Page 100 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

into the bight. To draw up, first tighten the Slip-
knot, then pull the end snug, and finally haul on the
standing part. It takes only a moment.
The Oysterman’s Stopper is a handsome knot
with an instructive story behind it. Its inventor,
Clifford Ashley, assumed like most of us that all
possible knots had already been invented. Then
one day he saw a knot he did not recognize in the
end of the foresail halyard of a passing Delaware
Bay oyster boat. Being what I can only describe
as obsessed with knots, he promptly got a piece of
line and set about trying to reconstruct what he
had seen, ending up with the knot you see here.
But when he later found that same boat and went
aboard, he found that his mysterious knot was sim-
ply a Figure-Eight Knot tied in extremely gouty
rope! He had invented his first knot, and realizing
it could be done he went on to invent many more. Figure 3-41. Sink Stopper. Start with the Oysterman’s
I mention this story to illustrate that there is still Stopper, but make an extra half-turn before passing
room for innovation, even in the simplest forms of the end.
knotting.
For example, if you make an extra half-turn
with the end before tucking it through the bight
(à la Stevedore) you will get a different knot, and
one less prone to jam. Because it is both secure
and removable, I christened it the Sink Stopper
(Figure 3-41).

Non-Bulk
Sometimes stoppers are no advantage or even a dis-
advantage, as on mooring or lashing lines, where
they just get in the way. Yet something is needed
at the end to keep the line from raveling. Since
the advent of synthetic line, the most prevalent
technique has been the Butane Backsplice (Figure
3-42), made by fusing the fiber ends with a cigarette
lighter. This is fast and convenient, but it does have Figure 3-42. The Butane Backsplice.
several drawbacks:
3. Butane Backsplices crack without warning
1. When melted, synthetics give off highly toxic and let the line ravel. On double-braid the core
fumes and molten sludge. can pull away from the cover, leaving more
2. The resulting lump is hard and has sharp tension on one than the other and weakening
edges; in use it will slash away at sails, bright- the line.
work, and crew. 4. They are ugly.

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