Splicing Octiplat

[Slow_boat]

Is splicing octiplait to chain as easy as tinterweb suggests?


Also, octiplait seems so 'floppy', how do you get it to go down the hawse pipe when weighing by hand?

 

[sailorman]

Is splicing octiplait to chain as easy as tinterweb suggests?


Also, octiplait seems so 'floppy', how do you get it to go down the hawse pipe when weighing by hand?

have a crew member below decks or get a proper anchor well

 

[Grampus]

I use the Jimmy Green method as shown on his website.
It is really very easy, the only important thing to remember is to keep the splice equally along the chain. Don't be tempted to splice all one set of 4 and then do the other set, because you will find that there is just no room to complete the splice of the other set.
I also find octoplait easier to work with if I tape the ends into nice points using insulating tape that way it's sort of 'self fidding'.
galps

 

[Slow_boat]

have a crew member below decks or get a proper anchor well

Ah.
No crew member and I'm not cutting holes in my nice teak deck.

Time for a rethink.

 

[Cloven]

I use the Jimmy Green method as shown on his website.
It is really very easy, the only important thing to remember is to keep the splice equally along the chain. Don't be tempted to splice all one set of 4 and then do the other set, because you will find that there is just no room to complete the splice of the other set.
I also find octoplait easier to work with if I tape the ends into nice points using insulating tape that way it's sort of 'self fidding'.
galps

Yes - very easy, particularly if using the Jimmy Green "Anchorplait" as it is colour coded which makes it all so much easier.

I am in the process of doing some eye splices in 22mm Octoplait and that is not so easy & downright impossible without a good Swedish fid - 3 down, 2 to go but not without much swearing.

 

[pagoda]

Yes - very easy, particularly if using the Jimmy Green "Anchorplait" as it is colour coded which makes it all so much easier.

I am in the process of doing some eye splices in 22mm Octoplait and that is not so easy & downright impossible without a good Swedish fid - 3 down, 2 to go but not without much swearing.

+1 for Jimmy Green's stuff - with a little thread of orange / blue / green / plain. I used the 16mm version for mooring warps, made eye splices at one end.. very easy to handle -doesn't kink readily. I haven't used it for anchor purposes, or tried splicing to chain. I rarely have all the chain out, so the 3-strand rope attached to the bitter end is un molested...

I did use Swedish fids for the splicing as well.... Good tools

 

[john_morris_uk]

Is splicing octiplait to chain as easy as tinterweb suggests?


Also, octiplait seems so 'floppy', how do you get it to go down the hawse pipe when weighing by hand?

Yes it is easy.

It isn't normal(?) to expect a rope anchor cable to stow itself through a hawse pipe.

Chain can usually (but not always) be encouraged to self stow but if you really must use a rope anchor cable then try getting a basket and allow it to flake itself naturally into that and then take it below decks or to a locker to stow. You'll have to unshackle the anchor each time of course. Octiplait is usually pretty good at self stowing into a basket assuming you are feeding it into the basket on the deck by your feet!

 

[AB1707]

Hi
We've just bought a new 40m of 8mm Anchor chain and spliced it onto Anchorplait it is easy provided it's colour coded or has the black line running through half the pairs.

When we removed the previous splice it had been taped over and the rope was starting to rot so I suggest you don't cover it.

 

[TrailerSailer]

I've done it wiht a set of fids and using the instructions at this link. After 2 years of hard use they hold so I guess I did it right!!
http://www.sw-marine.co.uk/acatalog/8_Strand__Multi-plait__Eye_Splice.html

 

[Billjratt]

Re the chainlocker. I was not impressed by the way my anchor rode was stored when I got the boat. The octo had been dumped in the bottom with the chain on top (as would naturally happen if nothing was done to stop it) The splice had gone rusty and was solid enough to jam in the hawse.
I now have a high (and dry) half-shelf that the respliced octo goes on and the chain falls past it into the depths below. To be fair , I have 70m chain, so the octo doesn't get disturbed under normal circumstances.
For retrieval, the rope is hauled on deck*, until the chain can be snubbed, (you have to change gypsies anyway) then the rope is stowed on it's shelf, then business as usual.
* the rope gypsy needs tailed and is well away from the chain hawse, on the other side of the windlass, so the rope has to be pulled down to it's shelf manually,( or once a year..)