Line thimble....

NYSail

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Jan 6, 2006
3,048
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
Hello all....

So I am new to splicing lines and have a question. I am making an anchor bridle. What if I use a single line and put a thimble in the middle and whip the line to hold in place (using line rather than standard whipping).

Right now my bridle has two separate lines and thimbles but it is bulky making need for bigger shackle and inability to easily go over bow roller.

Thanks
Greg
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,702
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Please explain your purpose for the anchor bridle; snubber?
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
Please explain your purpose for the anchor bridle; snubber?
reduces shock loads from an all-chain rode (Chain has so stretch. The rope used to make the bridle should) and it shares the load by using 2 attach points. I don't use one because I only have a boat length of chain. I also usually deploy a stern anchor as well because our boat sails excessively in a single anchor line and I think it also reduces shock loads.

Ken
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,401
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
The potential problem with a seizing is that nylon is very difficult to seize successfully. When it stretches it shrinks, the seizing gets loose, and it slides at high load. Water helps it slide. IF you get the twine VERY tight and splice it under tension (use winches) it should hold to ~ 25% BS. But that's about it (I've tested many variations). The line shrinkage problem is a bugger. Ans this is why seizing worked baack in the day; higher friction ropes, lower strength, much less shrinkage under working load.

If it is 3-strand, you could use a Y-splice. You could also try switching to a chain attachment that does not require shackles or metal hardware. I like a soft shackle when the rode must pass over the roller. Very smooth.
 
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Likes: AaronD
Jan 22, 2008
296
Islander Freeport, 41 Ketch Longmont, CO
Please help explain the need for chain stretch?

The idea of an all chain rode is that when times are calm the chain will lay along the bottom and hand almost perpendicular from the bow roller. With proper scope (7/1 to 10/1) as the boat rides over the waves it will pick up a small bit of chain and yet remain in place. As the winds and wave pick up the boat will use more of the scope to handle the wind and waves but almost never pull directly on the anchor. If you need more scope than 10/1 due to major storms or waves, you should consider a dual anchor setup.

Also, the bridle should probably come over the bow on the port and stern bow chocks, not the anchor roller. Your trying to reduce the single load of the chain on the anchor roller so use the bridle to unload the chain from the bow anchor roller and windlass hooking onto it just forward of the roller and then bring the bridle through the bow chocks on port and starboard to the bow cleats.

Just some ideas, i do like the idea of a splice with a single thimble but now your placing much of the load on the splice, if that fails then you've lost the entire rig, with two lines each with its own thimble you remove one of your single points of failure.

Just some thoughts, fair winds,
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,401
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
There are countless threads on the relative merits of an elastic snubber vs. relying on catenary, and many more on the use of a bridle to reduce yawing. There are many situational differences and I'm not unpacking all of that.

The rode should also be attached to the boat. If the snubber snaps it should be a non-event. Just go rig afresh one from a dockline and a camel hitch, ease some rode, and go back to bed.
 

NYSail

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Jan 6, 2006
3,048
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
What I am doing is making a bridle to attach to my chain or rode. I have a mantis snubber that will wrap around either chain or rode and I eliminate the need for a hook. The hook I had to attach hanging over the bow then I had to additionally tie a security line on to make sure hook would not fall off. I want to be able to deploy and detach from deck over the bow roller, however ends of bridle are attached with eye splices to the bow port and starboard cleats.
The eye I am making at the bight of my bridle will attach to the snubbers shackle.

Thanks
Greg
 

Attachments

NYSail

.
Jan 6, 2006
3,048
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
My bridle has 30 foot legs...... I deploy according to depth and co sit-up s but always use. The shock of chain will break things.
 

NYSail

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Jan 6, 2006
3,048
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
“Co sit-up s” is spell checks way of fixing “condition”
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
I don't understand your desire for two attachments to the boat on your snub. It actually weakens the line (as any knot or splice will, to some extent), but it makes the whole set up overly complicated.
If this is for a mooring, I'd have two separate pennants. But an anchor snub line system should be very easy to set up and even easier to undo in case you've got to retrieve your anchor in an emergency. Obviously, there is no need for a snub line if one is using a chain/rope rode. A snub is something that needs to be changed relatively often, so investing in an expensive, complicated system doesn't make much sense to me.
We use a single 30', 1" three strand nylon line with an eye splice and thimble and a chain hook for our snub, through a chock and with chafe gear (we use fire hose) and have a second onboard in case the one in use breaks or the winds get up for an extended period (over 60 knots). Generally, we are on our pick about 350 days a year.
 
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capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
With proper scope (7/1 to 10/1) as the boat rides over the waves it will pick up a small bit of chain and yet remain in place. As the winds and wave pick up the boat will use more of the scope to handle the wind and waves but almost never pull directly on the anchor. If you need more scope than 10/1 due to major storms or waves, you should consider a dual anchor setup.
I used to be of the "my anchor chain does no good in the anchor locker" crowd, but I found that all I was doing by putting out more than 3X was dragging the chain around on the bottom and rubbing off the crappy galvanizing the chain companies use today and lowering the lifespan of my chain by more than half. It also made my anchoring circle ridiculously large, and in crowded anchorages, created unnecessary problems with other boats anchoring too close. Of course, we have an anchor that has yet to drag even a few feet in six years or so of anchoring around 350 nights a year.
Don't get me wrong, I certainly would, and have quite a few times in my 5 decades+ as a seafarer, use a lot more than 3:1 when anchoring for a hurricane, perhaps even 10:1.
 
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Likes: NotCook
Dec 25, 2000
5,702
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Hi Greg. in your photo it appears you’re using double braid line, which does not stretch like three strand nylon. No need for one here, but if it were my boat I would use a single three strand nylon line secured to a grab hook using a bowline, FWIW.
 
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Likes: capta

NYSail

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Jan 6, 2006
3,048
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
Terry the snubber does not stretch.... it’s about 4 feet long and was designed to attach to chain / rode without a hook, however this attaches to my 3 strand bridle that does the stretch work.

Greg
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Hi Greg. in your photo it appears you’re using double braid line, which does not stretch like three strand nylon. No need for one here, but if it were my boat I would use a single three strand nylon line secured to a grab hook using a bowline, FWIW.
The Mantus Anchor snubber uses single braid dyneema. They are easy to replicate for less than half the cost of the Mantus version.