Ropes cut in Birmigham last night.

[madcat]

Friends from Hawne Basin had their ropes cut last night moored in Birmingham along with a number of other boats .

Not sure exactly where they were moored but I think on the bollards on the main line.

 

It's apparently happened before and two young lads have been seen on CCTV but not identified as yet.

 

Being cast off is a pain but having ropes cut is a whole other aggravation.

[nicknorman]

How annoying. Let's hope they catch them. Fortunately it's pretty rare in general.

 

Our centre rope was wearing badly at the fairlead so I cut it off the other day and, using an animated diagram on the Internet, managed to splice a new eye. Not really sure what I was doing but it looks fine.

 

My point is that if ropes are cut, it is possible to mend them and only lose a small amount of length. No skill required, just an iPad!

[Ray T]

Unfortunately not just Birmingham. Happened to us on the Calder & Hebble a few years ago now. Fortunately I was able to splice the rope.

 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

Tied mine together with a reef knot... I really must learn some more one day.

[MtB]

I'd LURVE to be able to splice.

 

I see plenty of courses on fender making but never any on splicing. Maybe it's too easy for a trainging course but I've never found it so when trying using books.

[pearley]

I learnt to splice in the Sea Scouts!

[Hawkmoth]

Try U-tube. You can learn to do almost anything from there.

Bob

[Bettie Boo]

I learned in Girl Guides...sorry MtB, not much help for you though

[tree monkey]

I'd LURVE to be able to splice.

 

I see plenty of courses on fender making but never any on splicing. Maybe it's too easy for a trainging course but I've never found it so when trying using books.

Short splice is easy and is taught on the fender making course at Audlem if you ask

I would be happy to show you next time I see you

[MtB]

Short splice is easy and is taught on the fender making course at Audlem if you ask

I would be happy to show you next time I see you

 

 

Fanx Munk!!

 

Trouble is though, gurls seem to want the long splice, don't you find??!

[mayalld]

Unfortunately not just Birmingham. Happened to us on the Calder & Hebble a few years ago now. Fortunately I was able to splice the rope.

 

mine2006_0416(008).JPG

Short splice.

 

Can you do a long splice though?

 

Much tidier and less bulking of the rope

[FadeToScarlet]

Buy some offcuts of that rope Tradline sell, where each strand is a different colour.

 

Sit down in front of the fire on a winter's night with a knot book, or an Ipad with YouTube videos, a glass of something pleasant, and figure it out.

 

A fid is helpful for parting the strands.

[David Mack]

I learnt to splice in the Sea Scouts!

 

Boy Scouts in my case. Also the back splice and eye splice, which are essentially the technique used to form an eye in a rope or a tidy end.

[larkshall]

I'd LURVE to be able to splice.

 

I see plenty of courses on fender making but never any on splicing. Maybe it's too easy for a trainging course but I've never found it so when trying using books.

To splice well really does require a half day course and lots of practice

[Dharl]

I enjoy putting a short splice or eye splice in a rope, can do the long splice but less fun and more time consuming.

 

Having your ropes cut is not only a pain but am sure would could count as criminal damage? Hope they get the little sod who has done this!

[Emerald Fox]

 

 

I'd LURVE to be able to splice.

 

I see plenty of courses on fender making but never any on splicing. Maybe it's too easy for a trainging course but I've never found it so when trying using books.

 

Pop round to your local church - bellringers probably know a bit about splicing ropes. I'm not sure that they could help much with traings, though.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Emerald Fox

[MtB]

I quite fancy a bash at bellringing.

 

Presumably it involves a commitment to turn up on Sunday mornings though, prime boating time...

[Peter-Bullfinch]

For a fid in mooring lines I use a six inch nail to open the strands. For fenders and buttons a proper fid is really good.

A fascinating book for ropework projects is Des Pawsons Knot Craft.

Collins gem series does a tiny handy book called Knots for less than a fiver.

You Tube is excellent if you can get it on the boat.

[Gordias]

A short splice is very easy - you plait each strand through the other rope, using the basic under/over pattern.

 

After you've done it twice (the first for the pattern, the second to get a feel for tensioning) you'll never forget it.

 

This is a good place to learn:

www.animatedknots.com/spliceshort/index.php

 

Some notes:

* Splices are stronger than knots

* Long splices are used when the rope will run through something like a block, where "lumps" in the rope are a big problem. They're a lot weaker though - I wouldn't use one in a mooring line

* Be careful of very slippery modern rope (the site linked above has other options)

* That site shows splicing synthetic ropes. With natural materials you can (usually) thin the ends of each strand after (approx) three tucks so the ends of the splice are smooth (extra points if you tar them Or you can go for a less permanent but very fast solution: tape them.

 

After you've tried a splice, take a look at the crown and the wall knots, the make a "wall and crown":

http://www.animatedknots.com/wallcrown/index.php

 

After this a backsplice will be easy, and you'll have two nice ways to terminate ropes.

 

Edit:

I'm not trying to disagree with larkshall's comment above (that splicing requires a half day course). The short splice is (AFAIK) the easiest splice, and almost everyone has tried out the over/under pattern at some point. A half-day class sounds like a good (and time-efficient) way to learn and practice a reasonable range of splices in different materials.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Gordias

[bizzard]

To tidy and make smooth and blend in the little end tails of any splice in synthetic rope just heat over a flame the the tail ends until they begin to melt and immediately drop them onto a path and roll them gently but firmly under the sole of your shoe. And then splice the mainbrace.

[nicknorman]

I put a bit of heat shrink over each strand before splicing, helps to keep the fibres together, and you can cut off any slight excess when you've finished without leaving it looking untidy. Better than using tape.

Edited September 2, 2015 by nicknorman

[Emerald Fox]

I quite fancy a bash at bellringing.

 

Presumably it involves a commitment to turn up on Sunday mornings though, prime boating time...

 

Monday evening practice night Cropredy. Napton Tuesdays. Banbury Wednesdays.

[mango]

I put a bit of heat shrink over each strand before splicing, helps to keep the fibres together, and you can cut off any slight excess when you've finished without leaving it looking untidy. Better than using tape.

Adhesive-lined heat shrink sleeving is best for the job, but watch out for places that sell short lengths at silly prices.

 

If using ordinary heat shrink sleeving on synthetic ropes, seal the end by melting making the end very slightly larger than the rope itself. Then place the heat shrink just behind this to hold the strands together.

[madcat]

Heat shrink is quite handy stuff isn't it.

 

Blue rope melts nicely in a gas flame , do this while other half is out or they moan ( well mine does anyway ) Temporary protect the melted ends with masking tape then pull it off after finishing the splice.

Heat shrink to tidy up the end after lasts quite well but does pull off in the end.

 

Why use cheapo blue string stuff , because it's less galling if it gets cut plus it doesn't disappear leaving your boat tied up with somebody else's rubbish rope ( happened to me on a previous mooring )

 

It used to be easy to find lying around in the road but not so much now that curtain side wagons are so popular.

[mango]

Adhesive-lined heat shrink sleeving is best for the job, but watch out for places that sell short lengths at silly prices.

 

If using ordinary heat shrink sleeving on synthetic ropes, seal the end by melting making the end very slightly larger than the rope itself. Then place the heat shrink just behind this to hold the strands together.

Sorry, I was referring to using heat shrink to protect the ends of ropes. Using ordinary heat shrink is fine for what Nicknorman has suggested.