Preview: How to Eye Splice Double Braid Nylon Rope

July 15, 2014

Avatar Erik Sayce

Immediately after launching my boat this season, it became clear during the move from the Travelift to the dock that I had over looked preparing some simple, yet much needed dock lines. Luckily in this situation the boat yard was well equipped to assist, but not without a few pokes and prods at my boating ego regarding my slacked preparedness. I added making these lines to the to-do list and after some shopping around I discovered that I was looking at a couple hundred bucks to get the materials for what I needed…

At this point in the season I’m over budget and tying up the last odds and ends always proves to surprisingly expensive! Not to suggest that lines are something to skimp on, but without room in the budget I went down to a local indoor rock climbing gym and asked if they had any old rope they were willing to part with. Here I had my first real life experience of the old english idiom “money for old rope”. After a rope is used for a couple heavy falls it is deemed unsafe for humans to climb on, but still very capable of securing your boat! They were happy to contribute some rope to become line and this motivated me to find a great video on:

How to Eye Splice Double Braid Nylon Rope

Giving my new found line a new purpose required some rewarding splicing. It’s been great to follow along with the video and much easier then other diagrams and books that I’ve used in the past . After going back and watching this a few times I’m having great success! I purchased some Splicing Fids on Amazon and while the Fid sizes vary from those seen in the video, I’ve been able to use Andy Wall’s information to figure out the measurements needed. If you do find yourself acquiring old nylon line, be sure to determine whether it is Static or Dynamic. Unlike Static, Dynamic rope stretches. Which while desirable for some applications I would imagine a poor use for halyards.

Whether you’re an experienced rigger or a first time splicer, share your splicing experience and tricks in the comments below!

-Erik Sayce

 

Also See our Video on The Six Basic Boat Knots

The 6 Basic Knots

Get Free Videos& Learn More Join Now!!for Full Access Members Sign In


 

GET 10 FREE VIDEOS

Sign Up to Get a Site Tour
and 10 of our Best Videos

Your email is safe with us.
We'll NEVER share it, and we DON'T spam.