Marlinspike Seamanship

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Marlinspike Seamanship

• Able Requirement 7

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Able Requirement 7

• Submit an eye splice, short splice, and a
  palm-and-needle whipping.
• Know the names and functions of lines used to
  secure a vessel to a dock.
• Understand and execute docking commands used in
  handling lines on your ship's main vessel.
• Describe the parts of a block and how blocks are
  sized.
• Demonstrate the various types of tackle used by
  your ship.
• Submit a flat seam, round seam, and grommet eye
  sewn in canvas or Dacron.
• Describe how each is used in the care of sails
• Reference
• "Whipping" on page 133,
• "Splicing" on page 133,
• "Blocks and Tackles" on page 141,
• "Canvas Work and Sail Repair" on page 138
• "Sail Maintenance" on page 264.

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The Eye Splice

• The 3-strand splice is the most common splice,
• Used to place a permanent loop in the end of a
  rope, generally for attachment purposes to a
  fixed point.
• Also used to form the rope around a thimble,
  which is used to protect the rope, especially
  when it is to be attached to a shackle, chain or
  wire rope.
• Technique is important to preserve splice
  strength.
• Take care that the tucks lie neatly rope
  strength can be lost if the strands are twisted
  incorrectly.

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The Eye Splice Getting Started

• From one end of the rope, count back 16 crowns.
• Tape this section.
• Unlay the rope up to the tape then tape the end
  of each strand.
• Form the eye and tape the standing part of the
  rope.
• To avoid a twist in the eye of the finished
  splice, untwist the rope one-half turn between
  the pieces of tape.

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The Eye Splice - Step 1

• Tucking the First Strand
• With a fid or your finger, raise a strand just
  below the tape on the standing part of the rope
  and insert the middle working strand under it and
  pull the strand through.
• Mark the first tucked strand with a single hash
  mark numbering the working strands will help you
  keep track of the tucking process.

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The Eye Splice - Step 2

• Tucking the Second Strand
• Pass the next working strand over the strand you
  just tucked under, then tuck under the strand
  just below it.
• Mark this strand with a double hash mark.

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The Eye Splice - Step 3

• Tucking the Third Strand
• Turn the entire piece over.
• There is one working strand left to tuck and
  there is one strand left in the standing part of
  the rope that does not have a working strand
  under it.
• Make this tuck, continuing to work counter to the
  lay or twist or the rope. Mark this strand with a
  triple hash mark.
• The first round of tucks is complete.
• Tighten if necessary by pulling on the strand
  ends.
• When you tuck, take care to use all three strands
  in each round and that you tuck under a strand in
  the standing part of the rope and not under one
  of your working strands.

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The Eye Splice - Step 4

• Finish the Splice
• To finish the splice, perform four more complete
  tucks.
• Tighten tucks if necessary.
• Both the front and the back of the splice should
  resemble the illustrations shown.

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3-Strand Short Splice Step 1

• Used for end-to-end joining of two lines of the
  same size for repairing cut or damaged lines or
  joining two short lengths.
• Measure 14 crowns from the ends of both lines and
  tie with twine to prevent further unraveling.
• Unlay lines to the tie marks.
• Tape the strand ends.
• Bring the lines together so that the main bodies
  meet and the unlayed strands mesh alternating a
  strand of one with a strand of the other.

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3-Strand Short Splice - Step 2

• Temporarily tape the unlayed strands of one line
  to the body of the other line.
• Tuck one of the strands from the second line over
  and under a strand of the opposite line, working
  against the twist.
• Take the unlayed strand next to the strand just
  tucked and tuck it over and under the next line
  strand.
• Do the, same with the third unlayed strand.

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3-Strand Short Splice - Step 3

• Make one more tuck with each strand then turn the
  splice around and remove the temporary ties.
• Make two tucks with each of the other
  three-unlayed strands.
• Go back and make two additional tucks with each
  of the six strands.
• If desired, taper the splice area.
• Cut off all remaining ties and clip off ends of
  protruding strands.
• Roll the splice to smooth out.

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Common Whipping

• Cut off a suitable length of twine and lay one
  end (D in of the illustration) along the end of
  the rope.
• Then take half a dozen or more tight turns around
  the rope and the twine, working toward the end of
  rope and against the lay. Pull each turn tight as
  it is made.
• Now lay the other end of twine along the rope and
  over the turns already made.
• With part A of the twine, continue to pass turns
  round over part B.
• When the loop remaining at E becomes too small to
  pass over the rope's end, pull tight on C, which
  should pull the twine tightly under the whipping.
  Cut the ends off to finish

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Palm-and-Needle Whipping

• More secure than the common whipping and is
  suitable for reef points, mooring lines, sheets,
  etc.
• Thread a suitable length of twine through a
  sailmaker's needle.
• Pass the sailmakers needle under one strand and
  draw through most of the twine.
• Take about a dozen or more turns of twine round
  the rope, working against the lay and pulling
  each turn tight as it is made.
• Now stitch, by following round between each
  strand in turn with the needle and thus tightly
  frapping the turns in between each strand.

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Spider Whipping

• Used to protect the ends of large cables or ropes
  over 1 in diameter
• Decorative whipping for smaller diameter ropes
• Snaking is applied over a Common Whipping with a
  separate length of doubled sail twine or marline.
• Stitch through a strand to anchor the end.
• Take a hitch about the outside two outside turns
  of the whipping.
• Alternately cross the turns to the right and left
  as shown.
• Secure the end with a stitch through a strand to
  anchor it.

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Names of Dock Lines

• Painter
• The docking line for a small boat, such as a
  canoe, dinghy, or small sailboat
• Hawser
• A large line (3-5) for towing, mooring, or
  securing a boat
• Bow lines
• Docking lines led from the bow forward at about
  45 degrees
• Stern lines
• Docking lines led from the stern aft at about 45
  degrees
• Spring lines
• Docking lines led from the bow aft or the stern
  forward to a dock cleat or piling past the
  beamiest part of the boat, known respectively as
  bow spring or stern spring

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Bow and Stern Lines

• Run diagonally from bow and stern mooring cleats
  as your four corner lines
• Primary function is to keep the boat away from
  the dock and cut down side to side motion.
• Normally the first ropes made off and for a short
  stay such as refueling they may be adequate.
• If the boat is left moored on these two lines
  only it will tend to twist and surge back and
  forth on the dock.

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Spring lines

• Keep a boat from pushing forward towards the dock
  or aft out of the slip
• bow spring line runs from the forward part of the
  boat aft to a dock or a post.
• stern spring line runs from the aft part of the
  boat forward to the dock.
• Help steady a boat with a wind over the bow.
• Should be as long as possible and as close to
  parallel to the boat as possible.

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Mooring Alongside Another Vessel

• Often need to moor alongside another vessel.
• Try to pick one that is the same size or larger
  and of a similar type.
• Need breast ropes between the bows and sterns of
  the two boats, and springs,
• Normal to rig some shore lines for each boat.
• load is shared between all the yachts, especially
  when there is a strong tide or offshore wind.

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Dipping the eye

• Two boats have their dock lines around the same
  piling, and the boat owner of the lower line
  wants to remove his to cast off.
• Either first remove the line on top or perform
  the maneuver called "dipping the eye".
• This method allows either line to be removed
  without disturbing the other

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Types of Blocks
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Parts of a Block

• A block is made up of one or more scored wheels
  called sheaves over which a rope or ropes are
  worked.
• The sheaves are mounted in a shell.

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Choosing a Block

• Blocks can be single, double, treble, and so on,
  depending on the number of sheaves.
• This can also be called single, twofold,
  threefold, and so on
• When choosing a block, use the manufacturers
  rating to compare it to the load for which it
  will be used.
• The strength of the rope used on the block is
  normally stronger than the strength of the block

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Sizes of Blocks
Shell Length (in) Sheave Size (in) Rope Diameter (in)
3 1 3/4 1/2 3/8 3/8
4 2 1/4 5/8 3/8 1/2
5 3 3/4 3/8 5/8
6 3 1/2 1 1/2 3/4
7 4 1/4 1 31/2 7/8
8 4 3/4 1 1/8 5/8 1
9 5 1/2 1 1/8 5/8 1
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Various Types of Tackle
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Flat Seam
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Round Seam
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Sewing a Grommet Eye