What to use for chafe protection cover on double braid?

CJ13

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Can I use the cover from a spare piece of double braid as chafe protection or do I need to buy a proprietary cover/ sleeve?
 
Probably, Chafe on what line? For mooring lines, flat hose has worked best for me. Have used spare outer braid on halyards and reef lines in the past successfully too.
 
At one extreme you can use dyneema braid and at the other extreme an offcut from a garden hose. In between you can use the piece of spare cover you have lying around.

I'd use whatever you have handy and when it looks a bit grotty swap for another bit or something else.

There is no one right answer, as already said, usually more than one answer for any single application and as a sacrificial cover you want it to be cheap (and effective). Don't get to worried about it - there are bigger issues :)

But describe the application and you will find something in the answers that meets your needs.

Jonathan
 
For mooring lines flexible rope reinforced pipe works well enough. For halyards and sheets we use dyneema braid sleeved over the rope and wipped/stitched on. You can extend the life of sheets like this where the out er core has been chafed through. The dyneema braid is super wear resistant
 
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If it is a halyard & you want to splice it in properly ( Like I did) then it takes quite a while to do. So for the few £,s it is worth buying the proper dynema covering.
It is very slightly thinner than a normal outer braid covering so less ikely to cause a jam in the mast sheeves. Furthermore, if a braided covering starts to shred it may cause all sorts of problems in an inaccessible place at a difficult moment.
 
Sorry I should have been more specific.
I’m changing some of my running rigging, including the reefing lines, which will reduce from 12mm polyester double braid to 8mm Dyneema double braid, which has a polyester cover. The dyneema is plenty strong enough, but I’m slightly concerned with the reduced size it will slip though the jammer/ clutch on the coach roof. This section of rope only needs to run through the clutch and won’t be anywhere near sheaves.
I‘m thinking to take a short length of the 8mm (new) outer braid and splice / sew it in place. How does that sound?
 
Sorry I should have been more specific.
I’m changing some of my running rigging, including the reefing lines, which will reduce from 12mm polyester double braid to 8mm Dyneema double braid, which has a polyester cover. The dyneema is plenty strong enough, but I’m slightly concerned with the reduced size it will slip though the jammer/ clutch on the coach roof. This section of rope only needs to run through the clutch and won’t be anywhere near sheaves.
I‘m thinking to take a short length of the 8mm (new) outer braid and splice / sew it in place. How does that sound?

No need for an apology - its a forum :)

Your problem. might then be securing the sleeve you attach to the existing rope. Daydream has the answer and that is to splice the new cover into the existing cover of the existing rope, and I'd sew it as well, use dyneema braided fishing line. But if you do install a new cover you MUST ensure it cannot slip. If the clutch does work with your new lines I would sew the cover where it is clutched - covers slipping on a dyneema core is a major problem (I speak from experience).

You might find it difficult to slide the extra cover over the rope. but if you 'crunch', push it together, the cover for the rope you will find that the braid opens up and you can slide it on - as soon as you try to 'pull' it on the braid tightens - so you need to milk the cover on. I'd try the covered rope for fit in the clutch before you milk it to the appropriate location - milking takes a long time.

As Daydream has said - you need a lot of patience to splice a new cover on - excellent task for a lockdown or a night(s) by the fireside.

But before you do this - try the new reefing lines first - you may find the clutches are fine, though a reduction from 12mm to 8mm would lead one to think as you have done. It depends on the clutches, your 12mm lines might have been a bit big for the clutches in the first place.

We replaced our 3rd reef a different way. It is very long as when we use the full sail there are metres of reefing line up and down the sail (its single line reefing). We replaced the original 12mm reefing line with 10mm dyneema such that when reefed it was still held by the clutch and all the rest of the line not actually reefing the sail was new 8mm dyneema. Its not comfortable to handle it, normally (because its thin), but most of the time there is little tension on it. We simply spliced the long length of 8mm dyneema into the 10mm line.

Jonathan
 
No need for an apology - its a forum :)

In answer to your original question - by all means take the cover off a rope of the next size up from the one you want to cover - assuming you have an appropriate length of the correct sized rope - but then you will end up with a bit of core that might be wasted. Buying a new cover might be cheaper. You will need to be generous with the cover as when you reef (n anger) it might not be as neat as when you try it at leisure.

Your problem. might then be securing the sleeve you attach to the existing rope. Daydream has the answer and that is to splice the new cover into the existing cover of the existing rope, and I'd sew it as well, use dyneema braided fishing line. But if you do install a new cover you MUST ensure it cannot slip. If the clutch does work with your new lines I would sew the cover where it is clutched (as well as splicing) - covers slipping on a dyneema core is a major problem (I speak from experience).

You might find it difficult to slide the extra cover over the rope. but if you 'crunch', push it together, the cover for the rope you will find that the braid opens up and you can slide it on - as soon as you try to 'pull' it on the braid tightens - so you need to milk the cover on. Having the rope you want to cover in tension also helps - tie one end, tension the other and as you stretch the rope will 'thin'. I'd try the covered rope for fit in the clutch , (just put the cover on the rope end and try it) before you milk it to the appropriate location - milking takes a long time.

As Daydream has said - you need a lot of patience to splice a new cover on - excellent task for a lockdown or a night(s) by the fireside.

But before you do this - try the new reefing lines first - you may find the clutches are fine, though a reduction from 12mm to 8mm would lead one to think as you have done. It depends on the clutches, your 12mm lines might have been a bit big for the clutches in the first place.

We replaced our 3rd reef a different way. It is very long as when we use the full sail there are metres of reefing line up and down the sail (its single line reefing). We replaced the original 12mm reefing line with 10mm dyneema such that when reefed it was still held by the clutch and all the rest of the line not actually reefing the sail was new 8mm dyneema. Its not comfortable to handle it, normally (because its thin), but most of the time there is little tension on it. We simply spliced the long length of 8mm dyneema into the 10mm line.

Jonathan
 
Yes, try it first.

No, do not want Dyneema cover, since it is slippery. Normally the cheapest way to buy cover-only is a good quality polyester line, like Samson XLS. Another alternative can be sections of cover from the old lines that lived their lives inside the spar and NEVER saw sunlight; they can be like new.

Burying (splicing) the ends of the cover is not that difficult. It will be easier to pull the rope through the cover and slide it up into place that way than to pull the rope out through the cover in place. Then just bunch up the rope and pull the end into the rope with a fid. Make sure there are at least 2 feet of cover before the jammer, because the cover will try to slide on the core at first.
 
You might find that a polyester protective cover stretches & forms a bunch behind the clutch. Perhaps a spliced end on the load side of the halyard & a whipped end on the other end so you can adjust it in the future.. You have to remember that this thicker section has to go through the pullies up the mast etc.
I have 8mm dynema halyards , down from 10mm braid on braid ones, & I changed the Spinnlock jaws . Then I inserted small diameter cordage inside the outer cover of the halyard to increase its diameter. I did this when it was new to make the job easier.
The dynema covering I used was where the jib halyard went over the sheaves at the top of the mast as it rubbed on the sides.
 
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