New lifelines - open-bodied vs tubular turnbuckles?

[Davidhoy]

I'm getting ready to replace the old coated stainless steel lifelines on my boat with dyneema, and looking at the hardware I need I see there are open-bodied and tubular turnbuckles available. For standing rigging I think that open-bodied are best, but for lifelines I think it's a wash in terms of functionality. Can anyone suggest a good reason for choosing one over the other? I'm inclined to go with the tubular style for my lifelines...

Regards,
David

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

I'm getting ready to replace the old coated stainless steel lifelines on my boat with dyneema, and looking at the hardware I need I see there are open-bodied and tubular turnbuckles available. For standing rigging I think that open-bodied are best, but for lifelines I think it's a wash in terms of functionality. Can anyone suggest a good reason for choosing one over the other? I'm inclined to go with the tubular style for my lifelines...

Regards,
David

Turnbuckles?! With Dyneema you don’t get no dam turnbuckles! In the forward end splice a small loop and cow-hitch it to the attachment point while also wrapping it around the stanchion, then at the rear splice the Dyneema around a low friction ring and use a lashing with Spyderline to tighten it.

[Knotical]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

I'm getting ready to replace the old coated stainless steel lifelines on my boat with dyneema, and looking at the hardware I need I see there are open-bodied and tubular turnbuckles available. For standing rigging I think that open-bodied are best, but for lifelines I think it's a wash in terms of functionality. Can anyone suggest a good reason for choosing one over the other? I'm inclined to go with the tubular style for my lifelines...

Regards,
David

Check out this video, I am sure it will be helpful.

https://youtu.be/8GP_3nJpcnk

[BillKny]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Turnbuckles?! With Dyneema you don’t get no dam turnbuckles! In the forward end splice a small loop and cow-hitch it to the attachment point while also wrapping it around the stanchion, then at the rear splice the Dyneema around a low friction ring and use a lashing with Spyderline to tighten it.

^^^+1

Like the Jedi says!!!

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Turnbuckles?! With Dyneema you don’t get no dam turnbuckles! In the forward end splice a small loop and cow-hitch it to the attachment point while also wrapping it around the stanchion, then at the rear splice the Dyneema around a low friction ring and use a lashing with Spyderline to tighten it.

You actually make an excellent point, guess I was too focused on just replacing the wire while keeping everything else somewhat similar. Thanks for slapping me upside the head...

-David

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

You actually make an excellent point, guess I was too focused on just replacing the wire while keeping everything else somewhat similar. Thanks for slapping me upside the head...

-David

It was my pleasure

I went out and took the pictures. Don’t mind the unpolished stainless, we’re in travel mode and I hope Seaworthy doesn’t see this because she makes the beautiful splice around the ring while mine is just ordinary

[s/v Jedi]

About the Spyderline: this is the 2.8mm which gives 2,500lbs per wrap. The 6mm Amsteel Blue is around 8,600lbs so you need four full wraps

[Jim Cate]

For lifeline terminations going to a lashing, I've been using stainless thimbles rather than low friction rings. They are far less expensive, are easy to splice into the Dyneema and in a static lashing situation, their greater friction is not an issue. They are not as strong as the LFRs but if they collapse there is no great safety issue... the lifeline just gets a few cm of slack, but does not fail.

Jim

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

For lifeline terminations going to a lashing, I've been using stainless thimbles rather than low friction rings. They are far less expensive, are easy to splice into the Dyneema and in a static lashing situation, their greater friction is not an issue. They are not as strong as the LFRs but if they collapse there is no great safety issue... the lifeline just gets a few cm of slack, but does not fail.

Jim

I just switched from thimbles to LFRs... less stainless steel to polish

[Stu Jackson]

Those tubular thingies really have no place on a boat anyway, anywhere. IIRC some folks call 'em bottle screws.


A friend, decades ago, lost his forestay on SF Bay off Pt. Blount on a summer afternoon. He headed downwind and made it to Berkeley.


When he told me, I immediately brought my then Catalina 25 in for new standing rigging. As the yard fella was removing the backstay bottle screw it just disintegrated!!! "Good thing ya brung it in today, Stuey," he said.

[Spot]

My new shiny stainless steel lifelines are open turnbuckles. I lost an open turnbuckle on the forestay of the trailer sailor from not minding how it was being pulled while being stepped with a gin pole and mainsheet. Thinking it'd be good to get a Highfield lever for that one.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I just switched from thimbles to LFRs... less stainless steel to polish

Ho ho! I just use a generous dose of sloth to keep those thimbles in an acceptable state of polish.

Jim

[40 South]

I did mine in 7mm dyneema, complete with gates, 2mm dyneema lashing with 4 wraps and S/S thimbles a few months ago.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by 40 South

I did mine in 7mm dyneema, complete with gates, 2mm dyneema lashing with 4 wraps and S/S thimbles a few months ago.

Your splicing and lashing look top notch, love the French whipping

That said, I noticed the fuzziness on the Dyneema and it looks like the kind that had many reports on the forum where it broke when used as topping lift or halyard.

I only tried a couple different brands and keep it with Samson who uses genuine DSM Dyneema (Amsteel, Warpspeed etc.) which has proven to be reliable. None of the posters who reported failure could tell which brand the Dyneema was, which worries me but is also telling for the reason of failure.

I have Vectran that does that but is reliable, so fuzziness by itself doesn’t say anything.

[sailcrazy]

I can see the benefit added of using uncoated, straight s/s cable over the vinyl-coated stuff. But I don't see the added value of Dynema over the cable??? Sure, it's a little added weight, but on a cruising boat-not an issue. The 1/4" cable is certainly strong enough, so what's the benefit of going Dynema...for those of you that have? We use the open turnbuckles on one end of ours, vice the tubular ones, and have never had an issue. And to my eye, they are not only functional (so I can adjust them as I might need to), but they are smaller and less bulky than the wraps/spicing I've seen. Until I see the value added, we'll stick with s/s cable.