[Rhodes22-list] Learning New Things - Types of Line (Rope)

[Frank Goldsmith]

I find three-strand line pretty easy to splice. I have no idea how to do that with double-braid or eight-plait. That’s not to say it’s not better – it just may be a limitation in my skill set. 

Frank 



Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 15, 2021, at 5:20 PM, Jesse Shumaker <jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Peter, thanks for sharing.  I had not heard of 8-plait.   Last fall I
> loosely copied your system to have an anchor rode stored in the lazarette
> that connects to an anchor on a bow roller.  However, I only did this on
> the port side and my rode storage is a bit different.  Anyway, I also found
> it to be a bit of a challenge to get the rode to feed into the bag easily.
> At the end of the season, I got a large snatch block which I can hang from
> the sturn pulpit (attached by a line), which I plan to use as a fairlead to
> make the rode feed in more vertically which I think will make it easier.  I
> haven't tried it yet so we'll have to see how that works out next season.
> 
> On the topic of anchoring, I've got a Fortress anchor mounted inside the
> lazarette for storage as a secondary anchor and a rode in a bucket that I
> can carry forward.  I'm thinking about removing the Nicro fan from the
> forepeak and moving that to be on the port side of the mast, opposite the
> hatch that I installed on the starboard side, and then using the anchor
> tray to store the rode that had been in the bucket in the lazarette.
> 
> Continuing (still!) on the topic of anchoring, I wanted to have a stern
> anchor mounted and ready to deploy with a rode already attached.  As part
> of my fall projects, I used a PVC pipe mounted vertically, resting on the
> port side coaming near the stern and attached to the stern pulpit.  Inside
> that I store a folding grapnel anchor with rode that is attached to the eye
> on the port side of the transom.  The rode is looped and hung on the stern
> pulpit.  I know the grapnel anchor doesn't offer significant holding power,
> but I figured it could be deployed in a hurry to slow the boat down in an
> emergency and could also be utilized as a lunch hook.  While it's attached
> at the stern, I could walk it forward and tie it off on the bow cleat.
> I'll have to wait until next season to see how all this actually works in
> practice.  When I write up a recap of my fall projects, I'll include some
> photos of the new setup.
> 
> Jesse Shumaker
> S/V Zephyr
> 
>> On Mon, Nov 15, 2021 at 3:58 PM Peter Nyberg <peter at sunnybeeches.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I'm not sure of the source, but somewhere I developed the firm opinion
>> that only 3-strand line should be used for anchor rodes and dock lines.
>> Other types of lines, specifically double-braid, did not have enough
>> stretch or elasticity for these applications.
>> 
>> In reading posts on another forum (sorry), and doing a bit of research, I
>> find that this firmly held opinion is quite incorrect.
>> 
>> It seems there are double braided lines made specifically for anchor rodes
>> and dock lines.  There is also something sort of in between double-braided
>> and 3-strand, called 8-plait, of which I was entirely unaware.
>> 
>> One of the reasons this new information caught my attention is that both
>> double-braid and 8-plaint are much more flexible than 3 strand, and will
>> fall into an anchor rode locker (or bag) more easily.
>> 
>> One of the short comings of my anchoring system, in which anchor rode is
>> stored in bags in the aft corners of the lazaret, is that feeding the
>> 3-strand rode down into the bags can sometimes be a somewhat fiddly
>> process.  A more flexible type of line would almost certainly improve
>> things.
>> 
>> For those unfamiliar with and curious about my anchor system, relevant
>> YouTube videos can be found here: https://youtu.be/GheL7_fhpGo  and here:
>> https://youtu.be/VeL_3Ir0yQ4
>> 
>> Peter Nyberg
>> Coventry, CT
>> s/v Silverheels (1988/2016)
>> 
>>