![]() ![]() ![]() That’s when the whole price thing became a factor and I decided to build my own.įull disclosure here, the bridle I built borrows heavily from the Mantus bridle design. The bridle system they had on the site seemed to be exactly what I wanted. I thought I had it figured out half a dozen times before I found a reference to the Mantus website. There are chain hook rigs that can be used and various knots that can be tied to both chain and rope to attach the bridle. I was in a quandary though because I needed it to attach to both the rope and chain parts of the rode. My good friend Google showed me lots of different bridles and rode attachments, and I read through many board postings from sailors offering up their solutions. That said, I really did enjoy the process of building it and am happy with the product. It did take me longer than I expected, but pretty much everything I do takes longer than I expect. However, I was just going to be doing nothing useful so my time isn’t really a factor. Between the cost of the parts and the time I spent building the bridle, I’m sure it would have been cheaper to just buy one. I like working with rope and this seemed like it would be a fun project. Being winter when my mind was thinking about this, I decided to make one myself. I thought to buy an out-of-the-box bridle, but bridled at the cost. The obvious solution is to use an anchor bridle, a device that connects to the rode and is tied to both bow cleats, taking the load off of the anchor roller and the windlass. Also, there is considerable pressure on the anchor roller and a tendency for the rode to chafe on the roller as the bow is blown back and forth. ![]() That means there is no good way to get the load off of the windlass unless all the chain had been deployed. There is an opening on the port side of the anchor locker hatch cover leading to the bow cleat, but it is awkward to use and works only for the rope part of the rode. Kestrel has an anchor windlass, but no central cleat or post on which to lock the anchor rode down. Cut and burn one more and splice the remaining strand before cutting and burning it too.Last summer, we spent some time at anchor. True tapering of individual strands is rarely done now and should probably never be attempted by amateur, occasional, splice makers.Īlternative Taper: After sufficient tucks have been made for strength, cut and burn one strand and then continue the Eye Splice with the remaining two strands. Modern rope is sufficiently slippery to mean that the tapered tails tend to get dislodged and make the splice look very untidy. In tarred hemp this made a very elegant tapered splice. Tapering the tails: It used to be fashionable to gradually thin the strands for an additional few tucks. The burned ends are usually slightly larger than the strand and this provides some additional security for the Eye Splice. If they are a little too long, it is usually far less trouble to make another tuck than to cut them and re-burn them to stop them unraveling. Hold the other two tails in your hand, one each side of the rope they will then be in the correct place when you want to choose the next end to thread.įinishing the Splice: If the ends have been cut to the correct length, they will be used up in the splice. Holding the Rope: Having prepared the ends and chosen which strand to thread where, it is then all too easy to get confused after it is threaded. The following have all worked for me under different circumstances: Technique: In tightly laid or large diameter rope, it may be difficult or impossible to pass each strand under the standing strand without a suitable tool. In the animation the mark would be where the first tuck of the Eye Splice is to be threaded. Create the required size of loop and mark the rope. The correct length to unravel is about 3 times the diameter per “tuck”, i.e., for five tucks in half inch diameter rope, leave the free strands at least 7.5 inches long and for seven tucks at least 10.5 inches. Measure the length to be unraveled and secure the rope at that length with tape or twine. The animation only shows the threading of two complete tucks with the final image showing four tucks finished and tightened.Įsssential Preparation: Secure the end of each strand by heat, tape or whipping twine. For mooring, towlines, and other long term or critical applications, seven tucks are recommended. Modern synthetic materials, however, tend to be slippery and, now, a minimum of five complete “tucks” is required. Important: The Eye Splice and its variants are well described by Ashley ( ABOK # 2725, p 445). ![]()
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