More balls

[snowleopard]

The hard plastic ones used with loops of bungy for securing sails. Since I read about one flipping round and whacking the user in the face driving shards of spec lens into his eyeball I won't have them on my boat at any price. Others swear by them.

Do you use them?

 

[capnsensible]

Read the same story with the same decision! Dont use em.

 

[doug748]

Just using them frightens me. I usually have lengths of webbing, often old seatbelt stuff from down the scrappy - a much neglected resource.

 

[Poignard]

The hard plastic ones used with loops of bungy for securing sails. Since I read about one flipping round and whacking the user in the face driving shards of spec lens into his eyeball I won't have them on my boat at any price. Others swear by them.

Do you use them?

No. We have what we call 'the clothes line'. It consists of a length of 3-strand rope a bit shorter than the boom, with a short length of bungy cord attached to one end. Threaded through the 3-strand, at intervals of about 2 feet, are lengths of webbing.

When furling the main, one end is secured to the gooseneck with a clip and the other end to the end of the boom.

Drop the sail and the tiers are ready to hand for securing the sail.

 

[Lady Campanula]

No. For same reason.

Even without specs, a severely-bruised eyeball has happened several times....

I found myself with a sufficiency of light fabric tape, so sewed up several continuous loops which I use for sail ties, instead of simple lengths. They can be looped over the head when going forward, and they're much faster to use on a steep, slippery coachroof, at night, in the wind and rain. Pass one end through the loop, pull, and tie off......

And little risk of 'granny knots' coming undone a couple of minutes after you've fionished and taken your oilies off.....

 

[prv]

Can't see the point of them. Is tying a slipped half-hitch so hard?

Pete

 

[rotrax]

The hard plastic ones used with loops of bungy for securing sails. Since I read about one flipping round and whacking the user in the face driving shards of spec lens into his eyeball I won't have them on my boat at any price. Others swear by them.

Do you use them?

Hi, I have used them BUT NEVER where they must be passed around something substantial under tension where what has been described can easily happen. I have seen exactly the same with motorcycle bungies-a customer of mine was lucky not to lose an eye. I prefer Tiger Clips which can be made long enough so as not to have dangerous tension when using. The extra length can easily be tucked away.

 

[gunman]

I used them on my last boat, nearly took my face off with one and lost 2 into the drink as they came off the boom at great speed and landed 15ft away in the water

Apart from that I did find them very handy.

 

[Lakesailor]

I use them and am proud to do so.

Softies.

 

[lustyd]

There is a knot that can be used with a single lenth of rope for this. I forget the name but you can start at the end of the boom and work forwards until the whole sail is down. From memory the rope ties the sail every couple of feet just as you would with sail ties but this looked much more elegant. It's a traditional way of tying the sail down and looked pretty easy/good in the book.
Cheers
Dave

 

[prv]

There is a knot that can be used with a single lenth of rope for this. I forget the name but you can start at the end of the boom and work forwards until the whole sail is down.

Sounds like a series of marling hitches? We truss up Stavros's main-topmast-staysail like that, and it does look neat. It's a bit more fiddly than just throwing individual gaskets around the sail though, so I wouldn't like to use it on the average yacht mainsail especially in a hurry.

Pete

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

The hard plastic ones used with loops of bungy for securing sails. Since I read about one flipping round and whacking the user in the face driving shards of spec lens into his eyeball I won't have them on my boat at any price. Others swear by them.

Do you use them?

I only had one of them once fly back and hit me in the mouth... never again. It got rocketed out into the darkness like a catapult... self propelled!

 

[Twister_Ken]

I use them in one place. Locking the dan buoy against the pushpit rail. Very short, always put on at arms length, quick to knock-off if I need to launch the buoy.

I suspect the 'You'll have your eye out with one of those" remark comes from them being used as sail ties on the main boom, working close to head height.

 

[elton]

They're handy, but I had one twang me on the back of the hand and it hurt. It reminded me of playing clackers at school.

 

[DownWest]

No time for bungees on the car or boat. For sail ties, I use the close line type but with velcro on the wrap arounds. Fine so far.

I read that bit about the guy temporarly blinding himself, just reinforced what I already thought.