Splicing AmSteel

My tools. Yes, the Diet Coke is definitely needed. This is gonna require some paying attention.
Note the furrowed brow. That’s the paying attention part. I have always wanted to splice lines so I can make my dad proud. He’s kind of a knot geek. Weird how that sort of thing seems genetic; I got that one and the map geek gene. And now I have my own fid!

I think my Auntie Diane must have had a lot to do with it too – although she was trying to teach my how to knit and crochet when I was little and that certainly didn’t take, I think the basic skills must have been learned. I just chose to manifest them in my own way.

On top is the wire rope & hook we were replacing on the electric winch for the dinghy. It’s always creaked and groaned rather disturbingly. While I suspect it’s probably still plenty strong, it was really nice that the new line made no unsettling noises when we raised the dinghy back up onto the top deck.
It’s made of 3/16 AmSteel (Samthane coated 12 strand SK-60 Dyneema) which is rated for 5,000 pounds. Much easier to handle, won’t rust and just looks better all around. Given that the dinghy/motor combo is probably around 1,000 lbs, we’ve got a safety margin of 5:1. Which is more than adequate for a non-live load. And yes, I’m proud of my eye splice. Now I’m all excited to get some twine and begin whipping things for show. I bet even our shoelaces will have eyes spliced into them before long!

And another happy thing was the recovery of the deck chair that had blown off the upper deck (it has been crazy-windy this year, along with unseasonably wet and cool). Underwater camera, downrigger, gaff, and a boat hook to control the contraption – poof, we have our chair back. Nice job, boys. They were proud too – we celebrate the small stuff here.

No Responses to “Splicing AmSteel”

  1. bowiechick
    April 26, 2011 at 9:09 pm #

    Neat Jamie! I had a roommate who taught knot tying to the local sea cadets but I never managed to connect with her so that she could teach me. I do crochet actually. I have a book but sadly, I'm fid-less. I don't think my measly crochet hook collection would suffice.

  2. rob
    April 19, 2011 at 8:24 pm #

    Are you happy with that snatch hook? I guess you must have experience of them with your chopper rescue experience, I don`t think that I would trust my life to one, certainly if I was climbing (and not just because there is no latching safety feature)but then that takes into account a 16 stome male possibly falling 100 feet before it is arrested , and all your doing is (probably) lifting the equavalent of 250lbs i.e. one quarter of the whole weight of the dingy! so no real need for this comment :o)) Ha!