Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

Ok, so now that the restoration is done and we're actually
boating I figured I'd work on my knots, hitches, bends, etc.

Actually, for our little 22 footer with all the proper lines
already on-board I won't need many knots. I've learned
a couple of hiches for fenders and bends to join ropes
together and the bowline and bowline on a bight for loops.

Anyway, the Sheepshank has me puzzled. I'll probably
almost never need to shorten a rope, so it doen's
matter, but it's bothering me anyway.

I keep trying it using different books and web sites
for instructions and pictures. But it never seems to
hold. Sometimes when I pull on the two ends
it does hold for a while, but any slack in the line
and the next time I pull the knot just comes
apart.

So, it the Sheepshank just this overrated thing or
and I doing it wrong or what?



Hooper:
Well I'm not talkin' about hooking some poor dogfish or sandshark. I'm
talking about finding a Great White!
Quint:
Porkers! Talkin' about porkers! Mr. Hooper. Just tie me a sheep shank.
Hooper:
I haven't had to pass basic seamanship in a long time. You didn't say how
short you wanted it. How's that?!

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

I always had the same problem with that knot, so I assume it was a prank,
like telling new boy scouts to go find a smoke shifter.

ARe you learning to whip rope ends using that waxed twine? You can amaze
your friends....

"Gary Warner" wrote in message
...

Ok, so now that the restoration is done and we're actually
boating I figured I'd work on my knots, hitches, bends, etc.

Actually, for our little 22 footer with all the proper lines
already on-board I won't need many knots. I've learned
a couple of hiches for fenders and bends to join ropes
together and the bowline and bowline on a bight for loops.

Anyway, the Sheepshank has me puzzled. I'll probably
almost never need to shorten a rope, so it doen's
matter, but it's bothering me anyway.

I keep trying it using different books and web sites
for instructions and pictures. But it never seems to
hold. Sometimes when I pull on the two ends
it does hold for a while, but any slack in the line
and the next time I pull the knot just comes
apart.

So, it the Sheepshank just this overrated thing or
and I doing it wrong or what?



Hooper:
Well I'm not talkin' about hooking some poor dogfish or sandshark. I'm
talking about finding a Great White!
Quint:
Porkers! Talkin' about porkers! Mr. Hooper. Just tie me a sheep shank.
Hooper:
I haven't had to pass basic seamanship in a long time. You didn't say
how
short you wanted it. How's that?!

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

Gary Warner wrote:
Ok, so now that the restoration is done and we're actually
boating I figured I'd work on my knots, hitches, bends, etc.

Actually, for our little 22 footer with all the proper lines
already on-board I won't need many knots. I've learned
a couple of hiches for fenders and bends to join ropes
together and the bowline and bowline on a bight for loops.

Anyway, the Sheepshank has me puzzled. I'll probably
almost never need to shorten a rope, so it doen's
matter, but it's bothering me anyway.

The sheepshank is one of those old-time sailor knots that doesn't work
well with newer artificial fiber rope. I wouldn't call it "worthless"
but then I might also note that I've never had to tie one for any reason
an any boat in 40+ years of sailing.

IMHO a boater needs to know only two knots: clove hitch & bowline. Only
two knots, but you need to know how to tie them reliably and fast.

A figure-eight, rolling hitch, and sheet bend are also very handy to
know, but not really for everyday use. A bowline on a bight comes in
pretty handy sometimes, too. Recently I learned the tugboat hitch, and
think that is a very handy one.

Fair skies
Doug King

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

DSK wrote:
Gary Warner wrote:

Ok, so now that the restoration is done and we're actually
boating I figured I'd work on my knots, hitches, bends, etc.

Actually, for our little 22 footer with all the proper lines
already on-board I won't need many knots. I've learned
a couple of hiches for fenders and bends to join ropes
together and the bowline and bowline on a bight for loops.

Anyway, the Sheepshank has me puzzled. I'll probably
almost never need to shorten a rope, so it doen's
matter, but it's bothering me anyway.


The sheepshank is one of those old-time sailor knots that doesn't work
well with newer artificial fiber rope. I wouldn't call it "worthless"
but then I might also note that I've never had to tie one for any reason
an any boat in 40+ years of sailing.

IMHO a boater needs to know only two knots: clove hitch & bowline. Only
two knots, but you need to know how to tie them reliably and fast.

A figure-eight, rolling hitch, and sheet bend are also very handy to
know, but not really for everyday use. A bowline on a bight comes in
pretty handy sometimes, too. Recently I learned the tugboat hitch, and
think that is a very handy one.

Fair skies
Doug King

I used a sheepshank in anger a little over a month ago. I had been
camping overnight ashore with the boat moored with a 50m frape tackle
leading to my regular ground tackle (Danforth with approx 25m cable,
chain + warp) and a well dug in grapnel at the top of the beach. It had
been a wild night and I'd dragged maybe 10 metres. It was a lee shore
and although it was a narrow channel, there was more chop than I would
leave my boat at the waters edge in so while I was carrying each load of
kit down the beach, I held the boat off by tensioning the outhaul line
of the frape using a sheepshank right at the waters edge. Once I got
down there, I shook out the sheepshank so the boat would come in and
immediately hauled the boat + me and the kit back out while I stowed it
properly. I then let the boat come back in and landed and then retied
the saheepshank to hold her off again. A sheepshank will NOT hold in
modern rope if there isnt an even tension in the three parts. If you
need it to stay in shape when the line is slack or under a varying load,
an extra half hitch at each end helps.

I often use a rolling hitch. When you need to releave the tension on
another line there is no other quick to tie knot that will do. If you
ever get a riding turn on a winch or windlass knowing the rolling hitch
will give you a third choice to cutting the rope or cable and risking
serious injury trying to cleart it under load. Its also useful back on
itself for tensioning a line through an eye or ring.

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk [at]=@, [dash]=- &
[dot]=.
*Warning* SPAM TRAP set in header, Use email address in sig. if you must.
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Uffa Fox designed, All varnished hot
moulded wooden racing dinghy circa. 1961

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

I served in the Coast Guard and later sailed as an AB (able seaman) on tugs.
I don't recall ever tying a sheepshank in the real world. But I did use a
sheepshank to shorten the cord on the mini-blinds at work a while back to
keep the plastic end off the floor. :^)

Snafu

"Gary Warner" wrote in message
...

Ok, so now that the restoration is done and we're actually
boating I figured I'd work on my knots, hitches, bends, etc.

Actually, for our little 22 footer with all the proper lines
already on-board I won't need many knots. I've learned
a couple of hiches for fenders and bends to join ropes
together and the bowline and bowline on a bight for loops.

Anyway, the Sheepshank has me puzzled. I'll probably
almost never need to shorten a rope, so it doen's
matter, but it's bothering me anyway.

I keep trying it using different books and web sites
for instructions and pictures. But it never seems to
hold. Sometimes when I pull on the two ends
it does hold for a while, but any slack in the line
and the next time I pull the knot just comes
apart.

So, it the Sheepshank just this overrated thing or
and I doing it wrong or what?



Hooper:
Well I'm not talkin' about hooking some poor dogfish or sandshark. I'm
talking about finding a Great White!
Quint:
Porkers! Talkin' about porkers! Mr. Hooper. Just tie me a sheep shank.
Hooper:
I haven't had to pass basic seamanship in a long time. You didn't say
how
short you wanted it. How's that?!

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 16:35:33 -0400, "Gary Warner"
wrote:
the Sheepshank has me puzzled. I'll probably
almost never need to shorten a rope, so it doen's
matter, but it's bothering me anyway.

I keep trying it using different books and web sites
for instructions and pictures. But it never seems to
hold. Sometimes when I pull on the two ends
it does hold for a while, but any slack in the line
and the next time I pull the knot just comes
apart.

So, it the Sheepshank just this overrated thing or
and I doing it wrong or what?
=============================

Are you tieing a single sheepshank or a double? A single will not
stay tied with out tension on it, but a double sheepshank will.
The "double" looks like a loop of line with each end of the loop
secured by a clove hitch.

That said, neither the single or double sheepshank has a lot of
everyday purpose and are most frequently seen on a knot board or in a
scouting manual.

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

I had an opportunity to use a sheepshank: to temporarily shorten the lines
of temporary floating markers. The markers were to be placed at various
distances from the shore, measured by someone on shore with a rangefinder
and transmitted to us by radio.
The lines were too long, allowing the markers to drift too far from where
placed. It seemed that the easiest solution was to use a sheepshank to keep
the line just long enough to hold the markers in place. The test was only
going to take a couple of hours, so the tide wasn't a factor influencing the
length of the line.

"Snafu" wrote in message
...
I served in the Coast Guard and later sailed as an AB (able seaman) on
tugs.
I don't recall ever tying a sheepshank in the real world. But I did use a
sheepshank to shorten the cord on the mini-blinds at work a while back to
keep the plastic end off the floor. :^)

Snafu

"Gary Warner" wrote in message
...

Ok, so now that the restoration is done and we're actually
boating I figured I'd work on my knots, hitches, bends, etc.

Actually, for our little 22 footer with all the proper lines
already on-board I won't need many knots. I've learned
a couple of hiches for fenders and bends to join ropes
together and the bowline and bowline on a bight for loops.

Anyway, the Sheepshank has me puzzled. I'll probably
almost never need to shorten a rope, so it doen's
matter, but it's bothering me anyway.

I keep trying it using different books and web sites
for instructions and pictures. But it never seems to
hold. Sometimes when I pull on the two ends
it does hold for a while, but any slack in the line
and the next time I pull the knot just comes
apart.

So, it the Sheepshank just this overrated thing or
and I doing it wrong or what?



Hooper:
Well I'm not talkin' about hooking some poor dogfish or sandshark. I'm
talking about finding a Great White!
Quint:
Porkers! Talkin' about porkers! Mr. Hooper. Just tie me a sheep shank.
Hooper:
I haven't had to pass basic seamanship in a long time. You didn't say
how
short you wanted it. How's that?!

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 02:03:56 +0100, Ian Malcolm
wrote:
If you
need it to stay in shape when the line is slack or under a varying load,
an extra half hitch at each end helps.

=========================================

That turns it into a double sheepshank.

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

Thanks for the comments.

The rope I am using to learn my knots is probably to
small & slippery for this one. I'll try on some other
rope.

Happy Boating.

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

Wayne,
So does that make it the "Sheepshank Redemption"? :-)
Paul

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 02:03:56 +0100, Ian Malcolm
wrote:
If you
need it to stay in shape when the line is slack or under a varying load,
an extra half hitch at each end helps.

=========================================

That turns it into a double sheepshank.

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

Wayne.B wrote:
On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 02:03:56 +0100, Ian Malcolm
wrote:

If you
need it to stay in shape when the line is slack or under a varying load,
an extra half hitch at each end helps.


=========================================

That turns it into a double sheepshank.

Yes but as I had never seen anyone else do that, I wasn't aware it had a
proper name. Thanks for the info :-)

Another knot I 'double' is the anchor or fisherman's bend. I have one of
those holding my main halyard to the shackle and another attaching my
painter. Just do a normal anchor bend and follow the tail around again
with an extra turn under the turns round the ring you tied it to then
snug it up and work any slack out of the trapped turns. I have never
had that knot undo itself even with a very short end not otherwise secured.

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk [at]=@, [dash]=- &
[dot]=.
*Warning* SPAM TRAP set in header, Use email address in sig. if you must.
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Uffa Fox designed, All varnished hot
moulded wooden racing dinghy circa. 1961

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 23:13:13 +0100, Ian Malcolm
wrote:

I have never
had that knot undo itself even with a very short end not otherwise secured.

===============================

I'm sure that's true, and after it's had a load on it for awhile, NO
ONE will be able to untie it without using weapons of mass
destruction.

Sheepshank - Worthless ??
 

Wayne.B wrote:

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 23:13:13 +0100, Ian Malcolm wrote:
( doubled anchor bend)
I have never
had that knot undo itself even with a very short end not otherwise secured.

===============================

I'm sure that's true, and after it's had a load on it for awhile, NO
ONE will be able to untie it without using weapons of mass
destruction.

Actually I've never had a problem undoing it when I end to end my lines
every season. You do have to work at it a bit. That's with fairly firm
braided line. If you do it in a loose lay hairy three strand rope or in
thin cord, you deserve what you get :-)

You must be thinking of one of the many varients of the gordian knot
beloved by novices. ( Easy to recognise, you *have* to use a blade
bigger and meaner than an average sheath knife to release it :-) )


--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk [at]=@, [dash]=- &
[dot]=.
*Warning* SPAM TRAP set in header, Use email address in sig. if you must.
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Uffa Fox designed, All varnished hot
moulded wooden racing dinghy circa. 1961