Time to replace jackstays

Perhaps you can check out the lifeline report from the Sydney-Hobart race.

Unfortunately the person who tragically fell overboard (and all others relying on a standard) relied on assuming that the standard that the lines were made to as being sufficient.

www.equippedtosurvive.com/sydney-hobart/New Docs 2/TURNER Chris - WORKCOVER REPORT.PDF

People buy lifelines assuming the standard will protect them without actually knowing what the standard reads. If it said that each and every lifeline stitched to it HAD to be quality checked by a COMPETENT person then it might mean more.
 
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Now tell me..

Hand on heart that you can guarantee that the lifelines you have bought recently are 100% guaranteed to be made with thread that conforms to the required standard. You don't even know where they were made...

What will the chandlery that sold it to you say.. 'well it's got a label'..

I was told last year by a large marine superstore nearby that an ECS seacock that I was about to buy was DZR.... Go figure!
 
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After more thought as I drove home this evening..

EN1095 / ISO12401 that we seem to be talking about actually only refers to 'Deck safety harness and safety line — Safety requirements and test methods'. It does not appear to relate to the jackstays we actually have affixed to the deck.

I cannot find anything relating to the specific test or manufacture of the webbing jackstay apart from things like racing rules just stating a minimum breaking strain of 2000kg. This happens to be the breaking strain of the webbing that Jimmy Green (for example) sells for jackstays. Knotting this would IMHO reduce the breaking strain considerably (albeit you will still have 1000kg breaking strain left!) so would not conform to ISAF racing rules when knotted.

Jimmy Green (as a second example) also only says this about his stitched webbing jackstays..
All Our jackstays are constructed with the same webbing and same stitch pattern as our safety lines - tested to EN1095 - so you can rely on their strength and durability
[End quote]

Sounds like they are partially referring to the harness and safety line requirements.

If anyone would like a copy of ISO 12401 then PM me and I will send you the 16 page pdf.

PS - Walking along the pontoon this evening. Saw just two boats with jackstays. First set were rather old and frayed, yikes!... second were blue webbing with blue stitching which is not recommended either. Contrast colour thread makes frayed stitching easier to see!

PPS - If there is a standard relating to the manufacture and test of the jackstays themselves then I would love to know. Thanks in advance.
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galadriel said:
. I can though hide them down by the toe rail.
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Dont like this bit. With jackstays that far out if would be possible to fall overboard and be dragged along through the water unable to release yourself. Ideally your jacksatys need to be far more central so that with the length of your tether you cannot reach the water.
 
Bosun Higgs said:
Dont like this bit. With jackstays that far out if would be possible to fall overboard and be dragged along through the water unable to release yourself. Ideally your jacksatys need to be far more central so that with the length of your tether you cannot reach the water.
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I can see your point, trouble is Galadriel is only 3.5 metres maximum beam, about mid way down the length. So even if the jackstay could be mounted centrally, at a maximum, there would be less than 2 metres plus the length of the safety line before it went tight. Not enough to keep you on deck.

I have always run the jackstay from aft to bow, outside the shrouds, so that you can clip on in the cockpit and travel the full length of the boat, attached. I do use a Baltic lifeline with 3 clips, I then clip the short one onto something fixed once I get to the area needing attention, this would then keep me on deck.
 
here's the recommended pattern for stitching.

A closed X shape, then with 3 bar tacks (dark grey) across the strap to lock the thread.


You can get other patterns which are known as progressive failure ones, so that if someone does fall using the harness, part of the stitching gives way as an indicator that the item has been used and should be replaced.


webbingstitches.jpg



I have no qualms about using my Read's to sew these patterns, using decent "Invincible"" UV resistant thread from Kayospruce. MJ's point about the needle being new/sharp is important. Never use a chisel point needle in sail/canvas work.
 
galadriel said:
As the title says. I like webbing jackstays, except they tend to attract dirt and need replacing on a regular basis. The alternative, wire jackstays, have the drawback of being treacherous under foot. I can though hide them down by the toe rail.

So what is the general thinking? Webbing or wire?
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Go webbing but if you leave them out 365/year they will soon become hard then stretch to breaking. Take them in when not really needed - they don't add anything to racing cred anyway, do they?

PWG
 
I heard/read somewhere that one should have a fold at the end of webbing jackstays. When someone goes overboard and the fold undoes, that is time to replace. Maybe this only applies to a charter boat when you do not know what does on before you are sailing her

TudorSailor
 
Always use webbing - from experience wire rolls underfoot(unless you have them at coachroof height) I sew my own with an Industrial sewing machine to the recognised pattern but with extra stitching using heavy duty bonded polyester supplied by Kayospruce. I also fit snapshackles at each end so it only takes a minute or so to fit/remove them. I usually only fit them when on a trip, not for pottering around. I replaced the originals when I got the boat and these had obviously been on the boat for years as the webbing was badly faded - I tested the stitching by putting the end in a vice and pulling - all the stitching broke easily and the webbing was beginning to degrade.
 
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