Re: [Paddlewise] boat tether

Harold (HTERVORT_at_aol.com) wrote:
> 
> 1.  Using the length of the painter could be a problem.  But I didn't mean to
> imply hooking onto the end of the free painter.  I was talking about clipping
> the biner onto the painter rope while the clip/biner on the (free) end of the
> painter is still clipped onto the boat near the cockpit.  

I'm sorry, I simply misunderstood your suggestion. This makes more
sense.

Regarding the use of side-release buckles you wrote:

> 2.  ... since the side-release buckle is in front of you, within easy
> reach, you could use one hand to release the tension as you released the
> buckle with the other.  I know that SRBs have drawbacks, but I have started
> to use them in place of other hooks and biners because they are:  (a)
> lightweight (don't sink the towline so quickly when released);  (b) cheap;
> (c) unaffected by saltwater;  (d) unlikely to hook onto deck fittings or
> other catchalls and entrap you as a biner can so easily do; and (e) a bit
> more likely to break in the event of the system being loaded beyond what my
> body might survive (acting as a weak-link).

I certainly have never suggested using a 'biner. The plastic cam buckles
that I use (also referred to as lever buckles) are also lightweight,
cheap, and unaffected by saltwater. I do not believe that they are any
stronger than a side-release buckle. But they are easier to release when
under tension, particularly if you only have one hand free. Your
approach of using one hand to release the tension requires two hands.

Dan Hagen
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