Dinghy development: Rope advice

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Rope advice

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11665
Printed Date: 06 Jul 25 at 3:28pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Rope advice

Posted By: dohertpk
Subject: Rope advice
Date Posted: 21 Sep 14 at 8:34pm

Hey all,

Hope you had a great Bart's Bash! Looking to re-rope my 600. What kind of rope would you recommend for the control lines? I need something that's not going to chafe and abrade easily. I've been looking at the Marlow Excel Pro but any advice needed.

Best,

Peter

Replies:

Posted By: chris_wht
Date Posted: 21 Sep 14 at 9:40pm

Excel pro is polyester core and wont make a good splice for your continuous lines.

Ideally you want English Braids / Marlow Continuous control / excel control. These have a dyneema or technora outer and therefore when you splice them you dont have any diameter change.

Aleternatively there are any number of poly cover / dyneema core lines about the can also be continuously spliced, however you will have to taper the outer to allow acess to splice the core. This will mean you do have a diameter change in your lines. Not a major issue, i tended to jut open both cleats between races and run the line round so that the splices were in the takeoffs instead of near the cleats or in a loaded position,

This is slightly less relevant if you dont have cont. lines, but the 600 ideally needs them! and if your re-roping now is the time to put them in..
If oyu want a control line setup diagram for the 600 give me a shout, as i made a somewhat crude one a while back.

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Posted By: Neptune
Date Posted: 21 Sep 14 at 10:14pm

Get the Marlow excel control, it's the one where you splice the outer not inner together. Plenty strong enough and stretch is isn't an issue. My 600 and Musto have both been reroped with it

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Musto Skiff and Solo sailor

Posted By: dohertpk
Date Posted: 21 Sep 14 at 10:25pm

Thanks a mil for that guys - that's very helpful indeed. The thing is, I've never spliced a line before. Is it something I can pick up from YouTube tutorials, or is it something you really only master with years of practice? My control lines are all a continuous set up. The kicker rope needs immediate attention. Do I need to do any splicing to replace that?

Posted By: Kev M
Date Posted: 21 Sep 14 at 11:03pm

You'll need some tools for it,a needle and a fid, but it's not that hard. I picked it all up from the videos on the Rooster youtube channel.

I'd recommend the English besides braids offer the Marlow type. I find it easier to splice and it feels nice in the hand too.

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Successfully confusing ambition with ability since 1980.

Posted By: RichTea
Date Posted: 22 Sep 14 at 8:17pm

Have a look at www.dinghy-rope.co.uk for rope,

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RS200

Posted By: NHRC
Date Posted: 26 Sep 14 at 8:02am

Aren't English braids and Marlow the same company making the exact same rope? English braids bought Marlow in 05 as far as i remember.

Posted By: Paramedic
Date Posted: 26 Sep 14 at 7:56pm

No they are not. They are owned by the same person, but the two companies are run in direct competition.

The English braids control line is much more user friendly than the Marlow one, and being dyneema rather than technora stays softer. too. Excel control in my experience goes rock hard within 6 months.

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Posted By: Jamie600
Date Posted: 30 Mar 17 at 12:37pm

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread but this came up on a search when I was trying to find out what size fid to use for the English Braids rope.

A 4mm fid does not quite fit the 4mm rope, would I need a needle fid?

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RS600 1001

Posted By: Neptune
Date Posted: 30 Mar 17 at 1:35pm

Think 4mm is smallest fid Jamie, you'll need either one of the long needle type or a wire loop type. I prefer the needle type for 3 &4 mm but then a wire for sizes like 2.5 down

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Musto Skiff and Solo sailor

Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 30 Mar 17 at 1:40pm

I use both depending on which bit of the splice I am doing. The pull fid can be difficult though and sometimes requires gloves.

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Paul
----------------------
D-Zero GBR 74

Posted By: NickA
Date Posted: 03 Apr 17 at 7:42pm

for end to end continuous joins in excel control etc you have to use a PULL fid not a PUSH fid. Even the smallest push fid won't go through.

These are brill http://www.sailboats.co.uk/splicing-fid-tool .

This won't work (though fantastic for D12 etc) http://www.sailboats.co.uk/marlow-splicing-fid-for-4mm-rope

Splicing is fun. I sometimes splice stuff just for the fun of it and have lots of useless joined up ropes and loops to show for it!

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Javelin 558
Contender 2574

Posted By: laser193713
Date Posted: 07 Apr 17 at 5:22pm

I'm wondering whether this continuous control rope is actually necessary. Bearing in mind that the highest loads you're going to see in a control line with adequate purchase is around 50kgs, would it not be possible to do the continuous line splice in something more normal. Just strip the core out and to the outer to outer splice anyway. I'm sure the outer would be plenty strong enough without to core on almost any rope! I mean, you get 0.5mm fishing line that holds over 100kgs!

Posted By: GG NHRC
Date Posted: 09 Apr 17 at 10:49pm

I agree

All continuous splice control lines I have done are just cover to cover, no core splice. Even the furling lines for the VO65s are basically a cover. To cover splice.