20 Marlinespike Seamanship 157 Section 20 Marlinespike Seamanship Becket. An eye in the end of a block used for securing an end of a line; an eye in the end of a rope. Bend. To make fast a sail to a spar or stay. Also, a knot to secure a line to another line or object. Bight. Open or closed loop in a line or rope. Fid. Tapered tool used in splicing. Hitch. A knot used to secure a rope fast to another rope or to other object. Knot. General term for securing a line to an object, another line, or itself. Also, unit of speed of one nautical mile per hour. Marlinespike. A pointed steel tool used in splicing to open the strands of a rope or cable. See Fid. Seize. To bind by many wrappings of small line. Seizing. Small stuff for binding. Splice. Joining lines by interweaving the strands. Whip. To bind the end of a rope with light line. 1 The lines aboard a sailboat are of such great importance that all sailors should know the types of cordage available and the various applications. They need to know where and how to use the lines on their boat. They also need the ability to tie various knots and hitches and to make splices. ors pride themselves in their knowledge and take pleasure in doing fancy work with the lines on their boats. Cordage 2 Many types of rope are available at a local marine supply store so selecting the best one for a particular need can be an interesting exercise. Discussions of cordage in the texts and manuals of a few years ago included reports on the relative merits of such natural fiber ropes as hemp, sisal, and manila. Today, synthetic materials are so much more suitable for use in the marine environment, in so many different ways, that the natural fiber ropes are seldom employed. Manila, for example, is the best of the natural fiber ropes but will rot if stored wet, is hard on hands, and is not as strong as synthetics. 3 Nylon was the first of the synthetic lines to receive widespread use. It has great strength and tremendous elasticity. This latter characteristic makes it useful for docking lines, towing bridles, and (especially) anchor rodes. Nylon stretches and absorbs shocks when the boat is anchored or tied up. Dacron is about 10% weaker than nylon but stretches much less. Dacron is preferred for sheets, halyards, and other lines where minimum stretch is desired. It has a similar appearance to nylon but is smoother. It is easier to chafe through, so care must be taken to lead the lines away from obstructions. 4 Polypropylene is a lightweight line that will float. It has only about half the strength of nylon and sometimes sheers off without warning when fatigued. It is more difficult to knot and splice because it is slippery. However, its floating characteristic makes it useful as a dinghy painter or mooring pick-up line. Lines that become wrapped around a propeller shaft are always a problem as well as dangerous, so polypropylene is the perfect answer. Use it for other low-load jobs where buoyancy is desirable.
158 20 Marlinespike Seamanship chest. Many sailors today still find pleasure in unusual functional and decorative rope work for their boats. 8 Even if the time isn t available to become proficient in the skill, a few basic knots, bends, and hitches should be learned. Only a few are required to serve nearly every common shipboard need, and they are easy to learn. The basic ones are included here along with descriptions of how to tie them, and some of the common uses for each. Figure 20 1 Three Strand Laid Line Laid vs. Braid 5 Laid lines, Figure 20 1, are fibers that are twisted into yarns, which are in turn twisted into strands. The strands, usually three, are then twisted around each other in a clockwise direction. The lay progresses towards the right so the lines are right-hand laid. Anchor rodes and dock lines are commonly laid nylon. Laid Dacron is also available and is often used for the rope tails on wire halyards. Figure 20 2 Braided Line 6 Lines are also braided, Figure 20 2. Braid consists of a loosely laid core, which is then surrounded with a woven cover. Braided lines are more costly, but they have advantages. Their smooth outer surface distributes the load on the line among more fibers, thus reducing wear and allowing for longer rope life. Since their smooth outer surface makes the lines easy to handle, they are frequently used for sheets. Braided Dacron is also common as a halyard material when wire is not necessary. Knots Bends Hitches 7 ors on large sailing ships often spent their off watch time doing fancy work with cordage. Sometimes, it was for the ship, and other times, the fancy rope work was for the sailor perhaps a decorated ditty bag for his ropeworking tools or some beckets for his seaman s 9 The distinction between knots, bends, and hitches has become vague, but hitches connote a temporary fastening, usually to an object. A bend is a knot used to secure a rope to an object, or to tie two ends of a rope together. Knots are used to describe most fastenings, nautical or not. Frequently, bends and hitches are called knots. 10 There are several terms that make description easier. The standing part of a line is the main section, which is frequently attached to something or leads back to the coil. The bitter end is, as the name implies, the very end of the line. A bight (pronounced bite) is a U-shaped portion or loop in a line. Line and rope are not interchangeable terms, although they are often used that way. A line is a piece of rope that has been cut from a coil to be used aboard a boat. The same material is called rope while it is still part of the coil. 11 Overhand Knot. The overhand knot is the knot that most people learn to tie first, Figure 20 3. It simply involves crossing the bitter end of a line over the standing part, and then taking the bitter end up through the loop that is formed. BITTER END Figure 20 3 Overhand Knot STANDING PART 12 This simple knot is part of several others and can be used as a stopper knot all by itself. A stopper knot is one that is tied in the end of a line to prevent the line from pulling back through a block or fairlead. When a sailboat is rigged, stopper knots are generally tied on the ends of the sheets to prevent them from unreeving and
20 Marlinespike Seamanship 159 Figure 20 4 Figure-8 knot becoming lost or snarled should the jib get temporarily out of control. An overhand knot used as a stopper can jam under a heavy load, becoming difficult to untie. 13 Figure-Eight Knot. If the bulk of an overhand knot is not adequate to prevent unreeving, several other stopper knots are in common use. The simplest is the figure-eight, Figure 20 4. 14 Square or Reef Knot. A knot that most people have heard of and many can tie is the square knot, or reef knot, so called because it is used on a sailboat to tie off excess sail material during reefing. the smaller line following exactly the path of the first turn. This bend is called a double sheet bend, Figure 20 6. It is a bit less likely to shake out if the load is reduced. Working End Line 2 Standing Part Line 2 Figure 20 6 Double Sheet Bend Working End Line 1 Standing Part Line 1 18 Bowline. The bowline is a knot used for forming a loop in the end of a line, Figure 20 7. It is a valuable knot to know, has many uses, is easy to tie, does not jam under heavy loads, and is easily cast off. Figure 20 5 Sheet Bend 15 Sheet Bend. The sheet bend, or common bend, is used for joining two lines together. The sheet bend, Figure 20 5, works well whether the lines to be joined are the same size or not. It is very easy to tie, is reliable under load, and unties easily. For these reasons, the sheet bend should be the knot that is used most often for joining two lines. 16 To tie the sheet bend, make a bight in the end of one of the lines. If the lines are of different sizes, the bight should be in the larger line. Pass the working end of the other line up through the bight, around under both legs of the bight, and then around over the legs of the bight, but under the standing part of the second line. To pull this knot snug, hold both legs of the bight together and pull on the standing part of the smaller line. 17 Double Sheet Bend. When tying this bend, many sailors will make a second round turn with the working end of Figure 20 7 Bowline 19 An important use for the bowline is to fasten jib sheets to the clew of the jib or genoa. 20 Clove Hitch. The clove hitch is the most common and versatile of the hitches, Figure 20 8. It can be used to hang fenders from the lifelines or to tie the boat temporarily to a piling. Understand, however, that the clove hitch can work loose when there is not a constant pressure on both its ends. Therefore, it shouldn t be regarded as a permanent knot unless both ends are loaded. 21 The clove hitch is a jamming knot made like two halfhitches. The clove hitch is often used when making the anchor rode fast to a samson post. Tying a clove hitch for this purpose is quite simple. Turn a loop in the end of the anchor rode. Make this loop so that the end of
160 20 Marlinespike Seamanship 23 The rolling hitch can also be useful when it is necessary to take the load off a sheet or halyard temporarily, using a secondary line. If it is necessary, for example, to remove a loaded sheet from a winch, a line can be attached to the sheet above the winch using a rolling hitch. This hitch will not slide along the line on which it has been tied. The temporary line can then take the load while the sheet is transferred to another winch, or cleat. This is particularly helpful when you get an override on a winch that is, the sheet is jammed on the winch. Figure 20 8 Clove Hitch the rode passes under the standing part, then drop the loop over the samson post. Now, with the line beyond the samson post, make another loop in exactly the same manner. Drop the second loop over the first loop. Taking a strain on the bitter end will tighten the knot. 24 Anchor Bend or Fisherman s Bend. A number of different knots are called anchor bends. The most common anchor bend is also called the fisherman s bend. As the name implies, the anchor bend is used to secure the anchor rode to the anchor. For this purpose, it must be a non-slip knot that can be relied upon through successive loading and unloading while out of sight. Because of its non-slip properties, this knot can be quite useful aboard the sailboat in places other than the anchor rode. See Figure 20 10. 22 Rolling Hitch. The rolling hitch is a knot used when affixing a line to a smooth spar when the pull on the line is going to be along, or nearly along, the spar, Figure 20 9. Enlarged View of Hitch Sheet Override of Line Winch 2 Line to Remove Tension Winch 1 Figure 20 9 Rolling Hitch Figure 20 10 Anchor Bend 25 A knot is used to temporarily join lines. Splicing is also used to join lines, but has advantages aside from permanence. The line with a well-made splices is less bulky. Splices are also stronger than knots. A line with a good knot in which there are no tight kinks retains about
20 Marlinespike Seamanship 161 80% of its strength; a spliced line retains about 90% of its strength. 26 Splicing is easier to learn using three-strand natural fiber lines than three-strand synthetic lines. The synthetic lines are easily spliced, but it takes a bit more attention to ensure that the individual strands do not unravel during splicing. So start practicing with a fiber line such as manila or sisal. 27 If a small-diameter line is used, the only equipment needed is a sharp knife. When splicing a larger line, either a marlinespike or a fid will be required. A marlinespike is a pointed metal tool used to separate the strands of a line during the splicing process. A fid is a similar tool originally made of wood but now frequently made of wood and/or metal. Traditionally, the fid was used for fiber rope, while the marlinespike was used for wire rope. 28 The short splice is the strongest way to join two lines. Since it increases the diameter of the line at the splice, the short splice should not be used to join two lines that must pass through a block. If a spliced line is to pass through a block or over a sheave, use a long splice. A long splice increases the diameter of the line at the point of splice only slightly, but is not as strong as a short splice. 29 The eye splice is perhaps the easiest to learn. It forms a permanent loop in the end of a line in either threestrand or braid line. It is used almost universally aboard sailboats to attach fittings to sheets and halyards. 30 Braided line is commonly used aboard sailboats and has several advantages. It is strong, it is easy on the hands, and it presents a greater surface area to a winch (for increased friction) than does laid line. Splicing braided line is different from splicing laid line, but it is no more difficult. However, special fids will need to be obtained. The fids come in different sizes for varying line sizes and can be purchased individually or in sets, complete with instructions for their use. Whipping 31 Every sailor should know how to protect the ends of his lines from unlaying and forming unsightly cow s tails. Both natural and synthetic lines will unlay if left unprotected. Even braided lines, which do not unravel as laid line does, will eventually fray and require wasteful cutting of the ruined portion. 32 Synthetic lines can be temporarily protected by heating the ends and fusing the yarns together. This is frequently done using a match or cigarette lighter. A soldering iron or gun may also be used. Simply heat the newly-cut end of the line until the yarns melt and form a homogeneous melted layer. This layer will harden and protect the end from fraying. Be careful to keep your fingers away from the molten nylon or Dacron, since it will stick to your skin and burn painfully. Commercial dips are also available for this purpose. 33 This fusing process is quick and easy. However, if the line is to receive much use, the fused end will eventually break up and allow the line to fray. For this reason, synthetic lines as well as natural fiber lines should be whipped. 34 To make permanent whippings, a needle and twine will be required. A sail needle and a sailmaker s palm are helpful tools and should be standard on a sailboat. The sail needle is triangular; a sailmaker s palm is a leather strap with a pitted iron piece fitted in the palm. The iron piece is used to push the needle through heavy material or rope. 35 There are many different kinds of permanent whippings, some plain and some fancy. The basic permanent whipping will be discussed here. It is called the palm-andneedle whipping. To begin the whipping, put the twine through a strand or two using the sail needle. The bitter end of the twine should be short enough to be covered by the turns of the whipping, and should be laid along the line toward the bitter end of the rope the direction in which the whipping will be made. 36 Begin making tight turns around the rope with the whipping twine. When a distance approximately equal to the diameter of the rope has been whipped, pass the twine through a strand using the needle. Have the twine emerge from the line close to the top of the whipping between two strands, Figure 20 11. Figure 20 11 Whipping
162 20 Marlinespike Seamanship propeller. The best way to ensure a smooth running line is to have it properly coiled. Figure 20 12 Completed Whipping 37 Now bind the whipping together with worming turns, Figure 20 12. Take the twine down across the whipping above the crevice between two strands. Push the needle through the rope just under the whipping so that it emerges between two different strands at the top of the whipping. Now, pull the twine down across the whipping, again over the separation between two strands. Put the needle through the rope, again, so that it emerges between the two remaining strands at the top of the whipping. Pass the twine once again over the whipping, and push the needle, again, through the rope from bottom to top of the whipping. This time cut the twine close to where it emerges from the rope. The whipping is now complete. 38 If a sailmaker s needle and palm are not available, the end of any line can be protected with temporary whipping. Waxed, natural-fiber whipping twine has been used for whipping natural-fiber ropes. However, the small-diameter whipping twine is in danger of rotting after the wax has worn off, so many sailors today use Dacron sailmaker s twine for all whipping. Waxing the twine with beeswax makes it easier to maintain tension on the whipping as it is applied. Heaving A Line 39 It is important to be able to heave a line a fair distance. Getting a line to a dock quickly makes docking easier, and passing a line to a vessel in distress can be most safely done from a distance. Knowing how to heave a line can be invaluable. 40 While any line can be heaved farther using the proper technique, having a proper heaving line aboard a boat can substantially increase the distance reached with the line. A heaving line is usually small in diameter and has a monkey fist tied in the end of it. The monkey fist usually contains a lump of lead or some other small heavy object. This knot and weight make the line much easier to heave. 41 The next requirement is to have the heaving line properly coiled. Some sailors will stream the line behind the boat to remove the kinks from the line. This can have disastrous effects if the line happens to wrap around the 42 The best way to coil a laid line is to place an end in the left hand with the line to be coiled leading away from you. Then with the right hand, make clockwise loops about 2 feet / 60 centimeters long. If the line is to be stowed, leave about 2 feet and finish by making several round turns around the middle of the coil. Form a bight with the remainder, and push the bight (but not the end) through the top eye in the coil. Then pull the bight back over the top of the coil, and pull the end to tighten. 43 A laid line will kink if it is not compensated for the strand twist. The kinks can be avoided by giving the line a slight clockwise twist when forming the loops. Braided line has no built-in strand twist so no twist is necessary. A braided line can be stowed by faking. Grasp the line near where it is secured, perhaps on a cleat, with your left hand palm up and your thumb pointing toward the cleat. With your right hand, thumb pointing the same direction, grasp the line a comfortable distance down the line. Bring your right hand past your left and drop the line into your left hand as your right hand moves back to grasp the next loop. In most cases the line will fall into a figure eight pattern. When this line is thrown, it will have no kinks. 44 Before heaving a line, secure the end to some part of the boat such as a cleat. This way, you can concentrate on the throw without having to worry about holding the end. Get the heaving line ready for throwing by carefully coiling it into coils about 18 inches / 45 centimeters in diameter. Split the coiled line into two sets of coils, holding the coils nearest the working, or weighted, end in your throwing hand. Hold the remainder of the coils in your other hand. This will leave a strand of line several feet long connecting the coils between your hands. 45 If your line has a weighted end, allow this weighted knot to hang about a foot below your throwing hand. Warn people in the target area to watch out for the line. A weighted monkey fist can be a dangerous projectile. To throw the line, swing both arms back toward your throwing side and heave the line with a side arm motion, like throwing a discus. As the line is released with the throwing hand, pitch the coils in the other hand in the same direction. If the line has been coiled properly and released at the right instant, it will reach its full length while still in flight.
20 Marlinespike Seamanship 163 46 If a proper heaving line is not aboard, there are several knots whose sheer bulk will make the line easier to throw. The heaving line knot, which is simply a noose with the loop pulled way up short, is probably the best. Summary 47 Every sailor should know the types of cordage available, the various applications, and have the ability to tie various knots and hitches. Nylon is a very versatile synthetic material with great strength and elasticity, properties which make it an excellent material for use as anchor rodes. When joining two lines together, the sheet bend is the knot that should be used. When forming a loop in the end of a line such as is required for fastening jib sheets to the clew of the jib, the knot to use is the bowline. Splicing lines together enables 90% of the line s strength to be retained as compared to the best of knots under ideal conditions, which only retains about 80% of its strength. Both synthetic and natural fiber lines should be whipped to prevent the ends from unlaying.
164 20 Marlinespike Seamanship
20 Marlinespike Seamanship 165 Homework: Section 20: Marlinespike Seamanship 1. The best type of line to use for docking and anchoring is: a) nylon. b) manila. c) Dacron. d) polypropylene. 2. What type of line is used for halyards and sheets? a) Manila. b) Nylon braid. c) Dacron braid. d) Polypropylene. 3. A good stopper knot is the: a) sheet bend. b) sheepshank. c) square knot. d) figure-eight knot. 4. A bend is used to: a) coil a line. b) form an eye splice. c) join two lines together. d) prepare a line for splicing. Name 5. A laid line has parted and must be rejoined to pass through a block. Which splice would you use? a) Eye splice. b) Long splice. c) Back splice. d) Short splice. 6. The two characteristics of polypropylene rope that make it dangerous are that it: a) stretches and floats. b) floats and is slippery. c) floats and sheers without warning. d) is slippery and sheers without warning. 7. Laid nylon line is commonly used for: a) vangs. b) sheets. c) halyards. d) anchoring and mooring. 8. The hitch used to fasten to pilings, railings, and to hang fenders is the: a) bowline. b) clove hitch. c) square knot. d) rolling hitch.
166 20 Marlinespike Seamanship 9. The proper fastening of a line to a spar for a pull along the spar is the: a) bowline. b) clove hitch. c) rolling hitch. d) anchor bend. 10. The proper fastening for a jib sheet to the clew is the: a) bowline. b) square knot. c) anchor bend. d) rolling hitch. 11. A short splice should not be used: a) with Dacron. b) when using synthetic line. c) when joining two pieces of line. d) when the splice must run through blocks. 12. Splicing laid line: a) is more difficult than splicing braided line. b) should only be attempted by an expert. c) decreases line strength more than a knot. d) can be learned easily and may be used to make an eye splice in a line. 13. Braided line is commonly used on sailboats because it: a) resists stretching. b) floats and holds well to cleats. c) is strong and easy on the hands. d) resists mildew, stretching, and can be washed. 14. A splice in a line typically retains: a) 90% of its strength. b) 75% of its strength. c) 60% of its strength. d) 50% of its strength.