webbing jackstays at a sensible price?

[Sans Bateau]

Three tonne jackstay webbing can be had here. The thread structure on this stuff lends itself well to stitching along the tape. In fact the thread will almost disappear! Ideal if you don't have a machine that will do zigzag. You will need a UV resistant thread such as V69. Stitching will be the full strength of the tape.

No it won't ,please don't sew up any jackstay webbing with V69 thread,i.It's not strong enough,Uv breakdown in less than a year .A minimum is V 92 or v138.Hand sewing with a waxed strong polyester thread will out last both of those.Just make sure webbing is polyester not polypropylene too.Cindy

See, this just demonstrates the dangers of DIY safety kit. Some may know what they are doing making their own jackstays, but others dont, put their crews life at risk.

How many people make their own life rafts, life jackets or even car seat belts?

 

[Felixcat]

Galadriel wrote:
"How many people make their own life rafts, life jackets or even car seat belts? "

Some make their own boats. When I climbed rocks I swung on webbing tapes, knotted by me.
I think that for many people part of the appeal of sailing (and climbing) is that one relies on ones own judgement.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Galadriel wrote:
"How many people make their own life rafts, life jackets or even car seat belts? "

Some make their own boats. When I climbed rocks I swung on webbing tapes, knotted by me.
I think that for many people part of the appeal of sailing (and climbing) is that one relies on ones own judgement.

Galadriel also said:

"Some may know what they are doing making their own jackstays, but others dont" note SOME.

 

[Lady Campanula]

'Dear Lord, protect me from the do-gooders...'

 

[Ross D]

Am I being stupid? I can't see any difference between that and simply making a long loop in the end and tying an ordinary overhand knot with the doubled section?
(Of course this way would let you pass it through something while tying but that isn't what it shows.)

That's right a tape knot is just a neatly tied flat overhand knot, or a double to make a loop or threaded to join to lengths of tape.

 

[Ruffles]

No it won't ,please don't sew up any jackstay webbing with V69 thread,i.It's not strong enough,Uv breakdown in less than a year .A minimum is V 92 or v138.Hand sewing with a waxed strong polyester thread will out last both of those.Just make sure webbing is polyester not polypropylene too.Cindy

The problem with hand stitching is that the tension will not be even. So the strain will be taken by the tightest stitches first. These will not be strong enough whatever thread you use.
If you assume the thread has a breaking strain of 10N. Fold back 30cm. 3mm thread pitch. Stitch back and forth forty times. This gives you 40kn which is more than the breaking strain of the tape.
In practice the thread is stronger than 10N. And you could fold back more than 30cm. And you could stitch more than 40 times. The BMC regularly test climbing slings and they never fail at the stitching. After all the tape is 'doubled' at this point.
As I said before the big advantage of using stronger tape is that the loose weave allows the thread to be buried. But if you doubt stitching a tape knot is perfectly adequate

 

[Ruffles]

Am I being stupid? I can't see any difference between that and simply making a long loop in the end and tying an ordinary overhand knot with the doubled section?
(Of course this way would let you pass it through something while tying but that isn't what it shows.)

Good point! I think I've only used tape knots to make slings. Which I suspect is why it's shown like that.

 

[PetiteFleur]

I kind of object to your comments. Nothing to do with being a tight wad at all.
I can be quite ''sure'', because I made it myself. I have the skills & experience to do so and if & when I do make something it is over made, over engineered if you like, to be far stronger & safer than anything the likes of which you are likely to buy and put your confidence in, from a chandler. You may have faith in mass produced safety equipment. I prefer to look & make my own mind up. Classic example on her today.......in the thread where the poor lady went overboard & lost her life off Bermuda......''a 6mm SS eye for a safety harness bent & started to pull through the deck even though it had a ply backing plate'' (or word to that effect).............Do you consider that to be safe equipment ??
If I installed that eye it would be a minimum of 10mm with a metal backing plate.
All jolly fine talking about safety standards but when I look at what they install in mass produced yachts today, gear that you probably think is safe because ''they'' say it is, then to be honest, I am quite often horrified by the standards I see.

I quite agree with you Sandyman - when I got my present boat, a Moody 33, which had been used as a Sailing school boat in the past, I was surprised at the size of the 'U' bolts for the jackstays, made from about 5.5mm diameter SS with a rolled thread and NO backing plates at all! One of the first jobs was to replace with 10mm and a ply and SS backing plate. The single U bolt in the cockpit was similar and again replaced with four 10mm with backing plates etc. I also made my own jackstays, with Polyester webbing off ebay, stitched on an industrial sewing machine and with snap shackles each end so are removed after every trip. I DIY as much as I can and like you I overengineer it.

 

[fergie_mac66]

The tape you need is UV resistant polyester webbing, tubular is better than flat webbing as it is more resistant to chaffing at the edges. Make sure the breaking strain is about the same as that listed with chandlery jackstays.

Tape knots are basically neatly tied flat overhand knots, they can be threaded for joining tapes or tied double for making a loop. Google "Tape Knot" and there are loads of pics which make it pretty obvious. A tape knot well tied is just as good as a sewn join.

Ross

+1

I quite agree with you Sandyman - when I got my present boat, a Moody 33, which had been used as a Sailing school boat in the past, I was surprised at the size of the 'U' bolts for the jackstays, made from about 5.5mm diameter SS with a rolled thread and NO backing plates at all! One of the first jobs was to replace with 10mm and a ply and SS backing plate. The single U bolt in the cockpit was similar and again replaced with four 10mm with backing plates etc. I also made my own jackstays, with Polyester webbing off ebay, stitched on an industrial sewing machine and with snap shackles each end so are removed after every trip. I DIY as much as I can and like you I overengineer it.

+1

I used a tape knots on the last ones i made leaving 5 inche ends but then sewed the ends down !

 

[Lady Campanula]

Those on here who take an interest in their own, and their companions', safety are much less likely to come to grief than those who don't give it a moment's thought....

There is, however, another point to consider, a potential 'single point of failure', which is the personal lifeline. I know of sea school boats still using personal lifelines with archaic badly-designed snaplinks which have sharp-cornered catches on their opening gates and the mating end of the load bar. These slice into the attached rope or webbing, seriously reducing the UTS from an already-low figure.

Such designs were 'outlawed' for climbing, tree surgery, industrial fall arrest and caving purposes many decades ago. They're still around, sold and used, in our environment. What's wrong with us, putting up with such junk?

I've put my money where me mouf' is, and made up my own lines from climbers' tape-loops and commercial snaplinks....

​

Both cheaper and stronger than chandlery bubble-packed stuff. The 'cow hitches' are allowed-for....