Evening star., 1962-05-27
WA TER
LINE
By HANK BOWMAN

Someone once said, "give
a man enough rope and he'll
hang himself" He obviously
wasn't thinking Of a boatman.
Give a seaman enough rope
of the right kind and if it is
used properly it will add to
pleasure and safety of crew and
craft. A competent boatman
is quickly distinguished from a
landlubber by his marlinspike
seamanship, which entails a
knowledge of ropes and skill in
working with them.
All rope is cordage whether
constructed of natural or syn
thetic fibers or wire. Generally,
a length of rope used on a boat
is called a line. Most lines
have specific nautical names
for ease of distinction. For
example, the bow towing line
on a dinghy is called a painter.
Lines used to support maSts
are standing rigging, those used
to raise and lower sails are
running rigging.
Several times each year in
spect all lines for cuts and
chafed sections or frayed areas.
Don't check only for exterior
wear. Look below the surface.
Deterioration first shows up
among inner fibers. Replace
all damaged and worn lines
and be sure your original sup
ply is sufficient.
If becalmed, caught in a
storm with loss of sails or
power, there is always bottom
under your boat, but even the
best anchor won't keep you
from drifting on a shoal if your
anchor line is too short.
When you buy rope it's i'm
portant to know the different
characteristics and select that
type most suited to the job.
Nylon has high elasticity.
Stretched nylon quickly recov-
ers it's original length and re-
covers repeatedly within short
time intervals. This makes it
desirable as an anchor line or
for mooring lines.
Dacron, a synthetic which
like nylon can be stored wet
without fear of being weakened
by rot or mildew, has relatively
little elasticity. 1t is suited for
running rigging, although on
racing yachts linen lines are
highly regarded for halyards
and sheets because linen, like
manila and dacron, offers a
minimum of stretch but is silky
smooth to the touch.
Il \ y
Manila is the all-purpose
boatsman's rope and can be
used wherever line is required.
More expensive nylon, however.
has more than twice the
strength of manila, knots cas-
lily and can be united more
ready than other ropes since
it does not swell when wet.
Yet no line is perfect. Nylon
requires longer length spices
for safety than ropes of nat
ural fibers. Nylon also loses its
lay, that is untwists into a
fluffy mass of filaments that
are hard to handle unless the
ends are seized or treated to
prevent fraying.
Polypropylene is the newest Of
the floating synthetics. Though
expensive, it is lightweight, soft
and very flexible. Polypropylene
is recommended for water ski
tow lines, heaving lines or
dinghy painters.
AS a guide to rope diameter,
recommended mooring lines for
boats under 20 feet in length
are 13-16-inch manila, A-inch
nylon; anchor lines 1a-inch ma
nila, 3s-inch nylon. Boats 20
25 feet in length call for 11s-
inch manila ar 7s- inch nylon
for mooring, 5s inch manila or
la-inch nylon for anchor lines.
Twenty-Five to 80 footers re-
quire 1H-inch manila or 1-inch
nylon for mooring lines, A-inch
manila or 9-16-inch nylon for
anchors. On 80 to 40 footers,
IL inch manila and Inch
nylon are recommended for
mooring, 18-inch manila and
"a Inch nylon for anchoring.
Copyright, 1867, Hank Bowman