Do you make your own splices?

[blubaju]

Nice! I have no concerns about the tensile strength of a lot of rope products, but the U.V. exposure is a concern. Glad the product performed as advertised.


Nope, when I bought the ropes the manufacturer had no idea how long they will last. He thought, 2 to 3 years. This is a very old company in rope manufacturing, but they just started with Dyneema. As no rope maker fabricates his own chemical mixture I trusted in Dyneema itself and hoped for a good quality UV protection. As there are no Volkswagen managers involved they got it right ;-)

How long did it take before they finally took a set, or are you constantly having to adjust those babies on the move?



It varies with wind load, when the lee shroud seems to loose we tigthen, sometimes I forget to loosen them, also no mayor problem. We are not racing


One of my biggest pet peeves about yacht construction is the lack of built in anchor points....everywhere. On deck, below deck, in the bilge. People have been buying yachts for decades, and yet NOBODY incorporates good solid anchor points on the bow and stern for towing. "Let's just use stainless screws and plates...." is dumb when you can build anchor points right into the hull and deck.


Here is a link to our yacht designer, lots of technical information and you may download study plans.



Well for towing, the built-in bridle attachment is very strong, same front and rear cleats, now doubt, you can lift the boat on them


http://www.schionningdesigns.com.au/
or his son:
https://www.spiriteddesigns.com.au/

[Dan Mosby]

Originally Posted by blubaju

[I]
Nope, when I bought the ropes the manufacturer had no idea how long they will last.

You MAD MAN you! That's great. You're literally paving the way to finally getting rid of stainless and going total synth. Less weight. Less money. Easier maintenance.

Thanks brother. Fair winds.

[Shrew]

I'm opting out of the poll because the options don't make any sense.

Yes, I splice my lines.

3 strand, 8-strand plait, 12 strand hollow core. I've never tried double-braid, though it looks the same as 8 strand plait with a woven sheath.

I splice loops both with and without thimbles.

I also whip, but that wasn't part of the poll.

[Matt Johnson]

OP question:. If you're struggling with doublebraid splices, what part are you having issue with? I've found whenever anyone says they are having issues splicing DB, they are practicing on old line with a cover that has already been set. Try on fresh line, and it usually goes well even on the first attempt.

Also, don't screw with Sta-set... It is the devil!

Matt

[Benz]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

OP question:. If you're struggling with doublebraid splices, what part are you having issue with? I've found whenever anyone says they are having issues splicing DB, they are practicing on old line with a cover that has already been set. Try on fresh line, and it usually goes well even on the first attempt.

Also, don't screw with Sta-set... It is the devil!

Matt

You must mean Sta-set X, which is the devil. Regular Sta-set is just NER's name for garden variety double braid.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

OP question:. If you're struggling with doublebraid splices, what part are you having issue with?

Well, let's see. Keeping track of all the steps, and keeping all the various marks distinct.


Getting the fid through the crossover with the cover attached to it, on the first try.


Having the loop exactly match the size of the eye.


Having two splices, made consecutively, match visually in all regards.

[fxykty]

My trouble with double braid splicing is the final milking of the cover over the splice. What a PITA. Looks good when it’s done.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by fxykty

My trouble with double braid splicing is the final milking of the cover over the splice. What a PITA. Looks good when it’s done.

Watch that video he has some good tips—
Rubber mallet. I sometimes go across the boat form one winch to another

[Tillsbury]

Absolutely. I put a splice in the end of some 14mm double-braid yesterday that was almost two years old. Needed the mallet, plus I put some washing-up liquid and water at the join. Secured one end and hauled the other with an electric winch, pop it went beautifully in its cover. There's no way I was getting there without mechanical assistance on rope that big in that condition.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by fxykty

My trouble with double braid splicing is the final milking of the cover over the splice. What a PITA. Looks good when it’s done.

Anything over 10mm I find hard.
Securing one end on a cleat or winch and using my body weight helps tremendously.
Now and again bending the section below the base of the eye back and forth (the bit that some find useful to bash with a mallet) helps soften up the portion where the bulk needs to be buried.

SWL

[exMaggieDrum]

I wish there was a choice on the survey for single braid - like the new high modulus rope like Amsteel, Dyneema, et al. They are easily spliced and the splices are much prettier and less bulky. I put a cover on when I need a "hand" on it but otherwise it sits outside like the other double braid on the boat. I also braid the large single braid anchor rode.



My double braid splices are passable and strong. My triple braid spices are strong and functional but not as pretty and clean as a professional can do. More practice helps with that, especially if you do several in a row and not once every year.


The right tools really make a difference!

[daveball]

All our dock lines were three strand which held up much better than yacht braid. THe lines had loops spliced in one end and were back spliced on the bitter end.

[alanrothenbush]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I have been making my own eye splices in double braid but am not happy with the results. .

I splice everything! Even my fenders are attached with an eye splice. (See pic attached showing maybe an hour's work.)

There's a few secrets. The first is to spend the money and buy the Brion Toss splicing wands. Then also buy his splicing DVD. After using his wands, you'll just throw the old-fashioned fids away.

The second secret is to recognize that Brion's calculations for "how much to leave, how much to bury" vary a wee bit for a particular brand of rope; the right numbers for a perfect splice for New England Rope is not quite the same as the number for Sampson Rope.

(This is the same problem with conventional fids as well, I've discovered.)

The third is to recognize that a whole lot of rope is metric in dimension these days; 3/8" is not exactly 10mm, which also upsets the calculations.

So, when working with new line (and only work with new line) that's also new to me, I buy extra and practice until I get good numbers (that I'm occasionally smart enough to write down for next time).


The biggest secret is this; don't use double-braid rope if you don't have to! Spend the time to find hollow core rope. I don't mean Spectra/Dyneema (unless that what's you need), I mean something like New England Regatta Braid. Absolutely trivial to make perfect splices, handles extremely well, doesn't hockle, fantastic stuff.

It does have two downsides that keep it from being the perfect line. It will absorb water and get heavier, so it's an iffy choice for spinnaker sheets.

And it compresses, meaning it may not hold in a clutch. I've had no problems, but New England mentions this on the fact sheet and I can see how it could happen.

(If your clutches are spec'd for 3/8" to 1/2" line and you put 3/8" regatta braid through, it may not hold. But if you have 5/16" - 3/8" clutches, the 3/8" will probably hold .. but it's something to be aware of, and to test.)

However, for halyards, sheets and anything else that gets tied off to a cleat, it's great.

For everything else, double braid and some time spent learning how to splice it.

Alan

[We we]

Buy a Brian toss splicing wand.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Jammer

When I bought my boat, it was clear that the former owner couldn't tie knots. There were shackles and snaps everywhere, including for the fender lines. I tie knots instead.


I have been making my own splices. It is not difficult to splice three-strand rope and I've made a loop that's just the right length for warping into my slip that way.


I have been making my own eye splices in double braid but am not happy with the results. It takes me 20 minutes and I have to look at printed instructions to do it. I have one of the kits with various sized fids, plus a marker, a knife, scissors. I made my own lazyjacks with all kinds of eye splices, partly as a sort of exercise. I am better but the results are still inconsistent and time consuming.


Wish I could get good.

I splice everything except 19 strand wire. 8 plait, 12 strand, 3 strand, Atlas rope, 6 strand wire, hollow braid, stuffer core, combination cable, you name it. I have never tried 19 strand, never seen it done, and never seen a splice already done, in 19 strand. I kind of think I know how it could be done but I am dead sure it isn't worth the bother when terminal fittings are so much more convenient. Everything else I have ever seen, I have spliced. So yeah, you are missing an answer on your poll.


For ordinary polyester or dacron or nylon or blended double braid, you absolutely do not need any fancy pants artsy fartsy specialized tools for splicing. A sharpie marker, a knife, a coat hanger, and a good pair of scissors is all you need.


It is okay to take a long time to do this. It is okay to start all over again from scratch. It is even okay if your splice doesn't come out textbook beautiful. It is even okay if you end up with a "hollow spot" above the body of the splice, our you don't get a full bury. But it is good to practice, practice some more, and continually strive to make each splice better than the last.


Having used all the patented and expensive tools, I find them to be a hindrance. I have spliced double braid Samson rope as big as 13" (big rope is properly measured in circumference) and a long piece of 1/16" piano wire is the only practical way to do it, though with new rope I suppose it is way easier and you could use almost anything. A 30 year old ship's mooring line is a tough customer. Piano wire (also called music wire) is the only way. Works good for smaller rope, too, but I just like a coathanger, especially for small stuff, which is of course all you will see on a typical yacht. Those fancy pants hollow fids and pokers and pullers and pushers are a big PITA to use except MAYBE on new, soft rope. Try a coathanger. When you first "get it", you will have one of the biggest "Ah-HAH!" moments of your yachting career.


Oh, I almost forgot, you need a yardstick or measuring tape, too.


Another thing it is okay to do. It is okay to follow a set of instructions, and in fact I urge you to do so. You may have to convert "fid lengths" to proper inches, if you don't have the special fid. Eventually you will just eyeball it.


Apologies for the not so great video, but here is me, if I can find the vid, splicing I don't remember... I think it was lightly used castoff rope out of the dumpster, TBH. Amazing what people throw away. I have made nice rope fenders out of "last year's" mooring lines, and sold big humongous shore power cables that I salvaged with a new end or two. I even caught a guy tossing his outboard once. Needed a condenser and a good carb cleaning. That was it. Anyway here is the splicing vid, if I can find it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlN2W_7-w8s