One of the shining features of Dyneema over steel is the fact that Dyneema can be repaired.
Chafe is the biggest problem facing synthetic rigging, and one that is easily avoided by routing the running rigging in a way that it won’t contact, and then chafe, the standing rigging. Should chafe occur and become serious, Dyneema can be easily repaired with mending splices to insert a new portion of Dyneema replacing the damaged portion.
After 6 years of sailing, our synthetic standing rigging has suffered no major chafing or damage, but our synthetic lifelines have! Everyone always worries about the stays chafing, but the workhorse lifelines are neglected to a life of chafe and abuse! Fenders are tied to them, gear is laid upon them, sheets and sails rub on them! Miles and years go buy where these poor little lines are subjected to abuse right next to the prized standing rigging that is shielded from all extraneous duty.
After all those years, while in Gibraltar, I decided it was time to carry out repairs on the two areas which had chafed. One was due to the windvane control lines tugging harshly on it, which I repaired the proper way; the other was subjected to a sharp metal bicycle pedal rubbing on it the entire way across the Atlantic!
The second repair was carried out in a more “creative” and less “professional” manner. The reason for the variation in repairs is simple: I wanted to see how well both repairs would hold up to similar abuse? Both repairs were done on the same day, so their subsequent wear would be similar. The proper repair is the control, as this is how repairs should be carried out, while the “creative” repair is the variable being measured against the control.
The correct repair is carried out using an end to end splice which mends the chafed area by replacing it with new Dyneema. This method is relatively simple to do, creating two locked splices and requiring access to at least one free end. There are four tapered tails that need to be created and buried and the whole process is rather lengthy, but yields an impeccable repair which is as strong as the original line.
The creative repair is able to be carried out in a situation where you do not have access to either end. A mending piece of Dyneema is inserted into the chafed line using two long bury splices. Additional locking stitches are needed to properly secure the splice as it is not locked on its own and could easily be pulled out if someone wanted to (or if gear snagged on it just the right way). This method only requires one splice and two tapered tails, making it quicker and easier to perform.
After crossing the Atlantic again with these repairs and carrying lots of gear on the deck which chafes on the lifelines, I can say with confidence that both repairs are holding up the same. The end to end splice does look a lot nicer while the creative repair looks a little shabby.
I personally prefer the end to end splice as I prefer locking splices over splices which require locking stitches to secure them, but if you have a situation where there simply isn’t the required free end to fix it, know that this other method will work well to repair your lifelines!
