Labeling lines.

I keep a bunch of lines of varying lengths*coiled in a locker on the flying bridge. Most of them are 3/4" 3 strand, but of varying lengths.*It is hard to tell how long they are without pulling them out. Does anyone here use a way to label or mark them by length? If so please share.

Thanks. Steve W.

No, but I use black thread on my fishing boat anchor to let me know how much I have out. Tuna fishing here requires sometime to be anchored in 200' of water and I tie a black thread every 50 or 100 foot to know what I have out.

I haven't bothered to do it but it wouldn't be hard to whip the ends with some color code based on the length. I think whipping might be a dying art but its pretty easy to do, the hardest part would be finding the different colored whipping string.

I second the idea of whipping the ends with different color twine. If you have trouble finding colored twine, let me know. We carry several colors in stock where I work.

If you want to whip the ends , the best code does NOT need light.

One whipping for 15 ft , two for under 30 ft?

Or ????


-- Edited by FF on Wednesday 19th of October 2011 04:18:31 AM

When I reach into my locker to pull out a line, if it's light I know it's a short one, if it's heavy I know it's a long one. If it's really heavy that's my spare anchor rode.

That's my system and I'm sticking to it!

FF wrote:
If you want to whip the ends , the best code does NOT need light.

One whipping for 15 ft , two for under 30 ft?

Or ????



-- Edited by FF on Wednesday 19th of October 2011 04:18:31 AM

Being a power boater and former electronic technician, I used heat shrink, not whipping, but that's what I did.* One piece for the shorter lines and two for the longer lines.

I used to do that with wires when I was working, but with a marker.* One line, two lines, three lines, etc.* Just for temporary marking.

Click to expand...

*

I am using colored electrical tape wound tightly over the whipping. I only mark the special purpose lines (breast line, spring lines). The 4 standard length bow and stern lines are left alone. This works great with the Admiral!

jleonard wrote:
When I reach into my locker to pull out a line, if it's light I know it's a short one, if it's heavy I know it's a long one. If it's really heavy that's my spare anchor rode.

That's my system and I'm sticking to it!

Click to expand...

*What's more, it can be done with one's eyes closed or in pitch blackness.

Two of my deck lines are 35' and are marked with red heat shrink, the other two are 25' and unmarked.* Other lines are obvious by their diameter, type*and place of stowage.

Colored sharpies and the english language or what ever you speak.

SD

I hand-sew a short length of polyester webbing (can get in many colors) to the line to identify it. I also use this to mark every 25 ft. on my anchor chain and rode (using a code so I can tell what depth is marked).

dvd

I use spinnaker cloth - ripstop nylon - in many colors from my local sailmaker for marking my anchor rode. Have been doing this for many years and it works great. I have to replace the first 2 or 3 markers about every 2 years because they wear out rubbing against the ground. Sailmakers give it away free from their scrap bin. I place them every 30 feet and make a chart that shows the depths the various colors represent. I tie them right to the anchor chain with a square knot.

Ron

I only mark my hurricane specific lines.**They have neon yellow electrical tape*on the ends. One mark for starboard two for port.* ** The rest of them I can tell by weight and or type.* My braided lines are all shorter,25-35 feet, while my twisted lines are 35-55 feet.*****

windmist wrote:
I use spinnaker cloth - ripstop nylon - in many colors from my local sailmaker for marking my anchor rode. Have been doing this for many years and it works great. I have to replace the first 2 or 3 markers about every 2 years because they wear out rubbing against the ground. Sailmakers give it away free from their scrap bin. I place them every 30 feet and make a chart that shows the depths the various colors represent. I tie them right to the anchor chain with a square knot.

Ron

Click to expand...

*Do the ones in the chain interfere in any way with with your windlass gypsy?

The webbing on my chain/rode is completely ignored by the windlass. I decided against color coding my rode (I just use a dark color) because I found it difficult to distinguish colors in low or no light. I use a different number of tags next to each other to signify different depths.

dvd

David Wrote:

Do the ones in the chain interfere in any way with with your windlass gypsy?
________________________________________________________________________

The markings go right through the windlass with no problem. Being rip-stop nylon, they take up very little space.

Ron

I use small wire ties, green, yellow and red. Every 20' I put them like this. One green, one yellow, one red, two green, two yellow, two red, three green... you get the idea. Don't snip the tails off, because it'll make sharp points that will cut you and reduce the visibility.

Keith wrote:
I use small wire ties, green, yellow and red. Every 20' I put them like this. One green, one yellow, one red, two green, two yellow, two red, three green... you get the idea. Don't snip the tails off, because it'll make sharp points that will cut you and reduce the visibility.

Click to expand...

*4" or something longer?

For our anchor chain we simply put a white wire tie every ten feet. We tried the color thing with paint and ties and found that trying to remember what red-blue-red meant or what green was was a pain the butt. Somebody in our club who has cruised and anchored this area for decades told us about putting a wire tie every ten feet and leaving it at that. You want ninety feet out? Count out nine ties. You don't even have to see them to know how many feet of chain is going out. In the dark, you can feel them simply by putting your palm on top of the chain as it goes out to the end of the pulpit.

We use ties about 8"long and we don't trim them. The "tails" make them more obvious. Eventually a tail will get torn off in the pile of chain in the locker but it hasn't happened yet. When it does it will leave the bottom of the tie on the chain so you just put on a new tie. When we installed the ties we ran the chain through the windlass so all the ties would be on the same side of the chain as it went through the wildcat. I don't know that it makes a difference, though. We've never had a tie hang up or get caught on anything going out or coming in.

So far we've never forgotten how much chain we've put out, but as a precaution once we're anchored and set one of us writes how much chain is out on a sticky note and puts it on the steering cable raceway at the helm.

All our mooring/docking lines are black and are the same length.* So like Charles, whatever line one grabs is going to be the same as the others.* We also leave our mooring lines permanently attached to their fore, midship, and aft*cleats on both sides of the boat.* The unused lines are left looped and locked over the handrail.* When we leave a dock the lines that had been used to secure us to it are also looped and locked over the rail.* So the lines are always ready no matter which side of the boat ends up against a dock.

We have special lines made up for use on a mooring buoy, and for our anchor snubbers.* These are white(ish)*and the hardware on the ends makes it impossible to mistake them for anything else.


-- Edited by Marin on Thursday 20th of October 2011 09:18:27 PM

We seem to have drifted from lines.* How unusual.*

Our chain was paint marked when we bought Gray Hawk.* The system is very simple:

50' is Fluorescent green

100' is Emergency orange with a green stripe in the middle

150' is green

200' is orange/green

etc.

Its pretty easy to remember whether you're on the first, second or third pass of the green or the orange/green/orange.* In theory I suppose more marks would be more accurate but this isn't brain surgery after all and it seems to me that more marks would just be more confusing to remember.

*

jleonard wrote:
When I reach into my locker to pull out a line, if it's light I know it's a short one, if it's heavy I know it's a long one. If it's really heavy that's my spare anchor rode.

That's my system and I'm sticking to it!

That would*work in some situations, but I have three 15' lines and one 20' line and it's pretty hard to tell the difference by weight.* And I'd rather not have to pick up the wrong one in the first place.

I could count the coils, but marking the ends seems so simple and works so well ................

Click to expand...

*

For my home slip (in a marina), I just leave the lines attached to the cleats and adjusted (and cut) to the correct length. No question of what line goes where or how long to make it. I secure them with wire ties so they don't get "readjusted" or "borrowed" when I'm away for a while.

I have another set for traveling and some spares on the boat as well.

dwhatty wrote:Keith wrote:
I use small wire ties, green, yellow and red. Every 20' I put them like this. One green, one yellow, one red, two green, two yellow, two red, three green... you get the idea. Don't snip the tails off, because it'll make sharp points that will cut you and reduce the visibility.

Click to expand...

*4" or something longer?

*4" sounds about right.

rwidman wrote:jleonard wrote:
That would*work in some situations, but I have three 15' lines and one 20' line and it's pretty hard to tell the difference by weight.* And I'd rather not have to pick up the wrong one in the first place.

I could count the coils, but marking the ends seems so simple and works so well ................

Click to expand...

*

*For me I don't normally distinguish between a 15 and a 20 so it doesn't matter. I want to know if I am grabbing a 15/20 or a 40. I have lines secured to rails bow and stern, so those are the first to get used anyway, and after that I am secure. Then I go look in the locker for additional lines IF needed.

All lines at my normal slip are attached to the dock and stay there normally, so it's not like I need to find lines ever time I go out.

swampu wrote:
No, but I use black thread on my fishing boat anchor to let me know how much I have out. Tuna fishing here requires sometime to be anchored in 200' of water and I tie a black thread every 50 or 100 foot to know what I have out.

Click to expand...

*my chain is marked also (by the PO), i just dont know what the color coding means.

red is every 50 ft or ?guessing is not an option for me.

i need to lay out my chain and redo this, how is that done?

just roll it out on the gangway? there must be a smart way of doing this?

Here is what I'm trying, with tape mask off bands on the line. One line for each 10' of length, then spray paint black on white line, or white on dark line.

If one wanted to be more precise a red line could be added to indicate 5 more feet.

When done it looks like the picture below.

Steve,

I like that idea -- interested to see how it holds up.

dvd

Used these for years for three strand and brait rodes. Cheap and easily read.
<a href="http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/anchor-rode-markers-9-set-122631/4,1193.html" target="_blank">
http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/anchor-rode-markers-9-set-122631/4,1193.html</a>

*

Then there are these for chain. Haven't tried them. Wonder if the stay put or if they interfere with a windlass gypsy.

*

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|10391|32295|536112&id=535733