How neccessary are lifelines on a small boat like my 18-footer? They don't
seem very functional to me - they barely reach knee height, there's no deck
to speak of along the sides of the coachroof, and they come down to the
sides around the cockpit - there's no pushpit, only a pulpit, and the most
aft stanchion is level with the back of the cabin.

In terms of their supposed function as something to stop people falling
overboard, it seems that the only area of the boat that they have any chance
of protecting is the foredeck. I've always likened them more to tripwires
and I've been swithering about whether to keep them on at all. There are no
spreader plates, so work is required to strengthen them anyway, and making
plugs for the mounting holes will be much less work than trying to make
spreader plates to fit into the tight spaces inside.

Before I make the final decision to remove them, is there anything I'm
missing about their function, such that removal would be a mistake?


--
Wally
www.makearatherlonglinkthattakesyounowhere.com
Things are always clearer in the cold, post-upload light.