Broken mainline

[Spuddy]

As some of you who live here in the great white north know, nwe have had a very up and down spring so far, mostly rain, thunder storms and wind. Therefore it was only this weekend I have been able to get out and start to get my course in. (I should also say having two small children does slow me down a little as well!) I have discovered my mainline is snapped between ball 2 and 3, now I should mention it had been in the water for the better part of 20 years.

 

Anyway question has anyone ever successfully spliced a mainline? I did fix one of my dimond line connectors last year. Not sure if the same will work with the main line considering its under much more pressure.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Horton]

@Ed_Obermeier

[Nando]

I've spliced mine- just get a cable crimping tool (you can rent them; I was able to borrow one), measure carefully, and splice in a new section. There really is not a great deal of tension on cable courses- at least not compared to industrial uses. Trim the ends carefully so you don't get a puncture wound every time you touch the splice and it will hold for years.

[Deanoski]

Buy a new rope

[oldjeep]

If it is a rope line and not steel then it is amazing it lasted that long. The portable my father inlaw had, once the rope started breaking, it broke again in a different spot as soon as we fixed the last break. Wound up getting a new line.

[Spuddy]

It's a steel line, rope I think would have broken long ago. I will try the crimping tool. Thank you for the feedback.

[skihacker]

3/16 stainless cable connectors and a short section of 3/16 stainless cable from home stores will work in a pinch

[Ed_Obermeier]

Simpler repair method. Go to an electrical supply place and buy a couple split bolt connectors like the ones in the attached photos. Relatively inexpensive and attach with basic hand tools. Most slalom course mainline cable is about the same size as #12 electrical wire so get them sized accordingly. If necessary

add a piece of copper wire to fill out the connector enough that it clamps down properly, no big deal to do.

[Spuddy]

Thank you @Ed_Obermeier

[thager]

Try to get connector material that is similar to the mainline. Stainless steel? Dissimilar metals create an electrical current and can cause corrosion.

[Spuddy]

Good point, stainless steel it is!

[LeonL]

Curiously enough I have used the brass split connectors on stainless for years with corrosion. Should have but doesn't. I think you will have a problem finding that particular split bolt (or Kearney in the electrical trade) in anything other than brass.

[Ed_Obermeier]

Brass, which is at least part copper, and stainless steel get along quite well in regards to any galvanic corrosion issues. Shouldn't be an issue. Copper on stainless not generally an issue.

 

[Spuddy]

Thanks, not too worried it survived 20 plus years underwater in a a cold and harsh environment I think it will work for at least 10 more

[LeonL]

Oops, my comment should hav read "without" corrosion.

[brody]

I have another somewhat related course question for Ed or anyone else that wants to chime in. We have a portable course that never gets removed. Stainless mainline with pregates. The lake is fairly small and shallow with a VERY mucky bottom. Once a weight goes in, it never comes out, which is why we don't remove it in the winter. (just sink it, lake is about 5-6' deep at the course). The course has been in for about 15 years now. Our cable mainline has stretched a bit and is now a little loose. I don't think the way it is currently anchored that I can move the existing anchors. So if is was to cut the ropes to the anchors, (not the mainline) and put in new anchors, how much weight do I need to hold it. It doesn't get overly rough where it is.

PS. we are not concerned about the stretch in the line since there will never be a sanctioned tournament here it is just for public use. thanks

[skihacker]

That sounds a lot like our set up, we've always used the square chimney block style cinder blocks. They seem to hold, but usually 2 guys on a swim platform can get it off the bottom if needed, and if really stuck just cut the line and get another one.

[igkya]

@brody I helped maintain a floating/portable course for many years in a large public lake where the water levels fluctuated severely from start to end of season. Every 1-2 weeks, I'd have to untie the anchor line from the mainline and pull the course tight again. You should be able to cut/splice your anchor line, add additional rope and then tighten the course as needed.

[LeonL]

Yea, just cut your anchor line, add a piece in (or maybe not, if it's loose enough) with a loop and pull it tight, tie a knot, done!

[Ed_Obermeier]

@brody If the anchor leads are stainless steel cable I'd be kind of surprised if the cable stretched much, but maybe after 15 years...

 

An easy passive slack adjuster for a floating course is to hang a counterweight of some sort at the center point of one of the anchor leads between the anchor and the end of the mainline. Start with 15 lbs and add more if necessary. The counterweight system works well for courses in fluctuating water levels and I would think would work for your situation as well.

 

Rule Of Thumb for a floating course is that you want to maintain a minimum 4:1 ratio of anchor lead to water depth. If you go say 6:1 on one end and use the counterweight settup on it that gives the CW a bit more leverage. It works.

[brody]

Thanks Ed, i try that. If the cable didn't stretch I guess it's possible the anchors moved. I was told the anchors are actually cork screwed into the muck

[Spuddy]

I think my course might be at the point of no return; I was able to fix the original break in the main line but have since found two breaks in the V sections of different boat guides: I have tried do the same as the mainline using crimps to put to back but with wave action and current it becomes increasingly difficult to put back on the arm. I am thinking of taking the line right out and seeing if I can repair it on shore.

[Andre]

My SS mainline crimps started to come apart after 5-6 years of being in the water year long and sitting in bottom mud in winter.After repairing a couples of times,i took everything out and recrimp the whole mainline.

Add another 5 years and my mainline is still in good conditions.I recrimp using copper crimps.

When one of the crimps fail,you can be sure others will too,they're all the same age.Might as well fix it once.

Cable itself should be in good conditionsRecrimping didn't took long and i bought the industrial crimpers.2-3 guys could do the job 5-6 hours...

Good luck!

[Andre]

Crimpers and alu and copper crimps.

Use copper.

 

[Andre]

Crimps...i think it s worth it to buy good crimpers

 

[Ed_Obermeier]

Ditto what @Andre said. Use copper. Aluminum crimps on SS cable will galvanically corrode and fail WAY sooner.

[Spuddy]

Thank you for the input. For sure using tools like that it would be an on shore job.

[LeonL]

Boy, I guess I'm lucky. The course in our lake is plastic coated stainless. It was in the lake when we bought the property and we've owned it 20 years. I suppose it was in at least 5 years prior to that. So, 25 years and not a break or loose crimp. I have no idea who the mfg was.

[Spuddy]

@LeonL you are lucky our course as been in about that long as well, it's coated stainless but it's just starting to show signs of age so not bad considering it's been underwater that long.

[A_B]

@Ed_Obermeier - do the ones you show work better than the standard clamps below? I have used these before, and when we were stringing buoys on this year, I noticed some fraying on the mainline and made a mental note to fix with a new section of stainless clamped overlaying the existing line.

 

 

[Ed_Obermeier]

IMO they are probably about equal holding wise @A_B. They're easier to work with and quicker to attach though.