Page 275 - The Knot Bible

Dyneema reduction splice
KNOT SCORE
The astonishing strength of high-modulus ropes such as Dyneema and Strength
Spectra is gradually transforming the face of yachting. Suddenly, lashings Security
and ‘soft shackles’ (page 280) are back in fashion after centuries of neglect. Diffi culty Tying
Diffi culty Untying
The new materials’ reluctance to be tied down also means that other
Usefulness
old-fashioned skills are re-emerging in new guises.
When rope was fi rst created, the For one thing, they tend to be As well as having to brush up on
main concern was to make it as very slippery and will pull out of their splices, sailors using these
strong as possible. With the advent traditional knots such as a sheet ropes are also having to relearn the
of materials such as Spectra and bend (page 80). Try a double or art of whipping (pages 246–253).
Dyneema, strength is no longer an triple fi sherman’s knot (page 101) Dyneema and her sisters don’t melt
issue. These ropes are 15 times as instead. In terms of loops, the in the way previous synthetic lines
strong as wire, weight for weight, fi gure-eight loop (page 111) is a did, so simply burning the ends with
and are far more resistant to stretch better bet than the trusted old a butane whipping (page 251) isn’t
and chafe than their predecessors. bowline (page 112), while the topsail an option, and the needle and
Indeed, a common complaint is that halyard bend (page 54) and cow thread are making a comeback.
high-modulus lines ‘look’ too thin hitch (page 49) are said to be the In order to reduce weight aloft,
for the job, even though they’re most effective hitches. the casing of high-modulus lines is
probably stronger than necessary. Slippage aside, tying knots in often removed. The best way to do
Thin lines can also be hard to high-modulus ropes is said to weaken this is with a reduction splice shown
handle, so there’s a temptation to the line far more than traditional on these pages, which ensures the
fi t much thicker lines than really cordage. Most manufacturers core doesn’t slip when the outside
needed – a conundrum our ancestors recommend not tying knots at all, of the rope is gripped by a jamming
would have been astonished by. and using splices whenever possible cleat or similar.
One of the main drawbacks of – several of which are shown in the
these lines is that they don’t tie well. following pages.

1 Use a sail needle and twine to put 2 Prick a hole in the case below the 3 Pull the core all the way out,
a stitch through the case and core stich, and tease out the Dyneema or being careful not to damage it in
of the line. This will prevent any Spectra core. the process.
movement while the splice is being
made.

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