Lifelines - Vinyl vs Uncoated

[hobs]

If you ever do knick an uncoated SS lifeline, it will become meat-hook that will tear a bear hand to bits when you grab onto it for support when running to the bow or being pushed to the stern by a wave. Vinyl is easier on sails and hands (thicker, smoother) too. But bare SS wire is the way to go if you want to stretch your replacement period beyond the 7 years that vinyl-coated SS or synthetic (dyneema, spectra, etc) will last. I've had 1 year old spectra snap on me, hiking out in a race, but SS and vinyl-coated SS has held true for me for decades of hard sailing.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

I find double fishermen knots hold very well/don't slip. I used to sew thru them but don't any more and have never had one slip. I have usually be able to untie them with a spike but sometimes not if they have been really highly loaded.

Samson told me that several round turns around a stanchion and then a tie back top to itself with a constrictor type knot knot works decently well. Apparently the commercial boats tie spectra lines to bollards this way routinely.

A lashing finshed with lots of half hitches and then covered some tape also does not slip.

Exactly. Actually, triple fishermans are recommended by some manufacturers.

I'm also thinking that those bolards are MUCH higher in friction than typical SS boat parts.

[s/v Jedi]

My lifelines are Spectra with a Polyester cover so that's why they don't slip. For Amsteel, it's easy to knot bowlines and sew the bitter end so they can't undo themselves. After that yo only need to find a knot to close the gate with and indeed some wraps around the stanchion followed up by a constrictor knot is what you see commercial boats do with their Spectra mooring lines.

I would never use Pelican hooks.. they were one of the big reasons for me to do away with the steel lifelines. We almost lost a friend mid Atlantic who fell overboard when a Pelican hook opened/broke (reaching for fishing rod). He was the only one on deck but one of his kids inside heard something and his family managed to save him.

ciao!
Nick.

[crashkahuna]

This has been a great thread as I'm deciding what type replacement for my lifelines. Good idea about sewing bitter end - I I never thought of that.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

My lifelines are Spectra with a Polyester cover so that's why they don't slip. For Amsteel, it's easy to knot bowlines and sew the bitter end so they can't undo themselves. After that yo only need to find a knot to close the gate with and indeed some wraps around the stanchion followed up by a constrictor knot is what you see commercial boats do with their Spectra mooring lines.

I would never use Pelican hooks.. they were one of the big reasons for me to do away with the steel lifelines. We almost lost a friend mid Atlantic who fell overboard when a Pelican hook opened/broke (reaching for fishing rod). He was the only one on deck but one of his kids inside heard something and his family managed to save him.

ciao!
Nick.

Good points, all of them.

I too have an inherent distrust of pelican hooks; I've heard too many stories and, like spin shackles, am only too aware of how easy it is to have one imperfectly closed. I've certainly had a few spin shackles open when I didn't expect it.