drogue, lifebuoy, danbuoy - how do I stow the ****** ropes?

[jamesdestin]

Ok folks, I've fitted a new horseshoe lifebuoy, attached the drogue to one end and a danbuoy to the other. And now I have several metres of loose line between them!

The drogue came in a pouch into which I've stuffed everything, but I'm afraid that wind etc will catch the loose line and drag it out.

I've wound the loose line around the danbuoy but again I'm worried about it blowing free and/or not deploying properly in an emergency. I'mstarting to think about a larger pouch with a velcro closure to keep the lines and drogue flaked in.

What have other people got? Walking round the other boats in the club I haven't seen any drogues and the few danbuoys I've seen don't seem to be attched to the lifebuoys.

 

[Boathook]

I have 2 lifebouys, 1 with a drogue and the other attached to the boat with over 100m of floating line but both with lights.
Drogue - is attatched to the lifebouy by 2m of line round round the drogue. It always seems to unwrap it self but as it is on a brackt in the cockpit not a problem.
Attached - the line is stored in a large tupperware container minus the lid and is attached to the lifebouy bracket by webing and cabine? hooks. One end is attached to the lifebouy and the other to a reinforced ring, again all in the cockpit. I have never tried it but when grabbed and pulled the line seems to run out ok.
I don't have a danbouy and if I did would not be to sure where to store it for it to be attached to the lifebouy.

 

[eebygum]

Tony,
Yes I have a similiar length of rope between the danbouy and lifebouy and to keep it tidy I use a climbers slip knot called a butterfly ? ......somebody may be able to give you a link.

Bascially it's not a knot ! ....difficult to explain but it's a sort of loop, within a loop, within a loop which only requies a little tension on the final loop to keep it together but which will unravel without tangling when pulled. Absoultely great.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[YachtJem]

I tidy up my danbuoy and drogue lines by clamping a bight of the slack line to the guard rails with a few turns of a thin whipping twine. When you chuck the lot over the side it pulls free and releases but it keeps it neat the rest of the time.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Our danbouy sits in a plastic tube (short length of drain pipe of appropriate size from the builders merchants). The tube is clipped to the pushpit with a couple of jubilee clips with not much clearance from the deck - but enough to allow water to drain. The several metres of spare line is stuffed in the tube before sliding the danbouy in. The tube is a suitable length so that the float of the danbouy just sits on the top of it.

Another frequently used trick is to stuff the danbouy flag into a small diameter plastic tube with a light line attaching the tube to the boat. When you deploy the danbouy the tube will slide off easily. Note that the flag is stuffed in - one of my pet hates is the practice of rolling the danbouy flag round the danbouy to stow it as it will never be unrolled in the mad rush to deploy the danbouy in anger.

 

[StellaGirl]

Elastic band (not heavy duty).....will break when you have to throw it over

 

[PhilipH]

I have just wrestled with this and have done the following:

- danbuoy has light on top with a plastic clip attached to the backstay by a light line - when deployed the clip comes free and activates the light;
- the flag is rolled up and secured with a light line when the boat is not in use - it is allowed to fly on passage - tried using rubber bands but they just degrade very quickly and also don't want to be messing about when deploying and they get in the way of the light;
- the drogues are placed under the lifebuoys on the brackets and do not need to be secured other than by the pressure of the lifebuoys in the brackets;
- the line between the danbuoy and the lifebuoy is more tricky and I settled for a clove hitch but will review in the light of comments above;
- one lifebouy also has a long floating line attached and again it's a clove hitch to attache it to the rail;
- both have floating lights which are held in brackets but I have also made the line between the lifebuoy and the lights of such a length that when it is hooked over the bracket it keeps the light from sliding down and hitting the toerail.

All seems to work OK.

 

[jamesdestin]

Thanks all. I like the ide of stowing the danbuoy line in the danbuoy socket - I think that would work well for my set up. Alo like the butterfly knot idea but haven't tried it yet.

 

[Skyva_2]

Another very easy approach is to screw a hook and elastic loop to the plastic tube. Just coil the lines and tuck them in the loop and hook it over. Easy to stow and deploy.

 

[damo]

I flake the line over a hook, secured with a bungy loop that can be flicked off

 

[Oen]

Errr...

(and mindful of the original post)...

I use small fabric bags with velcro fastenings...