Splicing Modern Ropes: A Practical Handbook

by Jan-Willem Polman

Overview

The definitive guide to making strong, reliable splices in braided rope, using step-by-step photographs and clear instructions to help readers master this important but tricky skill.

The time when every vessel going to sea made use of three-strand rope has gone. Still, splicing that type of rope and cord is relatively straightforward. Nowadays the most common type of rope used on board yachts, dinghies, motorboats, working boats, and ferries is braided rope. Few people have the knowledge to splice it, or even know where to start.

Splicing Modern Ropes: A Practical Handbook is the first guide to developing this essential skill. It explains why splices are better—and stronger—than knots or shackles for joining or shortening rope, and how to go about it properly. With this skill, yachtsmen can customize their ropes, optimize their deck layout, taper their sheets for ease of handling, and splice an extra cover on their ropes to give better grip, avoid chafe, and make them last longer.

Using clear, step-by-step photography and detailed instructions, this book will guide readers through all of the stages required to make strong, reliable splices

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472923202
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	06/28/2016
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	786,060
Product dimensions:	6.93(w) x 10.08(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Jan-Willem Polman is a line specialist and tool retailer. He has written several books for the leisure boater as well as magazine articles for the yachting press.

Table of Contents

Introduction 11

1 Synthetic fibres

Developments 12

Technical features 13

Breaking load 13

Safe working load 13

Stretch 13

Creep 13

Synthetic fibres used for ropes 14

Polyester 14

Polyamide 14

Polypropylene 14

UHMWPE (Dyneema, Spectra) 14

LCP (Vectran) 15

PBO (Zylon) 15

Aramid (Kevlar, Technora) 16

2 Construction of ropes

Twisted ropes 17

Single braid ropes 18

Double braid ropes 18

Braided cover with a core of twisted strands or parallel fibres 20

Additional types of rope construction 20

3 Which type of rope?

Sheets and halyards 21

Materials 21

Control lines and running backstays 22

Diameter and breaking load 23

Length 24

Mooring lines 24

Diameter 24

Length 25

Ropes combined with clutches 25

Maintenance and troubleshooting 25

Inspection 26

Friction and wear 26

Rope does not hold in clutches 26

Twisted ropes 26

Cleaning ropes 26

4 Before you start

Splicing tools 27

Splicing technique and core materials 28

The size of the eye 28

How to remove a core from the cover 29

'Tapering' the ends of a rope 29

'Milking' the cover 31

Long bury splicing 31

5 Eye splice in plaited or twisted ropes

Three-strand rope 32

Eight-strand rope 35

6 Eye splice in polyester ropes

Double braid rope 39

Stainless steel thimble 44

Rope with a laid core 45

Rope with parallel fibres in the core 51

7 Eye splice in Dyneema ropes

Single braid rope 56

Basic method 56

Method for hollow braid with a grip fibre 59

Lock splice 60

Double braid rope 69

Without using the cover 69

Using the cover 74

Double layer cover 80

8 Dyneema shackles

Soft shackles 87

Type 1 87

Type 2 91

Integral 93

Soft shackle knot 99

9 Weight savings and tapering

Tapering a doubled braid Dyneema rope 103

Joining two single braid ropes 105

Joining steel wire with double braid polyester 108

Joining a single braid Dyneema rope with double braid polyester 114

10 Thickening and strengthening

Splicing or sewing in an extra cover 120

Splicing in an extra cover 120

Sewing in an extra cover 122

Splicing in an extra core 124

11 Continuous loops

Double braid polyester 126

For equal thickness, spliced without the core 126

For strength, spliced with the core 130

Single braid Dyneema ('loop') 137

Basic loop 137

Loop with cover 140

Double braid Dyneema 145

12 Whippings

Double stitched whipping for braided ropes 149

Common whipping 152

Whipping for a three-strand laid rope 154

13 Reeving of new halyards

Reeving eye ('Flemish eye') 157

Reeving loop with whipping 159

14 Splicing tools

Using a soft needle 160

How to make a soft needle 161

Appendices

1 Features of synthetic fibres: a comparison 166

2 Diameters and breaking loads of ropes 167

Guidelines for diameters of sheets and halyards 168

Guidelines for diameters of mooring lines 169

Acknowledgements 170

About the author 171

Bibliography 172

Index 173

Editorial Reviews

"This book will guide readers through all of the stages required to make strong splices." - 48 North

"If any book deserves to be labeled ‘a practical handbook,’ Splicing Modern Ropes has to be among them." - Soundings

From the Publisher