I have never been happy with the two sets of spinnaker sheets that came with our J/109, so we just bought new ones, primarily for a reason that I will cover in another Tip, but here are a couple of splicing mistakes on the old sheets that it’s worth writing about:
Brummels are too often overused as some splicing miracle. In fact, alone they are no more secure than as a common knot. When a proper bury is used, a brummel still slightly weakens the construction according to some testers. In fact, it should be a clear hint that large tow lines never use a brummel, they use lock stitching.
But it seems like such a cool trick. I seldom use Brummels anymore. Sheets and bridles get two separate eyes.
I don’t know for sure but would guess about 25%. However, in this case, and most cases in boats under about 50 feet, if we size for handling, in this case 12 mm, it’s not an issue because the rope is way stronger than anything else in the system and way over any load it’s ever going to see. The break load on the core is 4800 kg. Over 10,000 lbs!
Alan Miegel
May 5, 2025 6:07 pm
The tail looks short on the Animated Knots link. The manufacturers of Dynema I have been using recommend 50X diameter tails. Slippery stuff Dynema is. I’d go with use the manufacturer’s directions for splicing. Just my $.02.
Brummels are too often overused as some splicing miracle. In fact, alone they are no more secure than as a common knot. When a proper bury is used, a brummel still slightly weakens the construction according to some testers. In fact, it should be a clear hint that large tow lines never use a brummel, they use lock stitching.
But it seems like such a cool trick. I seldom use Brummels anymore. Sheets and bridles get two separate eyes.
Hi Drew,
I agree. I use the Brummell purely because its an easy way to stabilize the loop size before starting the bury. And I agree on lock stitching: https://www.morganscloud.com/jhhtips/lock-stitch-brummel-splices/
How much do cow hitches weaken the line vs splicing the shackle in?
Hi Les,
I don’t know for sure but would guess about 25%. However, in this case, and most cases in boats under about 50 feet, if we size for handling, in this case 12 mm, it’s not an issue because the rope is way stronger than anything else in the system and way over any load it’s ever going to see. The break load on the core is 4800 kg. Over 10,000 lbs!
The tail looks short on the Animated Knots link. The manufacturers of Dynema I have been using recommend 50X diameter tails. Slippery stuff Dynema is. I’d go with use the manufacturer’s directions for splicing. Just my $.02.
Hi Alan,
We need to read the full instructions, see under the animation. Animated knots suggest 72 diameters, which is what I use.