Standard (normal) colors of boat lines?

[BozSail]

Is there a "standard" color scheme for the colors of normally used lines on a sailboat? e.g. color of line normally used for a spinnaker sheet?

[Stu Jackson]

No, there aren't.

[Sailmonkey]

Nope, I choose line color to be contrasting to other lines for specific functions. But it’s left to personal taste, or lack of.

[Montanan]

Nope.

The skipper just usually says to the newbie aboard: "Ahem, might you try tightening the other white rope." Soon followed by: "You will find that it works better if you pull on it instead of pushing." And continuing with: "Uh, I recommend that you wind it your other right way around the winch." Thence followed by: "Here, please hold my beer." "And please don't touch the helm, thank you."

It can become particularly exciting to let go the foul proofed, color coded spinnaker halyard instead of loosening the line.

And lest we not forget when one or more aboard are color blind that attention getting question: "So is that light that is coming quickly directly towards us red or green?" My Dad and nephew come to mind in that regard.

[barnakiel]

I think there is no color code.


But I think there is a word.


Is it not 'ropes' rather than 'lines'?


Lines sounds more like dock lines, I mean. Any colour.


b.

[Rhwins]

In my limited experience, I have found it common to have the spinnaker sheets coded red for port and green for starboard to help sort them out quickly. It works well even if it is not a "convention".

[Scubaseas]

What no Puce?

[Bill Seal]

I'm still searching for mauve rope.
BTW, it's rope until it has a designated purpose, then it's a line.
A lesson learned through many USCG boot camp push-ups.

[FabioC]

There is no general color convention, but there are a few good practices that make a huge difference:

1. For lines that are replicated on starboard and port (like the spinnaker halyards, as another post has said), a line that contains green for starboard and a line of the same kind and brand but contains red for port.
2. For lines that are operated next to each other (e.g., from a set of clutches on top of the cockpit) use very different colors, so they are hard to get confused during a complex maneuver.
3. When possible, color group type of lines by use. For example, all control lines (outhaul, cunningham, etc.) white lines with different color treads, all the reef lines same colored background (say, gray) with different color treads.
4. Mainsheet, jib sheets, and spinnaker sheets must have very different colors because they all end up at the bottom of the cockpit at some point and you do not want anybody, say, grab the wrong sheet in a hurry by mistake.
5. Same principle for all lines you really do not want they get confused. For example, halyards and tack lines, they must look very different from each other. Similarly, spin halyard, main halyard, and jib halyard must look very different, since you certainly do not want the main halyard to be released by mistake in a spin take down, and so on.

Typically, all the large rope manufacturers offer a wide vsriety of colors in their "workhorse" lines. Also, the material of the lines often makes them easily distinguishable (e.g., dyneema covers cannot be mistaken with polyester covers, they have very different colors).

What I do on my boat, I stick with one brand that I like the most, buy lines of all the available colors, and "strategically" place them following the above guidelines.

[Kelkara]

If you're going to be sailing at night ... consider what the colours will look like under red light.


I have my reef lines solid red, green and blue ... but with a red light, they all look identical. When I replace them, one will be light, one dark, one light with dark tracer, and the neighbouring main halyard is dark with a light tracer ... that way they will all be easily distinguishable.

[barnakiel]

Puce is not too common but puke is.


b.

[FabioC]

Originally Posted by Kelkara

If you're going to be sailing at night ... consider what the colours will look like under red light.


I have my reef lines solid red, green and blue ... but with a red light, they all look identical. When I replace them, one will be light, one dark, one light with dark tracer, and the neighbouring main halyard is dark with a light tracer ... that way they will all be easily distinguishable.

Very good point, at night all colors look the same and the tracers are not visible. In addition, you cannot read the labels on the clutches and people are more tired and pay less attention than during the day. Also, at night, you cannot see aloft very well, so releasing the wrong halyard may be harder to notice than during the day.

All that helps at night is the "white" vs. "dark" distinction and intelligent routing of the lines on deck as much as possible (when possible, for example, do not have the spin halyard in the clutch right next to the jib or main halyard...). In practice, at night, you cannot avoid a certain amount of confusing "colors", but at least you can minimize it somewhat.

[Clivevon]

My luff & leech reef lines are red, white & blue for 1,2,&3. Luff reefs are left of the companion hatch, leech lines to the right. Works for me.

[TrentePieds]

Hm.. The old expression "knowing the ropes" or "being taught the ropes" comes from the utter necessity of being able to find a given, purpose specific rope in the dark of night, while you are using one hand for yourself, and having only the other free to work the ship while you are being dragged under water.

Colour has nothing to do with that. You gotta have lodged indelibly in your mind that the "third clutch in from starboard" is the kicker strap - or whatever the case may be.

Somebody mentioned the USCG and having to do push-ups. I bet that in USCG Eagle "learning the ropes" as I've suggested still has high priority - and there are quite a few of them :-)!

TrentePieds

[Djarraluda]

To offer a broader comment than all the negatives......
Yes, in sail training there are standard colours and configurations, at least in UK. Back in 1970 or so, RYA manuals had it all laid out, to get different sailing schools to adopt common configurations so as students were less confused if they switched their school.
I understood US also followed suit, but back then, as a Pom, it was up to others to adopt our standards. Perhaps there has been a slight change to perceived world order although being modest, the fact I am nowadays an Ex-Pom would have no effect on my views - would it?
Roger