Halyard to Shackle knot

[Guest]

Hi all,
I'm looking for information regarding a self-tightening knot that is used for joining a halyard to a shackle or Gibb Clip. A friend of mine has a Jeanneau Sunfast and all the halyards, vang, etc are tied with this type of knot. He told me it might be called a riggers or deadmans knot. I've also seen it on 50 footers so it must be good. I'd be grateful if anyone knows how to tie it and if it is on the internet. I need to learn it because I can't splice.

Thanks

Donie

 

[PaulJ]

I don't know the knot you mention but splices are much neater for this application. You CAN splice but perhaps you just don't know how to yet........ It really isn't difficult and is most therapeutic, I suggest you buy a book on knots and splices, it will be money well spent!

 

[vyv_cox]

I sometimes use a knot similar to the one you may be talking about but I don't know it as a named knot. It is basically a simple whipping with only three turns. I always used this for double-purchase jib sheets on racing catamarans because the pull comes absolutely straight and the block + becket stood up straight when the load was on. I can't find a link for a simple whipping that works but most knotting books have a diagram.

There are two similar knots on http://www.fish4fun.com/knots.htm, the clinch knot and its improved version. The difference is that they are the opposite way around but they look promising.

As your other respondent says, splicing is not that difficult and is very satisfying. A long splice in a triple-laid rope may be too fat to pass through the sheave, so be careful. Splicing a sheathed rope should not pose that problem. Look at http://www.marlowropes.com/yachting/default.htm for some info on that one, but no diagram. Ask at your chandler for the Marlow knots leaflet, it's very useful.

 

[Ohdrat]

Splicing is fun.. best way is to get off cuts of ropes from your friendly chandlery and a play..

PS above mentioned friendly chandlery may also be able to reccomend a good book on rope work.. get one with lots of pics in it

 

[Twister_Ken]

Tie an overhand knot in the very end of the halyard. Then push a loop of halyard through the cringle at the head of the sail. Lead the knotted end through the loop and pull it tight, so the loop traps the knot. No need for a shackle.

To be honest, I've never done it on a yacht, but it's how I always did it on my dinghies, and it never let me down.

 

[LadyInBed]

Not asking what you want to use it for (if its for attaching to sails previous answer is better).
To answer the question, I would use either a fishermans bend (with a wipping to secure the end) or a hangmans noose if you want a firm, stout line end to hold when offering the shackle to whatever. Both are self-tightening. A hangmans noose might be discribed as a deadmans knot!

 

[vyv_cox]

What you are calling a hangman's noose is virtually the same thing as the simple whipping. It works well on high loads.

 

[Mirelle]

so, what is the shackle for?

If you are going to knot the halyard, knot it into the cringle at the head of the sail and do away with the shackle, which is now serving no useful purpose and which is just increasing the chafe on the rope.

Seriously, I am a little shocked at this thread; there is a good reason why you splice a halyard round a thimble and then shackle the thimble to the cringle. It is much kinder to the rope. Modern low stretch ropes, in particular, take very badly to being knotted; it dramatically reduces their strength and you stand rather a good chance of parting your halyard if you knot it, quite apart from the questions of security of the knot and chafe.

Please do yourself a favour and learn to make eye splices; it is a simple and rewarding skill, honestly.

 

[Guest]

You don't say what sort of rope you are using. Splicing 3 strand is easy, but if you are using multiplait or similar round rope you will need a set of tools to include a fid and a pusher of exactly the right size as well as enormous amounts of patience.

 

[Guest]

Hi all,
Thanks for all the info so far. I should have told you that I am using 6 & 8mm spectra halyards on a new Beneteau First 47.7. It's not my boat, I'm just crew and hydraulics for the three speed winches. The halyards that came with the boat are wearing very badly and the splices joining the Gibb clip to the halyard are very short. We looked at another 47.7 and they use the riggers or deadmans knot for their halyards. However, I think I will have to learn the art of splicing in order to do the job correctly.

Thanks

D