A question about lines

[StarJourney]

Hello all. I was wondering about tensile strength of lines. I'm looking at storing some spare line in my sailbag for general use. Say I want to make the jib shrouds longer, or rig a preventer, or spare painters, such like that. What line strength should I be looking for?

Scott

[SVCarolena]

It depends on a number of factors, most important of which is how much strain you expect the lines to take and how much stretch is acceptable for a given use. Some things to think about are what size boat are we talking about? What type of boat? Cat or mono? Racing or cruising? How many sq. feet are the sails?

[StarJourney]

I'm sailing on 14-19 ft rentals, monohull, mainsail and jib. Let's say the two primary uses will be extra jib shrouds and preventers.

Hope this helps
Scott

[L124C]

I think you mean Jib Sheets, not Shrouds. Shrouds support the mast.

[Sailormon6]

For 14-19' boats, about 1/4" or 5/16" line would be adequate for most purposes. I'd suggest Sta Set X line, or its equivalent. Having said that, however, I probably wouldn't carry extra line at all on a rental boat. If any line provided by the rental company was frayed or inadequate, I'd ask them to replace it. I doubt that I would ever rig a preventer on a small rental boat. I only do that when I intend to sail downwind for long periods of time. For short downwind runs, I simply pay close attention to my helmsmanship, to ensure that there isn't an accidental gybe.

[SVCarolena]

Originally Posted by Sailormon6

For 14-19' boats, about 1/4" or 5/16" line would be adequate for most purposes. I'd suggest Sta Set X line, or its equivalent. Having said that, however, I probably wouldn't carry extra line at all on a rental boat. If any line provided by the rental company was frayed or inadequate, I'd ask them to replace it. I doubt that I would ever rig a preventer on a small rental boat. I only do that when I intend to sail downwind for long periods of time. For short downwind runs, I simply pay close attention to my helmsmanship, to ensure that there isn't an accidental gybe.

I agree, and would add that regular Stay Set would probably be fine for that application. I also agree that there is probably no need to invest in the line for rental boats. Also keep in mind that the idea of extending the jib sheet has a serious drawback - if you tie the extra line on after the jib fairlead, you would not be able to let the sheet run in the event of a serious wind gust or squal due to the knot in the line. That is one reason people generally frown upon the use of stopper knots in jib and genoa lines.

[nolatom]

Also keep in mind that while a smaller diameter may have plenty of strength, it's murder on the hands. Sometimes a little overkill, and hence a larger line, is better and easier to handle.

[StarJourney]

Thanks for the replies guys And I'll endeavor to remember the difference between sheets and shrouds!

Scott

[Hesper]

Actually, when you carry it in a bag, it's called rope. It's only line when it gets put to work (or placed where it's going to be put to work). I have to disagree about not carrying spare rope on a rental. yes, if what's on the boat is inadequate, I'd want the rental company to replace it, but when I was renting, I always carried a spare length of about 10' of 3/8" and found it came in handy on several occasions. You just never know what you might encounter.