knots in dyneema

sarabande

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I am slowly arriving in the 21st century, with the acquisition of some dyneema line to fasten an inner forestay to a deck fitting.

Are there any magical 'new' knots which are recommended for this slippery material (and a website if poss) or will a round turn and eleven half hitches be enough to fix the line to the deck plate, pls.


OK, it's a specific request, but any comments on knotting dyneema may be useful to other UHMwPE novices.


TIA
 
My running rigging was supplied as a package by Selden, of course they used the ubiquitous 'Selden' halyard knot (it has other less commercial names) to tie on cars, shackles etc. to the end of dyneema lines. It works well and is neat and compact, illustrated on their website and in their rig manuals.
 
For the past four years the Katie L mast has been held up by dyneema lashings. A series of standard hitches - just like any other small boat shroud.

Dyneema has yet to slip or let go. Mast has yet to fall down.
 
We use a Scaffold knot, which I think is also called a Halyard knot. It tightens, if loaded, to a point where it cannot be released and would need to be cut. We use the knot on dyneema halyards (all except our spinnaker), lifelines (replacement for stainless steel wire, turnbuckles to tighten) and on the nylon climbing rope we use for our bridle.

It depends on the dyneema you have but it is quite possible to splice it - but I confess that my attempts at making halyard eye splices are so poor I've reverted to the scaffold knot.

Jonathan
 
Splicing Dyneema is incredibly easy, no more than pulling one end through itself. Watching a man from English Braids doing it a couple of months ago was a revelation. Splices in 5 mm rope holding loads of four tons is mind-boggling.

A man I know who races catamarans at national and European level uses no shackles for sheets, just splices the Dyneema to the sails for each race/regatta, takes little longer than doing up a shackle.
 
Just fitted a couple of Harken soft attach Carbo blocks (which are great)

The instructions recommended tying on with double fishermens bends which are very simple and effective ....
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_fisherman's_knot

Personally would not use round turn and two half hitches with dyneema unless a cruising one with cover. Tucking the first hitch through the loop like a fishermens bend much more secure
 
For the past four years the Katie L mast has been held up by dyneema lashings. A series of standard hitches - just like any other small boat shroud.

Dyneema has yet to slip or let go. Mast has yet to fall down.
Same as my life lines, dead strong. But if you knot some raw dyneema and put a few hundred kilos on it, it will slowly slip through the knot.
 
I am slowly arriving in the 21st century, with the acquisition of some dyneema line to fasten an inner forestay to a deck fitting.

Are there any magical 'new' knots which are recommended for this slippery material (and a website if poss) or will a round turn and eleven half hitches be enough to fix the line to the deck plate, pls.


OK, it's a specific request, but any comments on knotting dyneema may be useful to other UHMwPE novices.


TIA

I use a piece of dyneema string (plus a bottle screw) to anchor the inner forestay deck fitting to the hull. The knot in service is a triple fisherman's.
IFS%20anchor.jpg
 
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