on 12/19/02 3:22 PM, Rudy Marcelletti, K8SWD at rudym@net-link.net wrote:
> Some one wrote they use bowline knots to attach their hooks with. The better
> not is a figure 8 with a safety overhand. Then tape the overhand tail. The
> figure 8 is stronger and easier to untie after it has been loaded.
I am really skeptical of this statement. I have done a great deal amount of
sailboat racing on yachts up to 50 feet over the last 10 years. I've been
on three Chicago-Mackinac and one Port Huron-Mackinanc. Lines are ALWAYS
tied with bowlines when attaching a line to a sail. I have never seen a
figure 8 used in a high stress situation.
The amount of pressure put on a jib sail for a 40 foot racing sloop in a 20
to 30 mph wind is absolutely incredible. I don't know the exact number, but
it's in the tons.
I have seen a number of failures of halyards (line that holds up the sail)
and sheets (sail controlling lines), but I have yet to see a properly tied
bowline fail. I know of boats where winches ripped out of the fiberglass
decking during storms, but the bowlines that they were using didn't fail.
>From my experience, I'll trust a bowline any day. A properly tied bowline
is an incredibly strong knot. The problem is probably that if not properly
tied, you can run into problems. This is likely where it has gotten its bad
wrap. A figure 8 is easier to tie, yes. But once you learn how to tie a
bowline, its very simple. It just takes a while to learn.
73,
Jon
NA9D
-------------------------------------
Jon Ogden
NA9D (ex: KE9NA)
Citizen of the People's Democratic Republik of Illinois
Life Member: ARRL, NRA
Member: AMSAT, DXCC
http://www.qsl.net/na9d
"A life lived in fear is a life half lived."
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