Duct Tape Whipping
The emerging art of whipping rope ends with duct tape or other temporary means put to permanent use.
When visitting or joining vessels I often see loose rope ends falling appart
Until recently it bothered me quite a bit, until it struck me:
The senior officers do not know how to do a proper whipping, which making them afraid to ask the crew to do it.
We get what we ask for
It is a really good job for the OS and other OOW during anchor- or gangway watches, to do whippings, and it will improve the appearence on deck tremendously.
Step by step guide for quick whippings:
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
Test:
If you can pull the whipping off by hand, it is not tight enough.
To do a good whipping you will need:
Some vessels lack the basic equipment to do whippings.
I usually embark with the below.
It is not that expensive.
Basic whipping:
• Manila 2,5 kg
• Polypropylene 2,5 kg
• Wax Bee 500 gram
IMPA 211422
IMPA 211421
IMPA 232277
Advanced whipping:
• Needle Sailmakers #12
• Palm Sailmakers Leather Right
IMPA 232267
IMPA 232261
It will be a good day when all rope ends look like this:
Feel free to use the content onboard, and if you have have any comments or questions to this blog post, or corrosion maintenance in general leave a comment or send me a message.
Safe sailing
The whipping you showed in your example is the kind of whipping a boy scout would use. The illustration also should show the end of the sail twine going through the bight ,before being cinched up, which makes for a more secure whipping (for an inferior whipping in general.) A proper Able Seaman would only use this on a very small piece of line, or as a temporary whipping as a matter of expediency. For gantlines, handlines, the ends of purchases, sheets, stoppers, and other heavy duty working lines only a “sailmaker’s whipping” will do! Better yet doubled up.
Thanks for your comment Captain Wright. You are offcourse right, many other whipping methods are better.
My point is that this method can be done in about the same time as doing it with duct tape.