Ed Schenck · Aug 10, 2010

It has been so long since I saw my boat that I am not sure what the ends look like. But I thought my ends were swaged on studs. And that these studs were the size that they fit through the holes in the stanchions. So new ones could be made in a shop with the studs already swaged on. With the Norseman stud you would string the wire, cut to size, and install the stud end. I see no problem with that so long as there is a Norseman that will accept a pelican hook end.

Steve Dion · Aug 10, 2010

I am not sure why you would go to the expense of Norsemen fittings when swedging is so cheap & quick.

Jim Legere · Aug 10, 2010

Swages vs. NorsemanGibb/Stalok on Lifelines

One thing to keep in mind if using plain 1X19 SS wire w/o the vinyl cover (which is a definitely safer!) - if you go to a larger size to get the same OD as the vinyl covered stuff, like Blaise did using 1/4", the swages will no longer fit through the holes in the stanchions. I intend to replace mine next spring, using either 3/16 or 1/4". I will have a rolled swage eye put on one end at the rigging shop and fit a Stalok eye on the other end after I thread the lifeline through the stanchions. Putting that fitting on myself will let me adjust the length to suit either a pelican hook or lashing - haven't decided which yet.

sandpiper10471 · Aug 11, 2010

Re: Swages vs. NorsemanGibb/Stalok on Lifelines

Jim L and JC have both written that it is essential to only use machine swaged fittings yet in Jim's last post he mentions using a Stalock at one end. My original question was why is the machine swage essential as opposed to using DIY fittings. In response to Steve D; I haven't found machine swages to be cheap and I cannot do them myself. May be OK if you are in a community with professional riggers available but where I sail there are few services and I really like the independence of DIY.

Jim Legere · Aug 11, 2010

Machine rolled swages vs. Stalok

Sandpiper: I think you are confusing JCII's embeded quote with my own thoughts. I think using Stalok type fittings makes a lot of sense. However, as Steve Dion points out, they are more expensive than machine rolled swages. Good quality made-up terminations like Gibb/Norseman or Stalok are as strong or stronger than swages, provided they are done correctly. Then there is the advantage of being able to accurately measure and make them on site plus the ability to partially disassemble them for periodic inspection (i.e. check for broken strands by backing off the outer nut). If cost was no object, my entire rig would use this kind of wire terminal.