Practice making your knots and putting in those splices! Learn more about marlinspike seamanship and ropework at Suite101.
Since I can remember, working with rope and knots has been something that fascinated me. Learning your way around a piece of line and a few practical knots will benefit every boater. It is not just for boaters, many outdoor activities profit from knowledge of rope work. This includes backpacking, scouting, rock climbing, search and rescue, and fishing. Developing skills in marlinspike seamanship will improve your boating safety and sense of professionalism.
What is marlinspike seamanship?
A Marlin Spike is a tapered steel rod that is used to open up the layers of rope to facilitate splicing. They are also called fids. The inference is that knowing how to use a marlinspike means a sailor can tie knots and bends, splice lines, and create lashings. Thus Marlinspike Seamanship is defined as the art of managing, maintaining, and working with rope or line to create knots, tackles, bends, splices, and lashings.
You will hear the terms rope and line used interchangeably by many boaters. The term rope is used during the manufacturing process, and procurement of ship's stores. Once put to work, rope is more likely to be identified by its use. This can include mooring lines, sea painters, seizing stuff, and man ropes. Many sailors define a rope as being anything over an inch and an eighth in diameter.
Rope can be made of wire or fibers. Fiber rope can be of twisted, braided or plaited construction and made of natural or synthetic materials. Natural materials include manila, cotton, and hemp. Synthetic materials can include nylon, polyester, and polypropylene. Knowing the properties of rope materials can be as important as learning to tie knots. Polypropylene line floats, so it's not good to use on a crab pot. Nylon stretches and works well for tow lines because it can adsorb shocks. Wire rope is used for sailboat stays and applications that would quickly wear a fiber line. There are combinations of fiber and wire used on heavy duty lines.
Splices can be made to connect two lines, put an eye in the end of a line, or finish off the end of a line. There are two types of splices used to join lines, the short and long splices. Short splices are double the diameter of the line and are stronger, but don't pass through sheaves (pulleys) or small openings easily. A well formed long splices has the same diameter as the line it joins, but isn't as strong as a short splice. The eye splice puts a loop or eye in the end of a line. This can be handy for attaching lines to mooring cleats and the like. Splices can also be made on double braided lines with a hollow fid.
A few common terms include eye, bight, bitter end, coil and Flemish. An eye is a closed loop in the end of a line. A bight is a loop formed in a line or piece of chain. The bitter end of a line is end not attached to something else. You coil line down onto the deck or dock. A Flemish is a decoratively coiled line. You should coil loose lines to prevent trips and fouling of the line when you really need it.
Lines can be formed into knots, bends, and hitches. Knots can be made using a single line. There are knots and bends used to join two lines. Hitches and bends are used to attach lines to spars, rails and rings. Learning to tie a clove hitch will greatly improve your mooring skills. Terminology is fun as well, you put in a splice, make a knot, overhaul a tangled line, and have a knot capsize. Learning new knots, splices, and bends should a long term goal for any boater. Avoid the old saw that if you can't make a knot, tie a lot. A couple of good references are:
The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots and Ropework written by Geoffrey Budworth. ISBN 1843091380. Budworth provides step-by-step directions for making 200 different knots, bends, and hitches. Each step need for each knot is photographed. This text describes not only the Ropework, but use, origin, and history for each entry. A great addition to every boater's library.
Grog's Animated Boating Knot Index is a fun webpage that shows many nautical knots and how they are made. It is amazing to watch the knot being made before your eyes. You can also see the process through mirror, inverted and rotated views. That should help if you are left-handed or standing on your head.
Practice making your knots and putting in those splices! Learn to be a better boater at Suite101.com.
