The stern line

[MtB]

As title!

 

I've seen negative comments on here a few times about the dangers of coiling one's stern line and hanging it on the tiller pin, but without further explanation.

 

I do it all the time and can't see the risk. Can someone enlighten me please? What's the problem?

 

(I'm sure I'll say 'oh yeah!' once someone points it out....)

 

Cheers, Mike

[John Orentas]

Hi Mike.

 

There is no risk either in wearing bowler hats, waistcoats or spotty hankies around your neck, falls into the same category.

 

But of course there is that slight risk of the line falling off and wrapping around your prop.

[mayalld]

As title!

 

I've seen negative comments on here a few times about the dangers of coiling one's stern line and hanging it on the tiller pin, but without further explanation.

 

I do it all the time and can't see the risk. Can someone enlighten me please? What's the problem?

 

(I'm sure I'll say 'oh yeah!' once someone points it out....)

 

Cheers, Mike

 

You have a rope coiled up in a position where it could easily fall into the water, and wrap around the prop.

 

I never have any rope stowed where it could reach the prop (stern ropes are kept in the locker when under way).

[allybsc]

We hang our stern line from the tiller, so long as it is well secured I can see no problem, better then leaving it coiled at your feet as I see most people doing, can't be a***d to untie it and stow it away all the time. But perhaps you shouldn't take any notice of us as we own bowler hats and waistcoats and are unrepentant.

[Chris J W]

The advice given to me was to completely remove the stern line when underway, and leave it on the hatch cover. That way, it'll not fall down to the prop, it's not a trip hazzard, it's somewhere to rest your cup of coffee to not mark the paintwork and (more important than the coffee bit) it means that there's a rope very handy in case you need to throw a line to someone.

 

Sound advice, if you ask me.

[DHutch]

It at depends on the boat any a whole load of other things.

- For me the main reason not to would be just because it looks stupid, and a minor trip hazard should i get messy.

 

We leave our sternline attached 24/7, with the rope being coiled neatly, or not so neatly, on the back deck relativly out of harms way, but yet ready and convenient for use as soon as its needed. (like, everytime you stop, moor, wait for a lock, go though a double lock, strap into a lock, etc, etc....)

- On our boat, where we have a medum sized, contained, rear deck its got to be the only sensable way to go.

- If your have a 'trad' stern, it might be a diffrent story, but i would still be unhappy with the time-delay storing it detached in a locker would force.

 

And all this non-sense about having your centerline to short to rear the prop is rubbish as well, if you ask me.

 

 

Daniel

[mayalld]

It at depends on the boat any a whole load of other things.

- For me the main reason not to would be just because it looks stupid, and a minor trip hazard should i get messy.

 

We leave our sternline attached 24/7, with the rope being coiled neatly, or not so neatly, on the back deck relativly out of harms way, but yet ready and convenient for use as soon as its needed. (like, everytime you stop, moor, wait for a lock, go though a double lock, strap into a lock, etc, etc....)

- On our boat, where we have a medum sized, contained, rear deck its got to be the only sensable way to go.

- If your have a 'trad' stern, it might be a diffrent story, but i would still be unhappy with the time-delay storing it detached in a locker would force.

 

And all this non-sense about having your centerline to short to rear the prop is rubbish as well, if you ask me.

 

 

Daniel

 

Why?

 

As it happens, with a 58' Boat, most pre-spliced mooring lines that you can buy will be just too short to reach the prop!

[DHutch]

Ive never bought a pre-spiced rope...

 

But one of the most common things we used the center line for is to hold the boat of the cill when travelling up certain locks (or thos we are not familur with) and eight or nine times our of ten the best thing to tie to is the ballence beam of the lock, hence you need a rope that can reach as far as the bottom lockgate.

 

Also, just in everyday use its supprising how often an extra 5/10feet can be the diffrence between reaching and not. We also use the centerline as a spring fairly often, and again its usfull if its longer rather than shorter.

- The bow lines also fairly long, its the only one of the three not to reach the prop, but its proberbly about 30/35foot, which again is suprisingly usfull sometimes when your turning the boat round it or somthing, or just geting to the mooring ring and back when your double moored.

 

Again, its depends on the boat, and personal preference.

 

 

Daniel

[Machpoint005]

I would have thought that hanging the stern line on the tiller pin is a reasonably good way of keeping it off the prop: on a trad stern (and possibly a semi-trad), leaving it anywhere else (and still on the bollard) would run the risk of dropping an end into the cut near the stern. A good number of trad stern boats have a weed hatch for which you need four-foot long double-jointed arms, so you don't want to do that.

 

There are times when you need to get a stern line ashore in a bit of a hurry, so having it already joined to the boat helps. You can easily grab it if it's on the tiller pin, especially if the coil hangs on the towpath side. I do keep the centre line near the rear hatch, though, and that's what I use 19 times out of 20.

 

I've read that leaving a rope coiled, or especially flemished (coiled flat), on a deck or roof is an effective way of rotting it, though. Even if dangling the coil from the tiller pin looks poncey, it's better for the rope, so I can still see good reasons for doing so.

 

 

 

Ive never bought a pre-spiced rope...

Me neither: I prefer to grind the peppercorns myself...

[Bones]

I have a trad stern and always hand the rope on the tiller, it isn't going to slide back because the tiller pin stops it, and it isn't going to slide off the front unless my hand falls off. It keeps it out of the way, and also enables me to chuck it or leap off with it.

 

I must remember to hang my bowler hat there too.

[mayalld]

I would have thought that hanging the stern line on the tiller pin is a reasonably good way of keeping it off the prop: on a trad stern (and possibly a semi-trad), leaving it anywhere else (and still on the bollard) would run the risk of dropping an end into the cut near the stern. A good number of trad stern boats have a weed hatch for which you need four-foot long double-jointed arms, so you don't want to do that.

 

There are times when you need to get a stern line ashore in a bit of a hurry, so having it already joined to the boat helps. You can easily grab it if it's on the tiller pin, especially if the coil hangs on the towpath side. I do keep the centre line near the rear hatch, though, and that's what I use 19 times out of 20.

 

Hanging a rope where it will tangle in the prop if it falls is a good way of keeping it off the prop?

 

Nope, don't buy it.

 

There is no need to keep it on the bollard. In the top of the port locker is handy enough to deploy within 5 seconds.

[Chris-B]

Hanging a rope where it will tangle in the prop if it falls is a good way of keeping it off the prop?

 

Nope, don't buy it.

 

There is no need to keep it on the bollard. In the top of the port locker is handy enough to deploy within 5 seconds.

 

With a trad stern our rope is always kept neatly coiled on the slide ready for immediate use

If you wish to hang yours from your tiller pin then feel free ( you probably havent got any room on the roof due to the flower tubs,storage boxes,spare toilet cassetts etc etc anyhow)

[carlt]

With a trad stern our rope is always kept neatly coiled on the slide ready for immediate use

If you wish to hang yours from your tiller pin then feel free ( you probably havent got any room on the roof due to the flower tubs,storage boxes,spare toilet cassetts etc etc anyhow)

I can add nothing to this except when you have had your rope fall off the swan neck, whist working the rudder hard in a winding hole, with a queue of boats waiting to turn round, you'll put it on the hatch, where it's safe. Didn't happen to me but the chap was glad I was there with Stanley, and a bit of blue string to tide him over.

 

Hi Mike.

 

There is no risk either in wearing bowler hats, waistcoats or spotty hankies around your neck, falls into the same category.

I've trawled through my books and can find no work boat with the rope anywhere near the back deck or swan neck, whilst underway, so I'm not sure how it falls into the 'trad' category??

[Machpoint005]

I have a trad stern and always hand the rope on the tiller, it isn't going to slide back because the tiller pin stops it, and it isn't going to slide off the front unless my hand falls off. It keeps it out of the way, and also enables me to chuck it or leap off with it.

 

My point exactly. In fact, it allows you to step off with the rope, whereas if you have to fart about making one end fast, you will have to leap!

[mayalld]

My point exactly. In fact, it allows you to step off with the rope, whereas if you have to fart about making one end fast, you will have to leap!

 

Nonsense.

 

I never leave a rope on the bollard, and I am always able to step off with the rope.

[carlt]

My point exactly. In fact, it allows you to step off with the rope, whereas if you have to fart about making one end fast, you will have to leap!

I don't recall a time, in 25 years, where I've 'farted about making one end fast' forcing me to leap. A couple of seconds hooking the loop over the dolly is a lot less hassle than a couple of hours hacking 80' of rope off your prop. Loads cheaper too.

 

If you're having to leap with a rope then you're not bringing your boat to a stop correctly. Unless on a river, in a current, there is no need for your boat to be moving when you step off it.

[Machpoint005]

I don't recall a time, in 25 years, where I've 'farted about making one end fast' forcing me to leap. A couple of seconds hooking the loop over the dolly is a lot less hassle than a couple of hours hacking 80' of rope off your prop. Loads cheaper too.

 

If you're having to leap with a rope then you're not bringing your boat to a stop correctly. Unless on a river, in a current, there is no need for your boat to be moving when you step off it.

 

At risk of repeating myself, my point exactly. I think we're all agreed that props and ropes don't mix, it's just how we go about keeping them apart.

 

No aspersions intended on anyone's abilities or experience. Is the answer to the originator's question "well, it depends"?

 

It usually is.

 

He seems to have posed the question then ducked below the parapet. Mike Bryant, are you there?

[Matthew Dowson]

I don't recall a time, in 25 years, where I've 'farted about making one end fast' forcing me to leap. A couple of seconds hooking the loop over the dolly is a lot less hassle than a couple of hours hacking 80' of rope off your prop. Loads cheaper too.

 

If you're having to leap with a rope then you're not bringing your boat to a stop correctly. Unless on a river, in a current, there is no need for your boat to be moving when you step off it.

 

I'm sure I read that having it on the slide ready to deploy on whichever dolly you needed to use was what many working boat skippers did, don't know where I read it, but I've done it ever since I got new ropes with eyes soon after getting 'Oak Moon' works fine for me, but then everyone will do it the way they feel suits them, I like re-coiling a rope ready for the next time and on the its out of the way on the hatch ready to pick up, I also know its flaked ready to go, no having to untangle just when time is pressing cos it got kicked about on the deck. I agree about the possibility of slipping off into the water from the tiller, but alos you could bring up the pin and dunk that as well if it's not got a split pin through the bottom of the pin. Each to their own. Everyone's got plenty to say though haven't they ... clearly we're all ready for the weekend.

[MtB]

He seems to have posed the question then ducked below the parapet. Mike Bryant, are you there?

 

 

Apologies for my absence. I've been pre-occupied hacking the remains of my stern line off the prop.

 

:-)

 

Cheers, Mike

 

A couple of seconds hooking the loop over the dolly is a lot less hassle than a couple of hours hacking 80' of rope off your prop.

 

 

This puzzles me somewhat.

 

My sternline is tied securely to one dolly because I feel it is likely to come off if a looped end is just hooked loosely over. Especially in a Thames lock or any other situation where the line needs to be secured to a bollard (or whatever) substantially higher up than the boat.

 

Or are you 'coil-it-on-the-slide' guys saying you never encounter this stuation?

 

Cheers, Mike

Edited July 6, 2007 by mike bryant

[blackrose]

The advice given to me was to completely remove the stern line when underway, and leave it on the hatch cover. That way, it'll not fall down to the prop, it's not a trip hazzard, it's somewhere to rest your cup of coffee to not mark the paintwork and (more important than the coffee bit) it means that there's a rope very handy in case you need to throw a line to someone.

 

I'd love to see that - an unattached rope being thrown across the water!

[carlt]

This puzzles me somewhat.

 

My sternline is tied securely to one dolly because I feel it is likely to come off if a looped end is just hooked loosely over. Especially in a Thames lock or any other situation where the line needs to be secured to a bollard (or whatever) substantially higher up than the boat.

 

Or are you 'coil-it-on-the-slide' guys saying you never encounter this stuation?

 

Cheers, Mike

 

If I need to secure the rope I'll loop it on one dolly and tie it off to the other. In a wide lock I keep hold of the line secured to the engine room bulkhead.

[Chris J W]

I'd love to see that - an unattached rope being thrown across the water!

 

Unattached, but held in one hand ....

[NB Willawaw]

This sounds like another thread on the use of bow thrusters.

 

The fact that you all do different things and get away with it probably suggests

that it doesn't easily matter.

 

Personally, I like my stern lines permanently connected.

 

I can't be bothered to keep taking them out of storage at each lock and re-connecting them to the dollies.

 

On a tidal cruise or a different type of boat, different story and both fenders and lines go away.

[magnetman]

I have spliced an eye which is a very tight fit over the dolly which goes through thames locks no problem the top of the dumbell shaped dolly stops it coming off. Kick it onto the appropriate dolly when its time then another kick to get it off. It is stored coiled on the hatch so that the entire rope is free at all times. Cycle innertube added to the eye makes it grip the dolly even better

[magnetman]

By coiled i mean quickly coiled 'in the hands' then placed on the hatch. A flat coil may be decorative but is more tricky to pick up and use quickly.