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Ebb had a post somewhere...can't remember the thread, asking why there wasn't any clear covered lifeline wire out there "in this modern age of plastics"... here you go Ebb.
http://www.e-rigging.com/store_produ...Choice=Catalog
Not an endorsement for these guys but happened to be looking for new lifelines and found it here...think I'm gonna get some.
Opinions anybody?
What about using rope for the life lines? We trust it to keep the sails up, to keep our entire boat safe when we tie off to a mooring, and to hold our weight if we go up the mast. I would think with proper chafe protection at the stanchions, it'd be plenty strong enough and a lot more coloful to boot.
Chris - good link, thx.
Mike - I think the main reason not to use a rope is strength. The loads produced by a 150-200 lb human fetching up against a lifeline are enormous. Besides the kinetic energy of the body, the fact that the line will take the load at 90 degrees or so from its strongest dimension (linear) would require that the line be sized pretty large for any kind of safety factor. Maybe one of those fancy new synthetics that are as strong as steel would work. But I don't think you could get a line strong enough to fit through the holes in a stanchion, it would be too large.
I've got some 1/4" 3-strand woven through my stanchions right now, Totally inadequate for the job as a lifeline for a human, they do work for a CrewDog. ;) I forget when it was that I put them on, sometime in the summer, when I mounted the stanchions. The line grows mildew fast there, faster than you would think, it being as exposed as it is. It also tends to be stretchy; easily adjusted, but not very "secure" feeling when you grab it.
Just some thoughts... :)
There is line that is plenty strong enough for lifelines; the aramid fibers are typically at least as strong as comparably sized steel. The problem is attaching them to fittings. They're very slippery and knots basically don't hold. They need to be spliced to maintain their strength and that largely negates whatever cost savings there may be. And chafe is obviously a bigger issue than with stainless.
Offshore racing rules now require the use of uncoated wire because the vinyl both hides deterioation and fosters it by trapping water.
So 'clearcoat' answers that concern on coated wire. And on bare wire a good hook/snag as you're running your fingers along would be a clear sign you'd need to bloody change it.
BUT, it has been abraded into my grey cells that s.s. needs to breathe to stay healthy. Any leak point that would let saltwater get in would happily corrode. Breathable Goretex probably a better coat. ;)
Another concern on the kevlar life lines is UV damage, right?
They was getting excited about stropped spectra (or was it Kevlar?) blocks there for awhile - who wants their blocks to let go because the sun eats them? Especially at the price they want for it.
Kevlar (yellow aramid) does not stretch but is not abrasion resistant. (In line that would mean salt crystals, ice...?) Kevlar has low sunlight resistance.
Technora Aramid (Superaram) has "improved" UV resistance.
Spectra (polyethylene, always white) is stronger than K. - much more resistant to abrasion - but stretches. (Wouldn't use it for blocks!) Spectra 1000 has "improved" stretch resistance. Spectra 2000 (Honeywell) - highest strength to weight ratio of any manmade fiber, 10 Xs stronger than steel, more durable than dacron (polyester), and it floats. Spectra 2000 has high resistance to UV. But is 'elongation' still a problem? In life lines it would be a real problem.
On an A/C, maybe a single S. line per side with two turnbuckles, front and back, that could take up slack when needed would work.(?)
Source (with a splicing diagram - loops, spliced eyes, may be the best way to use slippery S. for life lines),
Kevlar vs Spectra (google)
www. kiterecord.org
The jargon they gave us when I was in the Navy, was along the lines that, wire rope was superior for two primary reasons to standard aramid, kevlar or other type of lifelines...wire rope, has less stretch overall, which is a desireable trait for lifelines, and second wire rope shows visibly, signs of deterioration at stress points, allowing for assesment, and replacement in a timely manner, where as synthetic or natural fiber lines are difficult to evaluate current condition and may fail at critical moments due to UV damage and/or unseen internal fiber separation...
That's just what "they" say... :confused:
Sounds like common sense.
'They' also have said,
that life lines can't be trusted to save lives,
you have to think of them as a sort of a boundary line that you can't really grab. Or even fall against!
There is a trend these days to extend the stern rail all the way to the front of the cockpit. (Geoff has done this) That almost eliminates uncertainty stepping up on a gyrating deck from the cockpit.
,,,then you grab the rail on the coach roof...then the shrouds...then yer on yor own! :eek:
Some years later now and there is talk that some fools will use Spectra for their standing rigging!!!
It's 40% stronger than Kevlar.
But for lifelines it seems totally reasonable to use something like 5/16" blue spectra. On another thread someone said this is the stuff you can have a spool of for nearly all spares, for just about anything:
halyard, sheets, even a shroud. Draw the line at stays and anchor rode. The only problem with plastic is UV degradation. Would be nice if there was a simple onboard test one could do for checking the lifelines, or any line constantly exposed to the sun.
Spectra is a very versatile rope. It acts just like rope. too. Samson Blue 5/16" is $2 a foot in 2010. But it's so strong and can do so much, it's worth considering.