Charles T. Low wrote:
Thanks, Doug,

I haven't had much luck with splitting the hose, even in a spiral. They seem
to come off the line unless tied up all the way along.

Hmm, never had that problem. I use three or four wire ties, spaced from
the end of the hose, and they seem to do just fine.


... So the section of
garden hose is intact, with the line fed through it. Requires quite a bit of
twisting to get the line through, and then once it's on, it's there for a
while.

Maybe the problem is that you're using hose far too small for the line?


I would never have thought of towels, and admit that I feel a certain
skepticism about them! How long do towels last?

A few days, at least. I bought a bundle at the $1 store and after using
them for chafe gear for two days thru a hurricane, they're still
perfectly good for use as towels. I'd use them for cafe gear again with
no worry.


... I'm thinking about, say,
overnighting in active conditions, not wanting to risk a line parting in the
dead of night.


Sure.

Here you can see me putting a towel on a dock line that ran over the
edge of a cement bulkhead. That one got the most chafe, but didn't even
get a hole in it much less allow any chafe on the line. You can also see
some other ideas about chafe protection.

BTW Rusty is right about heat building up in lines. Think of it in terms
of energy... the wind and/or waves impart energy to the boat, wich
accelerate it in one direction... that's kinetic energy. The rope has to
stop it... sometimes with very high impulse loading (ie the boat jerks
to a stop suddenly). Where does all that energy go?

I have noticed lines with some partially melted yarns inside, very spiky
and odd feeling in the hand. I replaced them immediately.

Another problem is lines catching splinters from pilings and dock
planks, but one thing at a time here!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King