Spuddy
Active member
I made a few soft shackles a couple of years ago. Two were ideal for replacing the metal one which connected mainsheet to boom end as that was wearing the alu casing away. Knot I used was the diamond knot which was a struggle initially but helped by wrapping red and blue insulation tape around tail ends.
Had another go at some more recently which displayed age influenced decline in the number of marbles. Tried to have a go at the neater button knot but failed to complete one repeatedly. So reverted to diamond knot with mixed success - probably 50% with the genuine article; the others were untidier but bulky enough and seemed secure enough.
So how crucial is the knot? Does it only matter to those with a variety of OCD. Or there's the knot enthusiasts who maybe go a bit too far. Or will my macrame let me down?
I remember a presentation by the RNLI where as a filler some lad from their office did a talk on knots...lots of them. I'm quite keen on knots and can do quite a few even to the extent that when presented with a knotty problem I can muse about which of several to use. However this lad, obviously not a sailor, had got it to fetish level and confused most people. Afterwards I chatted and mentioned that most folks were best off with a few knots they could guarantee even in stressful situations and mentioned the national mountaineering centre at Plas Y Brenin who as a policy use a figure of 8 for everything. Don't think he got the point - I was probably too oblique/diplomatic.
Which now makes me think: I'll try out a soft shackle using a figure of 8.
What think anyone>
Had another go at some more recently which displayed age influenced decline in the number of marbles. Tried to have a go at the neater button knot but failed to complete one repeatedly. So reverted to diamond knot with mixed success - probably 50% with the genuine article; the others were untidier but bulky enough and seemed secure enough.
So how crucial is the knot? Does it only matter to those with a variety of OCD. Or there's the knot enthusiasts who maybe go a bit too far. Or will my macrame let me down?
I remember a presentation by the RNLI where as a filler some lad from their office did a talk on knots...lots of them. I'm quite keen on knots and can do quite a few even to the extent that when presented with a knotty problem I can muse about which of several to use. However this lad, obviously not a sailor, had got it to fetish level and confused most people. Afterwards I chatted and mentioned that most folks were best off with a few knots they could guarantee even in stressful situations and mentioned the national mountaineering centre at Plas Y Brenin who as a policy use a figure of 8 for everything. Don't think he got the point - I was probably too oblique/diplomatic.
Which now makes me think: I'll try out a soft shackle using a figure of 8.
What think anyone>
