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We have a whole bag of lines that came with our new-to-us Sabre 30, and we have no idea what they’re for. We’ve ID’d the jib and main sheets and some halyards, but there are a variety of other ropes, both corded and non. One is stretchy with a metal ring spliced into it, a couple have shackles spliced in on one end.
What’s a good way to identify the purpose of unknown lines? For the things we can identify, is it okay to use line that we don’t know the age or history of?
—Julija O’Neil, Newport, RI
SAIL says:
Oftentimes, prior owners will save old line. After all, it’s always good to have spares, right? Not necessarily, Jonathon Thurston of Lanex Yachting says. “There’s no reason to do that. If it’s old, it’s not workable anymore. UV degradation torches the line, so even if it wasn’t being used, being loaded up or chafing, it could still have been breaking down.” If they were old spares to the previous owner, by the time they get to you they’re probably junk.
“Unless the prior owner has a good logbook saying ‘two years ago we replaced the haylards, five years ago we replaced the sheets,’ you’re rolling the dice,” Thurston says. “If you don’t have the history, I usually encourage people, when they buy a used boat, to replace everything because we just don’t have any equipment that can accurately test the wear and tear.” Damaged line can be a safety concern, particularly if you’re planning a passage that will take you far from home or in sporty conditions where a breakage would be both more likely and more difficult to manage.
If you can get in touch with the previous owner and confirm that the lines are still good to use, he says maintenance, especially at the end of the season, is key to extending the life of your running rigging. “Clean the blocks with Dawn dish soap, and clean the roller furler system too. Take all the lines off, and put them in the washing machine.” And put a sock over the shackles when you do. “You’d be surprised, the washing machine really gets the salt and dirt out of the core of the line which, if not addressed, really contributes to breaking the line down.”
As for IDing that rope pile: “Riggers do really funky things. For anything you don’t recognize, think ‘why would somebody do that?’ For example, on the stretchy line with a spliced in thimble, they were probably concerned about chafe.” Consider your setup. What needs a line that moves and stretches but isn’t tied to a cleat on both sides? Sounds like a mooring line.
The un-paired ones with shackles are most often spare halyards, and if there’s great variability in the lengths, the shorter one could be for fractional headsails (though in the case of your Sabre 30 that’s less likely). The paired ones are probably old sheets.
Jonathon Thurston is the owner of Lanex Yachting USA in Jamestown, Rhode Island.
