On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:51:43 -0400, Rosalie B.
wrote:

Larry wrote:

Bruce in Bangkok wrote in
m:

When possible, use a
front loading washing machine;

Yep...brought home the lot and washed in my front loader Frigidaire with
the usual cheap detergent. Lines looked new and salt stiffness gone.

If you're squeemish about salt water in your $4000 super washer 5000, take
them to a laundromat without an attendant that has front loader commercial
machines.

DO REMEMBER TO TAKE ANY ANCHORS AND HEAVY TACKLE OFF THE LINES!

LOL

Our anchor is all chain on the primary rode, and we've never used the
alternate anchors that we have, so that should be 'like new'

Bob brings home the lines when we put the boat up in the winter, and
washes them in our washer. We have about 14 docklines that we use on
a regular basis plus some that are on the pin rails for use when we go
into another marina, so this takes him awhile. He usually dries them
on the front porch.


Tell Bob that my wife washes ours (I'm not allowed to use the washer
since I tried degreasing some engine parts in it one day).

Regarding anchor chain. I have just spent about a month in the yard. A
chap I know came dragging his "new" anchor chain down to his boat. It
was all black so I went over to have a look. He paints his entire
chain and anchor with coal tar epoxy once a year says it looks like
the chain is going to last for ever.

He has a workshop here (builds Warram Cats) and has people to paint it
for him but I've been mulling the idea over -- my wife paints her
fingernails. I wonder whether she'd like black nails?


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct Address is bpaige125atgmaildotcom)

On Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:31:19 -0400, "Bill Kearney"
wrote:

hat and the agitator will probably wind the line up tight
enough to put way too much stress on the fibers.

I think probably the drive belt will slip. If not the motor will
overheat, perhaps fatally. I don't think damage to the line is not so
likely, not enough power.

Casady

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Bruce in Bangkok wrote in
:

When possible, use a
front loading washing machine;

Yep...brought home the lot and washed in my front loader Frigidaire with
the usual cheap detergent. Lines looked new and salt stiffness gone.

If you're squeemish about salt water in your $4000 super washer 5000, take
them to a laundromat without an attendant that has front loader commercial
machines.

DO REMEMBER TO TAKE ANY ANCHORS AND HEAVY TACKLE OFF THE LINES!


I've heard of people putting liquid fabric softner in the rinse for their
docklines.
Not sure if that was for the braided version.

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...
Larry wrote:

Bruce in Bangkok wrote in
m:

When possible, use a
front loading washing machine;

Yep...brought home the lot and washed in my front loader Frigidaire with
the usual cheap detergent. Lines looked new and salt stiffness gone.

If you're squeemish about salt water in your $4000 super washer 5000, take
them to a laundromat without an attendant that has front loader commercial
machines.

DO REMEMBER TO TAKE ANY ANCHORS AND HEAVY TACKLE OFF THE LINES!

LOL

Our anchor is all chain on the primary rode, and we've never used the
alternate anchors that we have, so that should be 'like new'



In this case, you don't need to remove the anchor before washing the rode.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

I think probably the drive belt will slip. If not the motor will
overheat, perhaps fatally. I don't think damage to the line is not so
likely, not enough power.

Why bother to 'think' about it? Avoid putting the added stress on the
fibers within the line. Indeed, there's not enough power in most washers to
destroy the line outright. But fray enough of the fibers within the strand
and find out later, when it's undoubtedly least convenient.

On 2008-07-20 19:08:46 -0400, "Capt. JG" said:

"Hanz Schmidt" wrote in message
...
What is the best way to clean dock lines (3-strans nylon)??

And how to make them 'softener??

Hanz

Don't bother. You'll just ruin the line. They're not that expensive to
replace compared to the cost of damage if one or more breaks.

I tend towards this answer for different reasons, though many of the
other answers are technically correct.

Most don't replace dock lines often enough. A roll of 3-strand isn't
that expensive and it's a great time to practice your marlinspike work.
(You *do* splice loops in both ends of your "home" lines so your crew
simply has to drop the lines on, don't you?)

--
Jere Lull
Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

Jere Lull wrote:

On 2008-07-20 19:08:46 -0400, "Capt. JG" said:

"Hanz Schmidt" wrote in message
...
What is the best way to clean dock lines (3-strans nylon)??

And how to make them 'softener??

Hanz

Don't bother. You'll just ruin the line. They're not that expensive to
replace compared to the cost of damage if one or more breaks.

I tend towards this answer for different reasons, though many of the
other answers are technically correct.

Most don't replace dock lines often enough. A roll of 3-strand isn't
that expensive and it's a great time to practice your marlinspike work.
(You *do* splice loops in both ends of your "home" lines so your crew
simply has to drop the lines on, don't you?)

Bob has the loops on one end. Our home lines (of which there are 14)
have the loop end on the dock with chafe protection sewn on at the
spot where the line goes through the chocks or hause holes. So when
we dome back to the dock, we pick the line up from the piling where it
had been looped as we left and bring it aboard and tie it off in the
boat.

When Bob puts lines out for visiting another marina, he puts the loop
end on the boat, runs the line out through the hawse hole, and brings
the line back over the life lines so that I can toss the end to a dock
person. Or occasionally loop the line around the piling and bring it
back aboard so that when we leave, I just have to pull the line off
the piling.

It has been suggested to him that he needs to give the loop end to the
dock person because the dock people often don't tie off correctly, but
he has not listened.

If you have loops on both ends, how do you adjust the length? When
we leave the boat, we leave it adjusted to the middle of the slip
(with spring lines) so when we come to get on the boat, we slacken the
lines on one side so that the boat can come over to the pier and we
can get on. How can you do that with loops on both ends?

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...
Jere Lull wrote:

On 2008-07-20 19:08:46 -0400, "Capt. JG" said:

"Hanz Schmidt" wrote in message
...
What is the best way to clean dock lines (3-strans nylon)??

And how to make them 'softener??

Hanz

Don't bother. You'll just ruin the line. They're not that expensive to
replace compared to the cost of damage if one or more breaks.

I tend towards this answer for different reasons, though many of the
other answers are technically correct.

Most don't replace dock lines often enough. A roll of 3-strand isn't
that expensive and it's a great time to practice your marlinspike work.
(You *do* splice loops in both ends of your "home" lines so your crew
simply has to drop the lines on, don't you?)

Bob has the loops on one end. Our home lines (of which there are 14)
have the loop end on the dock with chafe protection sewn on at the
spot where the line goes through the chocks or hause holes. So when
we dome back to the dock, we pick the line up from the piling where it
had been looped as we left and bring it aboard and tie it off in the
boat.

When Bob puts lines out for visiting another marina, he puts the loop
end on the boat, runs the line out through the hawse hole, and brings
the line back over the life lines so that I can toss the end to a dock
person. Or occasionally loop the line around the piling and bring it
back aboard so that when we leave, I just have to pull the line off
the piling.

It has been suggested to him that he needs to give the loop end to the
dock person because the dock people often don't tie off correctly, but
he has not listened.

If you have loops on both ends, how do you adjust the length? When
we leave the boat, we leave it adjusted to the middle of the slip
(with spring lines) so when we come to get on the boat, we slacken the
lines on one side so that the boat can come over to the pier and we
can get on. How can you do that with loops on both ends?



I have loops on one end only. I leave my dock lines on the dock most of the
time and have others I take with me. I don't every rely on someone standing
on the dock to "help" docking the boat, no matter what kind of funny hat
they're wearing. I had a friend who was teaching not realize one of his
students did that... tossed a line to somoene standing on the dock, then the
instructor had to abort the landing, and the joker wouldn't let go of the
line. He got dragged into the water! He didn't let go until he got pulled
quite aways...


--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

On 2008-07-23 09:35:00 -0400, Rosalie B. said:

Jere Lull wrote:

(You *do* splice loops in both ends of your "home" lines so your crew
simply has to drop the lines on, don't you?)

Bob has the loops on one end.snip

If you have loops on both ends, how do you adjust the length? When we
leave the boat, we leave it adjusted to the middle of the slip (with
spring lines) so when we come to get on the boat, we slacken the lines
on one side so that the boat can come over to the pier and we can get
on. How can you do that with loops on both ends?

I carefully set our lines at "home" as loose as I could without
allowing the boat to contact any of the pilings or docks, but *lots* of
slack so we could drift backwards. Then I powered the boat every which
way I could to ensure most unreasonable winds wouldn't blow us into
anything. That determined the length of the lines I made up.

The "outside" stern line has two loops: one for while we're away, one
that allows us to bring the boat to the finger pier.

Works great for us.

Isabelle proved that I got it almost right. The surge was within inches
of needing to cut the shortest line, but we otherwise survived by just
moving the lines to the tops of the pilings and pinning them with nails.

Come the next storm storm, I flip the boat end-for-end and add the two
new lines to the next pilings over for the stern. If *they* need
adjusting, boating on the Bay will no longer exist, as Isabelle
exceeded the worst surge in 75 years and wasn't far off from destroying
everything.

Our home lines (of which there are 14)

I don't believe I've seen a boat or slip situation that required 14
lines under normal conditions. Six: two bow, two stern, and two spring
(to keep the bow off the dock) should be all that's required. NO
springs to keep the boat from drifting back, as it just won't move that
far. [I do have a short "spring" that I set on the "inside" main winch
to give me positive control. That's the first to cut, of course, if the
other longer lines are set.]

Then again, we're small, our dock lines relatively large, and our
slip's relatively wide.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

On 2008-07-23 09:35:00 -0400, Rosalie B. said:

If you have loops on both ends, how do you adjust the length?

Oh, didn't actually say: At "home", we don't adjust them ever. They're
set for the life of the line.

Our "away" lines at most have one loop since they need adjustment.

We use old sheets (no loops) under certain conditions -- they can be
thrown quite a distance. Handy when warping raft-mates in.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/