What Sort Of Nails Are Best?

[NautiBits]

Howdy Everybody!

The Admiral broke a nail today. So, the obvious question comes up. How long should her nails be on board? As much as she could easily just improve the feng shui on any vessel, she wants to be a functional member of the crew. Shoot, she's the Admiral! It only makes sense. Whether it is manning the helm (at anchor), weighing that dern mizzen widget, or conjuring up some monkey's paw chowder on those day's when Poseidon has turned up his Jacuzzi for a mad party, she, and I , want her to pull her weight. I know how they feel scraping across my back, but will they be a liability in a seaway? Mind you, she loves her beautiful nails (they are all-natural), but compromises are understood to be a big part of the cruising lifestyle.

What say you?

[bobconnie]

Gee NB, thats a BAD thing !! so sorry to hear it! Connie of course being a nursie, keeps her nails short for her job so has no problems! She says have her get a good set of sailing gloves ! maybe that would help !! (or put em on with epoxy maybe?)

[GordMay]

Finger nails should be cut approximately 1/8th of an inch shorter than the end of the fingertip, and certainly not extend beyond the finger tip.

➥ Effects of fingernail length on finger a... [J Hand Ther. 2000 Jul-Sep] - PubMed - NCBI

[Nicholson58]

I didn't check. Is this the same OP as the discussion regarding the number and type of shoes 'she' would be allowed to have on board? Nobody's problem but 'hers'. Keep you mouth shut & empathize every time a precious nail breaks.

Silly me. I thought this was going to be about building a boat with nails.

[starchaser 2011]

Love your input Gord!

[NautiBits]

No doubt BC! You've got to take care of the crew. Having a nurse on board might be an asset also. I'll have to check craig's list to see what is available. So, do you think this project can be completed with epoxy alone? A little biaxial mat might even lend itself to a gnarly, gnurled, industrial finsh. I thought about maybe some graphite, due to the weight concerns associated with purchasing a cat. Since we're not locked into a cat though, that should be negligible.

Gord:

Wow! Actual research! You are THE data mining MVP! You didn't even have to make up your supporting facts in order to provide notionally relevant thread support. Actual maximum efficiency fingernail length data! I'm impressed. I wonder if he has data for every application of a fingernail!

How about it folks? Besides gripping a dynamometer and typing, what other uses might a fingernail have on board? You might give your best guess as to optimum length for the specific task at hand. Try not to get fixated on a single finger though. There is no reason to give me the finger either. We can deal with this easily enough in virtual mode, right here on the internet. Remember, we humans have ten fingers(well, generally speaking). Each one has many uses. In combination, there are yet more uses.

Remember, so the mods can keep their jobs, we'll need to drop an anchor, or some such nauticalia, in here every once in a while.

[NautiBits]

Hi Nick58:

Sorry about the confusion there. My bad. I'm pretty clear on that though. Monohulls can carry tons and tons of nails, multihulls not so much. What I've learned by observation of this forum over a period of time is, with a monohull, if your keel falls off, and you have tons and tons of nails aboard, you may not get thrashed around quite so much in a seaway. On a multihull, with the same amount of nails aboard, all the monohull sailors will laugh out loud and point at you as they pass you by. Plus, I'm told nails pounded into a GRP hull are a seriously bad idea, especially for a monohull sailer. And, it might mess with your compass, but probably not your sextant.

Does that help clear things up a bit?

My Admiral is pretty tough. She's been putting up with me for some three decades now. She complains a little at first, but than she drives on.

[rtbates]

don't know as I prefer screws.

[sailorchic34]

You know I have not noticed any appreciable difference between long and short nails when oh hoisting or reefing sails or raising the anchor at all. Mine are normally somewhere between .5 and .8 cm long. Matter of fact I rebuilt a water pump">raw water pump (bearings and seals) and did not damage the nail color or gloss at all.... Happy Girl....

So guys and girls go ahead and use any color and length you want and it will be just fine

[David M]

Originally Posted by GordMay

➥ Effects of fingernail length on finger a... [J Hand Ther. 2000 Jul-Sep] - PubMed - NCBI

You are a genius at finding this kind of stuff.

[Astrid]

I generally keep mine relatively short, much as Gord suggests.

[NautiBits]

SailorChic:

That is what I'm talking about! Honest to goodness advice from an expert who knows her hands well and uses them effectively in authentic nautical scenarios. Now the Admiral is happy, and, of course, NautiBits is happy too. A win-win!!

Gord is Great!! And data has its place. However, is keyboarding a necessary skill for a sailor? The practical application of real fingers carries a little more weight in my book. (You can go back to finding Osama..HINT: 'Swimming with the fishes' as they say in the old neighborhood)

Mr Bates (always scary):

Thanks for you input. However, this thread is clearly about nails. If you are trying to sell us on the merits of your Torqueedo powered screw gun or your secret database of information freely available elsewhere on the Internet, I will ask you politely to peddle your wares elsewhere. Nothing personal

[jackdale]

Long nails (of any sort) do not belong anywhere near spinnaker material.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by jackdale

Long nails (of any sort) do not belong anywhere near spinnaker material.

Just use a hammer to stake the ends over.

[minaret]

Re:what sort of nails are best?


Annular ring thread, of course.