Sailing
Knots
Rope Care is essential to your
sailing knowledge
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The care of ropes varies from total neglect: ignoring the end of a dock line, un-whipped, un-raveling and trailing in the water, to the washing a climbing rope after every use and de-compensating if anyone even thinks about treading on it.
Modern good-quality rope, properly treated against UV damage, is extraordinarily resilient and lasts for many years. Indeed, attempts to show marked deterioration due to age, chemicals, and misuse are more remarkable for the strength preserved than for the damage done.
Protection:
Nevertheless, while modern ropes may be resilient to damage, the ends must still be protected against unraveling, and rope should be coiled, or kept, so that it is ready for use when needed: kink free, knot free, and twist free.
Rope Ends
Heat: For rope made of nylon, polyethylene, polyester, or polypropylene, the ends can be protected moderately well by melting them using flame, electrically heated element, or soldering iron. However, merely cutting the rope with an electrically heated element provides very poor protection: the thin layer of solid plastic created does not survive compression or abuse. Careful, prolonged heating provides better protection by building up a protective layer of solidified plastic on the end of the rope. However, nothing beats also adding a properly applied whipping. If you value your ropes, whip and burn all their ends.
Charring: Aramid fibers, e.g., Kevlar, are merely charred by heat. Burning these ropes provides no protection. If the rope has a core and a sheath, the sheath may melt and provide a ring of solid plastic round the core. However, if the core merely chars, it is far too likely to pull out or retract inside to be a satisfactory long term protection. The ideal way to finish such a rope is to use a Sail maker's whipping short of the end, cut the core shorter than the sheath, and then burn the end of the sheath to enclose and cover the core.
Coiling:
Many techniques are described for coiling ropes. The underlying expectation is the same: when the rope is needed, it should pull smoothly from the coil without forming knots or twists - far easier said than done. Opinions vary as to: whether the coil should consist of stacked figure 8 turns or should consists of alternate loops twisted in opposite directions; whether the coil should be folded in half before completion; and how the coil should be secured. In general the worst way to store a rope is flat on the ground as a Flemish Flake (spiral coil). Not only will it get dirty, it is too likely to have multiple twists and kinks if pulled out in a hurry.
Whipping:
Many techniques are also described for whipping a rope's end. Although nothing beats a Sail maker's whipping, it requires a needle and takes time. Properly applied, simpler techniques such as the West Country or the Sailor's whipping provide good protection and are completed more easily and quickly.
The nautical knots used when berthing a large vessel, docking your yacht, tying up dinghy painters, and managing sails are all aimed at safety and reliability. The emphasis for boating knots is on reliability matched with the ability to untie each knot fairly easily.
