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After 33 years of use, the lifelines on Aragorn ,although still intact ,are showing signs of wear and cracking on the (plastic?) covering. Does anyone out there have a source for re-covering lifelines?
Clare Jordan
Clare Jordan,
Stormont Yacht Club,
Long Sault
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Towser has slip-on shroud covers over the lifelines to protect the plastic-covered wire underneath from chafe by sheets and guys. This looks pretty good and might fill the bill for you.
However, I will add that the plastic-covered wire is new as of about three years ago. I read a story in some mag about how the stainless wire can corrode under the plastic and decided that after 25 years or so, the old wire had earned its rest.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
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This year I redid my lifelines and went with lines without the covering. I added new pelican hooks that were not on the boat before. What a change. I know this does not answer your question, but bare wire might be a choice.
Just a little FYI. I stripped off the white plastic on my first boat since it was in bad shape.
Tim ,Windsor On.
"Oui R One"
C&C 27 MK III 511
Last edited by (2012-12-01 11:05:08)
Tim ,Windsor On.
"Oui R One"
C&C 27 MK III 511
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After a bit of Googling I found Plastico Industries in Cambridge which might be a starting point. www.plastico.ca/
Alan of SMOKE 1984 Mk V 002
Alan of SMOKE 1984 Mk V 002
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Hi:
Because the plastic coating on a lifeline might hide corrosion or damage that might weaken the lifeline, a number of years ago the ORC chamged to requiring uncoated lifelines for offshore racers.
See Reg 3.14.6.c http://offshore.ussailing.org/Assets/Offshore/SAS/2010+US+Cat+1+Mo.htm
Regards,
Tony Jeske
MkV #581
FLYING CIRCUS
San Diego
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The C&C 27 Rules make us use wire rope lifelines, but both ISAF and IRC now allow the use of Dyneema lines. They would have a shorter lifespan, but be easier to install and replace, much lighter, and far more friendly on the hands and running rigging which chafes against them.
Alan of SMOKE 1984 Mk V 002
Alan of SMOKE 1984 Mk V 002
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Hi Alan,
Thank you for your suggestion however I contacted Plastico and they cannot do that sort of work. They can plastic coat small parts only. As some have suggested, the lines might be better off bare so I think I will strip off the plastic insulation and then consider using shroud covers if necessary , to prevent abrasion.
Clare Jordan
Clare Jordan,
Stormont Yacht Club,
Long Sault
Offline
Happy New Year !!
Just to close this thread, I have found that "The Chandlery" in Ottawa will have new lifelines made up for me. The old fittings are not re-useable so I'll be paying for new ones, plus the cost of the wire @ $1.00 per foot and also the labour costs for the swaging of the fittings ($12.00 per fitting X four).
Total will be about $ 170.00.-- Not too bad for the peace of mind new lifelines will provide.
Clare Jordan Aragorn
Clare Jordan,
Stormont Yacht Club,
Long Sault
Offline
Thank you for closing the Question/Solution/Resolution loop. Complete information like this gives the Forum tremendous value.
One additional point - In a continuing debate about ways to recover a man overboard, the British magazine Yachting World notes that current practice is not to terminate lifelines with a turnbuckle, as was standard when our boats were built, but with an eye that is seized to the pulpit or other solid fixture with multiple turns of thin Spectra braid. If someone must be pulled in over the side, the Spectra can be quickly cut, allowing the lifelines to fall right out of the way. This isn't an issue for many 27's, whose lifelines open along the length of the cockpit, but that setup isn't universal.
- Admin
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SMOKE's lifelines terminate with turnbuckles on the (stern) pulpit, so I have that problem of a quick release mechanism as described by Admin, perhaps in bad weather. I like the cord solution, but it needs a knife to be instantly available..........I had thought of moving the turnbuckles forward, then having snap shackles (4) at the termination points aft. It would require a good, braided lanyard on the release pins, but would be there for instant use. Any comments/thoughts please?
Alan of SMOKE 1984 Mk V 002
Alan of SMOKE 1984 Mk V 002
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I wish I'd thought of the lashing trick before, but I think we have a good setup on Towser. The original lifelines were continuous from bow to stern, with a stopper on the aft side of the first stanchion forward of the cockpit. In theory, when you undid the pelican hook at the pushpit, the stopper would keep the forward lifelines taut while allowing the lifelines at the cockpit to drop down onto the deck, out of the way of anything you might be doing over the side.
Of course, the stopper didn't work very well, so when I replaced the lifelines three or four years ago, I terminated the aft end of the forward part of the lifeline with a gate eye on the aft side of the stanchion just forward of the cockpit. The other half of the joined gate eye runs to the pushpit, terminating in contemporary pelican hooks (these actually work, unlike the old Merriman pelican hooks they replaced). Since the stanchion has a brace on it, we can undo the pelican hooks and drop the lifelines right out of the way without losing tension on the lifeline forward of the cockpit.
On the question of knives – Most, if not all the boats I've raced on over the years have had a very sharp knife taped to the vang piston, mast or binnacle and I can recall at least one incident where that kept a serious problem from getting worse. On Towser, I made a brass bracket that accepts the belt loop of the leather sheath of a very sharp knife; it's mounted at the top of the companion. Its only use so far has been to cut a fouled anchor line on a club committee boat, but I am glad to have it there.
Alan, you don't mention how the other (non-turnbuckle) end of your lifelines terminate, but one way to make them instantly droppable would be to replace the turnbuckle with a threaded gate eye (fixed with permanent Lock-tite) and run the lashing between eye and pushpit. You could keep a knife in your sheet bags, or bulkhead-mount a knife as on Towser.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
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