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

DSK wrote:
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.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...93690985IWTOWS

Sorry, forgot the link

DSK

Steve Weingart wrote:

All of the complex stretching discussions aside, I use the garden hose as
well, but as the chafe guard...

I cut 2 - 3' lengths of garden hose, then split the last 2" on one end.
Slip that over the line then use light line to pinch the split section onto
the main line where you need it. I've been using this method for years and
never have any chafe issues, and my old sailboat went through several near
misses by hurricanes and dozens of storms with no chafing at all.

Hope that this helps

Steve

If using twisted rope for mooring, as it is said one should, and if
leather is your choise for antichafe, why not do as I do with
webbing strap, which would be to tuck the end of an old leather belt
under the lay of one of the 3 strands, wrap it around the area to be
protected, and pull the other end snug under a strand? A little
seizing may be needed to stop the antichafe from migrating along the
pennant, good excuse to acquire and use a palm and a heavy needle.

Terry K

Thanks to all for the information. It looks like a matter of meteorology and
geography. I just don't see leather around here (Thousand Islands, St.
Lawrence River), and there is very little in the way of individual boaters
doing any "whipping" of the sort we learned in boating classes, in this
instance used for binding or sewing the chafing gear to a line.

We had a big wind storm a few summers ago, and I doubled up my lines and
went down frequently to check the boat, but most local boaters did nothing -
many live hours away, and not all use any chafing protection at all - and
there were no problems that I heard of. I recall something like sustained
winds in the 30 knot range, and we're all fairly protected by breakwaters,
etc. I'm still using the same lines.

Charles

====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====

"Red Cloud®" wrote in message
...
...
I put leather on my docklines when they are new, and when the leather
wears out,
I replace the dockline. During storms, I double up on lines, and wrap
scraps of
towel around all chafe points.

rusty redcloud

Charles T. Low wrote:

Thanks to all for the information. It looks like a matter of meteorology and
geography. I just don't see leather around here (Thousand Islands, St.
Lawrence River), and there is very little in the way of individual boaters
doing any "whipping" of the sort we learned in boating classes, in this
instance used for binding or sewing the chafing gear to a line.

Supplies for traditional bos'n work have gotten either expensive or
hard/time-consuming to get. And if we are honest, 2/3 of it isn't
needed or cost-effective anymore. Old firehose has been popular &
effective as chafing gear for a long time all over the world and is
free. People who use leather are probably the some ones who grille
lobsters. :-)