jacklines

[mahalocd36]

Tom: That pretty much sounds exactly what we are going to do.

[Ann and David Brownlee]

We secure two 5/8 braided docklines to the bases of our primary winches with bowlines and take them to the bow cleats where we pull them tight and cleat them. We've never tripped on them, probably because they are pulled close to the sides of the deckhouse. Simple and easy.

[George Shaunfield]

Lyn and Larry Pardey have a sound philosophy - "If you fall overboard, you are dead!" I had the chance to attend a seminar they held last March and have tried to adopt that philosophy since then. It has made me more conscious of and more consistent with "one hand for the boat and one for myself."

I wear an inflatable PFD with harness always when single-handing and other times when seas are rough. My flat web jacklines run from one stern cleat snug along the cabin side to the bow cleat and back to the stern cleat on the other side. I have stepped on the jacklines a few times and will certainly stay with flat webbing.

The Pardey's run a line from their boom gallows to the upper shroud at about shoulder height. It provides an additional steadying handhold. I have not tried anything like that yet.

One thing I wish Cape Dories had is a reasonable height bulwark instead of just toerails.

[Dalton]

On Colleen Marie I run webbing down each side of the house right in the radius where the house and deck meet. I put padeyes as low as possible and as far aft and fwd as possible on the house. I bought a tether that just lets me reach the pulpit. This works great and gives me great mobility while harnessd in. This in conjunction with heavy duty leaning posts is great.

[William]

In lieu of a double teathered harness, consider having a tether attached to the jackline (D ring or snap shackle) with the loose end and it's snap shackle readily available from within the cockpit for attachment to the harness before leaving the safety of the cockpit.

Kevin,

I like the idea of jacklines down the center for the exact reason you describe. A U bolt could easily be placed in front of the dodger somewhere as an attachment point. But what I hesitate about in this situation is I want to be able to attach to the jacklines BEFORE I get out of the safety of the cockpit, jacklines down the center would not allow for that, you would have to be momentarily prone while climbing out of the cockpit and attaching. Though I have seen those tethers that have duel 6' retractible tethers on them, I guess theoreticly you could stay attach to the cockpit, climb to your centerline jackline, attach, climb back to the cockpit and unattach, but that seems annoying, and a process one would too easily decide to skip.

[winthrop fisher]

Hi Melissa.

all i used is red webbing one inch wide and cut it as long as you want,
so when you fall out of the boat you don't hit the side of the boat.
you want to hit the water and pull your self up and back in the boat.
make sure you cut it long, so you can shorting it if you want to.
we make them our selfs.
and don't forget the snap hooks on both ends.
winthrop

Hi,
We are going to get as set of jacklines for Mahalo - we have heard bad things about using round things (i.e. wire, rope) as you slip on them easier as they roll under your feet. Also suggested not to use line as it's easy to get confused with other line on the boat. Any other opinions?

I was planning to make them from webbing, from Sailrite. Cheaper than buying them premade.

Any ideas, suggestions, things you would do with yours if you could?

Thanks,
Melissa

[Frank Vernet]

Melissa et al

I don't remember where I saw this but it was fairly recently. The author mentioned replacing the bolts that secure the pedestal to the cockpit deck with suitable size eye-bolts.

The idea is that you now have a convenient place to clip into or to attach the jacklines.

[Guest]

Has anyone dealt with young children and jacklines? Best ways of using a harness with children?

[winthrop fisher]

Hi...
make sure you make it fun for them and let then pick there life jacket as well, for the safety harness make sure it is for that size child and tape the end so they can not unhook it.
thats inportant.
sterns makes allot of them for kids and adults.
winthrop

Has anyone dealt with young children and jacklines? Best ways of using a harness with children?

[Daniel VanWinkle]

My concern when sailing alone has been getting back onboard while dangling from the end of your tether. So...... my idea is to have a second jackline outboard of the lifeline stantions and running from my swim ladder to the bow. Then using a second tether, I would attach myself to the outboard jackline and detach from the one on deck. This would no carry me back to the swim ladder on my 25D. Also would rig a quick pull-down arragement for the swim ladder.

[Dave Brandt]

The 1" tubular webbing commonly used in climbing is considered "static" or non stretch, under load it has some stretch but unlike a climbing rope, it is not intended for absorbing the energy of a fall. This should not be an issue when it's used as a jack line.

In the climbing world sewn webbing products are usually "bar tacked", parachute people use a different method of sewing it, both work. A properly sewn connection will be stronger than a knotted connection, although there is nothing unsafe about tying webbing. If you choose to have it sewn, I would leave that to a professional.

1" Bluewater Climb-Spec tubular webbing has a breaking strength of #4200 and comes in a bunch of colors. www.bluewaterropes.com

Dave