Protecting Dyneema lifelines at stanchions

[chris mac]

Most sailing stores sell the plastic split tubes for chafe pretention on shrouds. To save the jib sheets.
I used 1/4" amsteel for my lifelines and sleeved the stanchions with 1/4 " split tubes. It works great, easy to whip on, and only cost $2 for a 6' piece

[sanibel sailor]

I wound up using clear vinyl hose. Turns out the upper and lower holes have a different I.D. Extra trip to the hardware store. It is gratifying to see the Dyneema slide within the tube as the stanchion wiggles a bit.
I don’t use lashing at the ends. I converted my old pelican hooks with eyebolts and cowhitch the splice to it. Requires some careful measuring. If they are too long, a second wrap on the cowhitch takes up the slack.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

... And I know Dyneema is a bit controversial. It is unsafe, unseamanlike and I am endangering my crew and I will almost certainly die a horrible death, so if you are of that opinion, I don't need to be informed.

[Bycrick]

I used some small pieces of clear PVC hose. Curiously, when it came loose and moved, I didn’t see any noticeable chafing on the Dyneema.

[Ween]

Current ISAF Offshore Regulations for lifelines are:
• Vessels under 8.5 m (28 ft) - 3 mm (1/8") uncoated, stranded stainless steel wire; 4 mm (5/32") single braid HMPE rope; 4 mm (5/32") CORE diameter using double braid HMPE
• Vessels 8.5 m (28 ft) to 13 m (43 ft) - 4 mm (5/32") uncoated, stranded stainless steel wire; 5 mm (3/16") single braid HMPE rope; 5 mm (3/16") CORE diameter using double braid HMPE
• Vessels over 13 m (43 ft) - 5 mm (3/16") uncoated, stranded stainless steel wire; 5 mm (3/16") single braid HMPE rope; 5 mm (3/16") CORE diameter using double braid HMPE

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

I wound up using clear vinyl hose. Turns out the upper and lower holes have a different I.D. Extra trip to the hardware store. It is gratifying to see the Dyneema slide within the tube as the stanchion wiggles a bit.
I don’t use lashing at the ends. I converted my old pelican hooks with eyebolts and cowhitch the splice to it. Requires some careful measuring. If they are too long, a second wrap on the cowhitch takes up the slack.

I’m sorry, but I’m not a fan. I think the pieces of hose are not needed and ugly, and they will start looking gross soon.

Leaving the J-hooks in defeats 90% of the purpose of switching to Dyneema. Now your lifelines are almost as unreliable as they were before.

[sanibel sailor]

Once the stretch has settled out and the length adjusted, I ziptie the pelican hooks.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

Once the stretch has settled out and the length adjusted, I ziptie the pelican hooks.

But.. but… they are stainless steel and can fail at any time

A friend of mine almost lost his life because of these. He went overboard mid Atlantic and only his 6-year old son heard/noticed it and his wife was abke to turn the boat around and find him.

None of that would have happened with a lashing. Lessons are to be learned from. Also, zipties?!

[sanibel sailor]

The pelican hook seems less likely to fail than the stainless wire bail.
Lesson learned- wear a harness?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

The pelican hook seems less likely to fail than the stainless wire bail.
Lesson learned- wear a harness?

No, a lashing around the stainless tube, not through the bail. You can use the bail to prevent the lashing from moving up/down.

Instead of a bail, the manufacturer should have used flat bar cut to the shape and drilled like in the pictures attached.

Your installation is not safe.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

No, a lashing around the stainless tube, not through the bail. You can use the bail to prevent the lashing from moving up/down.

Instead of a bail, the manufacturer should have used flat bar cut to the shape and drilled like in the pictures attached.

Your installation is not safe.

Those photos don’t show a gate. Can you show your solution (if you have a gate)? I would like to replace my SS lifelines with fibre but haven’t yet found a decent solution for gates that doesn’t involve pelican hooks.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Those photos don’t show a gate. Can you show your solution (if you have a gate)? I would like to replace my SS lifelines with fibre but haven’t yet found a decent solution for gates that doesn’t involve pelican hooks.

No pictures but for our gates I use a Dyneema line with polyester cover (Samson Warpspeed) and simply tie the gate closed.

For a single braid, you can use a toggle or “dog bone” as sold by Tylaska and others. In this case the gate lifeline simply ends in a small eye splice the you put the toggle through.

The attached picture is of a soft shackle with a dog bone, which isn’t what I mean. You can make a loop with a dog bone and cow-hitch it around the stanchion at one side of the gate. The lifeline would have a small eye splice at each end; cow hitch it at the other stanchion. To close the gate, simply put the dog bone through the eye splice at the loose hanging end of the life line.

There have been members using whoopie sling constructions but to get a good fit, it is easy enough to tune the length of the lifeline by adjusting the eye splice.

[chris mac]

I went simple and easy for our gates. The main runs end with a splice onto a stainless ring. The gates are spliced onto the ring and also a clip on the other end, which hooks the ring on the other side.

[JimsCAL]

I changed out my old coated SS lifelines to dynemma about 4 years ago. Went larger in diameter than racing rules using 6mm single braid and CS Johnson splice fittings. Holding up well with no sign of chafe.

[hjohnson]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

I am replacing my Dyneema lifelines and am looking for suggestions about how to protect them where they run thru the stanchions. The holes have ferrules and smooth edges. I used vinyl tape before and had no chafe issues but it looked like crap. Any great replacements?
And I know Dyneema is a bit controversial. It is unsafe, unseamanlike and I am endangering my crew and I will almost certainly die a horrible death, so if you are of that opinion, I don't need to be informed.

Too be honest, I don’t know how big of an issue this is. We’ve had Dyneema lifelines on our Ericson 27 for the past 7 or 8 years, without any chafe protection where they go through our stanchions. We check them periodically, usually spring and fall, and have seen no signs of deterioration anywhere along their length.