Price of Chain to Anchor Rope Splice ???

Blimey ... from high priced splice to East v West politics !

Skilled labour for splicing ? Agree if splicing ships mooring ropes, wires and other harder stuff that takes 'skill'. But plait to an anchor chain ? and even less for 3 strand to chain ..... Sorry but as a person who can splice most put in front of them including wire - I don't class those as demanding skills.

But if you go to shop and ask for such a job - then price surely has to be over 15 quid at least - probably more. Let's be honest the same guy would be making more money in same time knocking up stays etc. for a boat. Problem is it's not really the job - it's the time factor.

I'm amazed that more people don't do it themselves - I happily while away time splicing, knots etc.

It's not uncommon when out here in winter that I tow someone out of ditch / snow etc. - I find their shop bought tow rope a shambles. Couple of minutes splicing / tidying and rope is useable.

It's not hard to do.
 
Over simplistic analysis. Of course splicing does not need premises. However, if one wanted to offer a low cost splicing business how would one meet customers. Sit at the end of the pontoon with a placard "roll up, roll up cheap splicing here"

Just the same as lower skill car service items like topping up the washer bottle - not the same as working on the engine, but still costs the same hourly rate as part of a service.

Many self employed businesses can operate out of low overhead situations. I do and my charge out rate is 30% less than when I was employed. However I have to find my own clients, do my own paperwork, chase to get my money, pay my own indemnity insurance, maintain my own car and so on.

Silly to talk about "worth to society" in this context. The only thing that counts is worth to the buyer, and if a buyer wants to use craftsmens time to do the job, then he has to pay the craftsmen rate. If he does not like the price, learn to do it himself. However, for many there is an opportunity cost for this and they are quite happy paying people to do things whilke they are busy earning money.
 
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It's not uncommon when out here in winter that I tow someone out of ditch / snow etc. - I find their shop bought tow rope a shambles. Couple of minutes splicing / tidying and rope is useable.

It's not hard to do.

[/ QUOTE ]No, not that hard to do but you must be a nice guy, Nigel. I'd do a round turn and two half-hiches or a bowline.
 
I am so looking forward to the next few months when Lemain turns from Poacher to Gamekeeper.

As he searches for his ideal French property, watch out for tales of inefficient estate agents, bent lawyers, corrupt officials, arrogant Mayors..........

All the 'absurd' (favourite word) prices for cars, hotels, trains, planes, food which will be demanded of him. Of course, the only non 'absurd' price will be the one he will be looking for when he comes to sell the boat. That will be 'reasonable' and 'realistic' and all the 'time wasters' will be offering 'absurd' figures.

This will run and run. After the proctastinations of car buying we can expect months of fun. How the mighty are fallen. from buying £15k lunches to thinking that Ibis hotels 'are looking very pricey' and that UK skilled labour charges should be £7.00 an hour. The UK public with their 'obscene' consumerism - but he can gob a bacon buttie on Easyjet with the rest of them and that's ok.

Stultifying hypocrisy.
 
Yes, I rather regret telling him when he asked, that a Nauticat just like his sold for just under £250k, so giving him confidence that he had made a good investment!
 
So do a round T + 2 ... but rope is a mess after and for the couple of minutes it takes - much better to splice. I'm talking where they have hooks fitted and silly plastic tubes slid over a 1.5x or if lucky 2x tuck splice ! Where tube slips, strands splay out and splice falls apart !

If it's braid - I don't carry my splicing hooks in the car - so then I'm back to seamans konts bends and hitches ! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
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Forgive me for noticing he charged 1 pound, but detailed 19/6d ...... ??

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The missing 6p was for VAT - Value Added Tap!

Well I thought it was all getting a bit heavy! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
What is this ?

Each and everyone to their own opinions ?

I often don't agree with various on here, whether they forcefully put fwd or not, but usually let it ride as they have right to own opinion. I have right to mine.

I think Lemain has a point, to what degree or level is another matter. We have direct evidence of similar over here already. So buckle up me hearties - sh*t is coming to UK soon ...

Evidence ? Yep - factories cutting salaries in half. 3 day working weeks. One half of workforce working first 2 weeks of minth, other half working last 2 weeks of month. The list goes on in addition to the thousands of lay-offs in a country who's population is less than a city in UK. Despite all the rhetoric and promises of EU support etc.

It's coming ....
 
Re: What is this ?

And I don't often agree with you Nigel - but I do feel that a lot of people on here greatly over-estimate the real worth of their contribution to society.

In a nutshell, the fact that someone has bought a new van, had it signwritten expensively, moved to a new and bigger workshop and upgraded their IT systems does not mean that I have to pay for it . . .

I just watched a snippet of the BBC lunchtime news. A government spokesperson commenting on those working in the banking industry whose behaviour lead to the financial collapse remarked that they had 'little understanding of the society around them'. I thought that was a perceptive comment that could be applied more widely.

- W
 
If any of you lot have to pay for somebody to splice a rope for you - WTF are you doing messing around in boats??
Sorry, just answered that one - mesing about!! I mean you can't exactly call up a rigger when your at sea!

Why don't you just learn to splice rope yourself? Its not exactly difficult you know, and very rewarding.

Try 'The Slicing Handbook' ISBN 0-7136-6846-6, its a good place to start.
 
Just for the record £30 ph is not a lot is it? Most prefessionals charge anything from £40-80 ph don't they? at least they did when I was in the UK.

As for being overcharged - well you can't/couldn't/ won't do it, he could and he did. So in this case he is the professional not you and you are paying the going rate. If you don't like, read my above post, don't be so lazy and quick to condem!

For my tuppence worth: if you can't do basic ropework (and the splicing is pretty basic in this case!), you shouldn't really be messing around at sea in a boat. Your lack of basic knowledge is a risk to you, anybody who sails with you and the rescue services who will have to come and get you at some stage.
 
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Just for the record £30 ph is not a lot is it? Most prefessionals charge anything from £40-80 ph don't they? at least they did when I was in the UK.

[/ QUOTE ] No quite reasonable, especially if £300+ of chain and anchor are on the sea bed, you don't want a splice coming undone now do you.

Pete
 
Re: What is this ?

I have no problems with anyone's opinion. I do, however, appreciate a little more consistency and a little less hypocrisy.

I rather object to some self appointed expert sitting Mekon-like in his piece of Tupperware saying ' I told you so, aren't I clever ner ner ner ner ner'

Why he thinks he has escaped this mess escapes me! He will get his taste of it all - when he tries to sell his boat to a Dutchman.

In the meantime, I wish he would curb his arrogance and be less Wildean and opinionated in his cynicism - 'a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing'.
 
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If any of you lot have to pay for somebody to splice a rope for you - WTF are you doing messing around in boats??
Sorry, just answered that one - mesing about!! I mean you can't exactly call up a rigger when your at sea!

Why don't you just learn to splice rope yourself? Its not exactly difficult you know, and very rewarding.

Try 'The Slicing Handbook' ISBN 0-7136-6846-6, its a good place to start.

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We are obviously not all as bl**dy clever as you! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Re: What is this ?

Rather a value laden judgement! Markets are there to establish the value of goods and services. If you and others do not patronise businesses then they will go out of business. What is your prime criterion when spending your own money - is it value to you or based on your perception of value to "society"?

So if somebody wants to spend £30 on a splice that is their choice. The original poster was asking whether he was ripped off. The answer is nobody else knows because we don't know where his preferences lie. You, and I, do because we do not value it that highly and would prefer to sacrifice some of our time to do it ourselves. It is, however reasonable to explain why a skilled craftsman (in this case not actually doing a very skilled job) has to recover his opportunity cost.

This is what living in a relatively free economic society is all about, and without wishing to get into another longwinded argument has, for the last 50 years or so delivered unheard of prosperity to our country. Whether it will continue is another matter, and if it doesn't somebody has to dream up a better alternative and there are no signs of that happening.
 
We are obviously not all as bl**dy clever as you! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

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Not trying to be clever, ropework is basic seamanship.

Everybody can and should learn to splice and use knots, bends and hitches correctly. Its part of 'our trade' if you don't learn it you'll loose it. Once these skills are gone, they'll be gone for ever. The 'Dark Art' of splicing will only be able to be done by insurance certified experts who will charge a lot more for it.

Your call.
 
I am quite capable of doing normal eye & backsplices but draw the line at splicing a multiplait rope into chain, especially when it's on the main anchor /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Horses for courses etc.
 
I am fairly happy, although not particularly skilled, in splicing 3 strand, and have once done a multiplait to chain splice, took a long time I remember. However I have not tried splicing modern ropes, it looks much more tricky and needs special tools, different for each range of rope sizes.

In answer to the OP's question, Jimmy Green only charge #11-50 for a soft eye splice, and Foxes locally only #10-00, so on that basis #30 seems rather steep?
 
But it was for two splices into chain.

The real trick is splicing three strand into chain - not using the conventional backsplice. Very proud of the two that I have done, both of which go over the windlass gypsy very cleanly.

Biggest future challenge is to do an end to end in braid on braid for an endless reefing line. Got the instructions, but may get the rigger to do it because I will hopefully only need it done once and if you get it wrong it can jam.
 
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