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A question about replacement lines

3K views 17 replies 13 participants last post by  fallard 
#1 ·
Over the course of the winter, I intend to replace the main sheet, jib sheets, vang line, and topping lift on my '86 Mirage 35. I've noted that line purveyors offer numerous color combinations as replacement for my currently all white lines.

Is there a color/color fleck convention modern manufacturers are using to provide for consistency and easy line identification?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
There's no 'code' this this sort of thing. It's pretty much a personal choice.

Having all lines the same colour, however, is not really ideal especially if you have newbies along very often.

Some people even use different coloured port/starboard sheets to make identification easier.

But it's a free form thing, just do what you like!
 
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#5 ·
Well I made that mistake. When I bought this boat I was on a bit of a budget and a whole reel of line is much cheaper so I bought a reel of red and white.

Every guest on board I would screen in my captainly manner: Pull the red on. The RED!!


It will cost you more but work out your own colour code and be bright and cheerful: Pull the Green gold flecked white one!

It works a treat :)



Mark
 
#10 ·
I like to stick with the standard for running lights on bilateral lines: red is port, green is starboard. I vary within this context with solids, flecks, etc. to differentiate between jib sheets, genoa sheets, and the like. I go with white for my single mainsheet and variations of blue and grey for my halyards.
 
#11 ·
I color code for the most part. It's the mainsheet that I insure is the most unique. All other lines have colored tracers, but the main is the only solid color. It's black at the moment. If I say to let the black line go, there is zero confusion, nothing else even has black in it. I can reach the jib sheets from the helm or easily point.

In a bit of contrast to a point above, I often find that old lines stretch and will measure a smaller diameter than original. If I don't have the OEM spec sheet, I measure them at a bitter end, which hasn't been under load or chafed.
 
#14 ·
I'm not seeing the benefit of different colors for port and starboard jib/genoa sheets. It doesn't seem to me that they're likely to be confused with each other. Am I missing something?

I was thinking of making the genoa sheets one solid color and the main sheet a second solid color. I thought I would use the main sheet color with colored flecks or tracers for the boom vang, and a different colored flecks for the outhaul and topping lift. That way all the 'boom' lines would be similar and the 'genoa' lines would be similar.

I'm already using one color for bow and stern line and a second color for spring lines. That's made docking much easier because my crew is much less likely to confuse a stern line with a spring line. On my power boat, I have one odd colored spring line. The crew (my wife) knows the only really important thing do do while docking is "Get that blue line around the cleat."
 
#15 ·
I'm not seeing the benefit of different colors for port and starboard jib/genoa sheets. It doesn't seem to me that they're likely to be confused with each other. Am I missing something?

I was thinking of making the genoa sheets one solid color and the main sheet a second solid color. I thought I would use the main sheet color with colored flecks or tracers for the boom vang, and a different colored flecks for the outhaul and topping lift. That way all the 'boom' lines would be similar and the 'genoa' lines would be similar.

I'm already using one color for bow and stern line and a second color for spring lines. That's made docking much easier because my crew is much less likely to confuse a stern line with a spring line. On my power boat, I have one odd colored spring line. The crew (my wife) knows the only really important thing do do while docking is "Get that blue line around the cleat."
It depends on the cockpit but envision a tangle of sheets in the cockpit, and what you really need is the port jib sheet. Knowing it is the red flecked line not the green flecked line speeds things up.

Personally I like flecked for headsails, solid for spinnakers, and something weird for the main. On my boat it's red/green halyards and sheets, flecked or solid depending on the sail. The main halyard is blue (solid), the main sheet is purple, and the traveler is orange.

The two lines you absolutly need to be able to reach in a hurry are the main sheet and traveler, those I like in really contrasting colors so it's easy to find. If I could track down a day glow green or something else obnoxious I would use that instead.
 
#17 ·
Hmm, interesting thought with regards to the dock lines, never thought of a different colour for them.

Never underestimate the unfamiliarity a guest/new sailor has with respect to lines. When I saw my first sailboat, my first thought was "what the hell do all these ropes do, this is crazy".

Make life easier for them - make life easier for you.
 
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