How to join a continuous rope

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greenalien

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My mainsail reefing system, unusually, uses a continuous loop of 8mm 3-strand polyester line, operated from a winch in the cockpit and rotating a luff spar suspended behind the mast on a taut wire. The system is simple, but works well within its limitations. However, the achilles heel is the continuous line; rope that starts off nice and soft soon hardens up and needs replacing to keep the reefing system working without requiring excessive effort. Over the years, I have tried both conventional methods of joining the rope ends - short splice (tends to jam in the turning blocks) and long splice (works better, but splice is longer and is still difficult to get round the turning blocks).
What I really want is some method that allows the rope loop to be instantly broken and reconnected, while at the same time still running evenly around the blocks. I am considering just heat-welding the ends together, and hoping it's strong enough, or possibly trying to incorporate a metal hook and loop; I am also considering scrapping the rope altogether and replacing it with industrial link belt, but I'm very interested to know if anyone else has had this problem, and how they overcame it.
 
My inmast furling has a continuous line system, but it uses braided rope. Is there any reason why you can't try this? It's easy to do a continuous splice (in fact I did it yesterday in about 30 mins). There are instructions here on the Selden website. You can use ordinary braid with a 3-strand core, or braid-on-braid. You end up with a constant diameter line.
 
I can't imagine that your proposals would be anywhere near strong enough.
I would suggest changing to braid on braid rope. This doesn't harden like some 3 strand, and can be spliced into a continuous loop with virtually no thickening to cause problems around blocks etc.
The Hood Seafurl genoa system on my last boat used such a loop which gave no trouble over several years.
 
The reasons for wanting to easily remove it is so that I can clean it, and so that I don't have to leave it rigged over the winter when the boat's ashore. It would also help when removing the mast - at present, I either have to replace the line, or unscrew the turning blocks that are screwed to the mast, and leave them on the line. However I've just been looking at the instructions from the Selden link you kindly posted, and will definitely try splicing some braid-on-braid, if it doesn't go stiff then it will be a considerable improvement on my current setup.
 
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Thanks to the encouragement and information posted on this thread, I just spent a happy half hour this afternoon sat on deck, in a brisk breeze, carrying out my second-ever braid on braid splice to make a continuous loop reefing line. (The first one was a practice effort, carried out at home). All went well, and it really has made my mainsail reefing system much easier to operate.

What I have learned is that this is no more difficult than splicing 3-strand, but the splice doesn't increase the rope diameter, and braid on braid is much more flexible than 3-strand, resulting in much lower frictional losses as the reefing line runs around the various blocks in the system.
Also, if I knew what I know now, I wouldn't have spent £25 on the set of fids - nice though they are, they are really just big needles, a piece of bent coathanger wire would have sufficed for the job in hand. Still, hang the expense, definitely a job well worth doing. Thanks again especially to pvb, the Selden method was just what I needed.
 
continuous loop splice

djbreeze said:
Might be worth having a natter with Barry Edwards (t/a Boatropes on ebay) about your requirements. I've had good products, prices and service from him and a long chat about ropes!
Click to expand...

Barry at Boatropes here. Yes I use the Selden continuous loop method and often email it to customers. I also stock all sizes of low stretch braid-on-braid which doesn't harden (as with any good grade of polyester) e.g. 10mm 90p/mtr. Lastly I supply the Selma splicing fids as well, in sets or SINGLES (although many brands/diameters of rope do need two fids for each stage of one splice) Advice and samples always available.
[For the technically curious - a recent rope customer/student at Strathclyde Uni has almost finished his technical paper testing this continuous loop splice method. His provisional results show very high break loads and (surprizingly) that the final 'secret stitching' in the method adds little to break load.] I'm sceptical on this, I'll still add the stitches. Old dog....new tricks....?
Barry

boatropes@barryedwards.co.uk
 
I had a continuous line on a Sailspar furling system some years ago. I was fitted with a cleat for cleating it off which was a PITA. I was in Fox's and the Rutgerson rep was showing a new clutch which could be easily split to insert an endless line. I bought it on the spot and it revolutionised furling - just pull the line! I believe Spinlock now produce a similar unit.
One of the first jobs on my present boat was to fit a clutch on the furling line.
 
M33 said:
I was in Fox's and the Rutgerson rep was showing a new clutch which could be easily split to insert an endless line. I bought it on the spot and it revolutionised furling - just pull the line! I believe Spinlock now produce a similar unit.
Click to expand...

That sounds excellent. Far too many systems have a captive line and my customers usually have to buy a fid/fids as well as the rope and learn the splicing art on deck! Most would prefer to have a continuous line spliced here but can't for that reason. I don't suppose the Spinlock/Rutgerson clutches come cheap? Someone might know of a good source....
Barry
boatropes@barryedwards.co.uk
 
boatropes said:
That sounds excellent. Far too many systems have a captive line and my customers usually have to buy a fid/fids as well as the rope and learn the splicing art on deck! Most would prefer to have a continuous line spliced here but can't for that reason. I don't suppose the Spinlock/Rutgerson clutches come cheap? Someone might know of a good source....
Barry
boatropes@barryedwards.co.uk
Click to expand...

I've dismantled a Spinlock clutch to replace a broken side piece. While it's not instant, it's not a huge amount of work (from memory: take out the screws and drive out a couple of dowels) so I would have thought it would be just as easy to take apart a new / existing one to fit a continuous line.
 
boatropes said:
That sounds excellent. Far too many systems have a captive line and my customers usually have to buy a fid/fids as well as the rope and learn the splicing art on deck! Most would prefer to have a continuous line spliced here but can't for that reason. I don't suppose the Spinlock/Rutgerson clutches come cheap? Someone might know of a good source....
Click to expand...

My problem is the line goes through a deck organiser, which can't easily be dismantled. So I end up doing the splicing in the cockpit.
 
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