Dyneema is one of the World's strongest fibres, it is quickly becoming the go to product to replace heavy and hard to work with wire.
Dyneema rope characteristics:
High strength
Lightweight
Water resistant
Chemical resistance
UV Resistant
What diameter?
The diameter used is a personal preference, some people like to go thicker for their confidence but 2mm through to 3mm are the most popular. Remember a 2mm dyneema rope will have a breaking strain of around 400kg, which is plenty to hold your weight on the wire.
Making new dyneema trapeze lines
It's important to note that Sailing Chandlery do offer a rope splicing service, if you're not comfortable doing the splicing work then let us take the task on for you with a quick turn around time.
Tasks to complete:
Measure your existing wires
Order the same length plus around 2m to be safe, this allows you space for coming back on yourself and some spare incase something goes wrong
Make sure you have the right splicing toolsfor the job, we would recommend:
D splicer needle set
4mm selma fid
D splicer dyneema scissors
Get any accessories such as Clamcleats ready and in place
Lay out your exising trapeze lines and then work on top of them as a template
Add a locking eye at one end, we usually add this at the top of the trapeze line system
Work out where the bottom loop needs to be, feed it through any accessories you have and then add a non locking splice - we recommend this because it can be adjusted if needed - if you don't taper the rope in then you can tie a knot on the outside if needed
If you're confident that you won't need to adjust then you can add a locking splice and taper the rope end in
Potential extras
Protection at abraision points - you could add some other rope cover on your loops to help prevent against abraision
Whip and stitch - not always needed but some people feel more comfortable with this
Advantages of dyneema trapeze lines
Adjustable
Lightweight
Strong
Less windage
More flexible in terms of set up
You can embed shockcord to pull the trapeze hook up so it easily hooks into your harness while you get out on the wire
Top tips
Make sure you buy a dyneema rope with a protective coating - this will help protect against the sun and other elements
Make sure you roll the boat over every so often and check the lines for any wear - even if the boat isn't being used the trapeze lines will blow around in the wind
If you don't have the end fittings (such as Clamcleat) with you then you can cheat and feed the loop through itself to secure
Which dyneema products do we recommend for trapeze lines?
