Look around almost any anchorage and you can spot the serious long distance voyager; extra fuel cans tied to the deck, wind generator and solar panels and most likely if my boat is anything to go by a couple of gently rusting bicycles strapped to the pushpit. Look closer and you might also spot some netting strung between the lifelines and toe rails. When correctly done netting makes a wonderful addition to almost any boat. Originally I started to use it aboard 20 years ago to prevent my son Sam from going over the side by sliding under the lifelines but I quickly realized as time progressed that there were other benefits too. Large headsails no longer fell into the sea as I wrestled them to the deck in less than perfect conditions and there was a psychological advantage when we took novice sailors out who felt a little more like they were in the boat rather than sitting on top of it. Installing netting is a straightforward job but it does really require two sets of hands, you can do it on your own but it takes much longer and is easy to tangle everything up, get frustrated and generally make a mess of it. Netting comes either in a roll or can be bought by the foot, measure carefully because it is easy to buy too much as netting stretches a good amount. Know the length between the pushpit and the pulpit by measuring along the top guard rail wire and have this in your back pocket when you go to buy.
It may seem like stating the obvious but it is pointless spending time rigging netting unless your guard rails and stanchions are in tip top condition. Check them and tighten any wires that are loose and consider replacing any swaged fittings that are bent, cracked or at all suspect.
On the face of it plastic cable ties would appear to be the perfect product for attaching the netting to the boat but bear in mind that they are degraded by UV which tends to make them brittle and fail. Periodically check them by giving one or two a good tug, if they break easily replace them. I prefer whipping to cable ties as they are kinder to bare feet and hands and can be cut easily in an emergency with a knife but it is all down to personal preference.
One final word and that is that the netting like anything else on the boat will require some maintenance, not a lot but at least give it a good visual check once or twice per season and remember that it could be you that it prevents from going over the side.
This is a simple project but take time and do it well as a badly executed job looks untidy and can spoil the lines of the boat. It quite likely that you will have all the tools to hand on the boat already. But you will need the following:
Wire cutters
Cable (zip) ties
Tape measure
Netting
1/8th Dacron line
Sharp knife
With a tape measure check the length of the guardrails or other area that you wish to enclose with netting. On the average yacht the netting will run uninterrupted from bow to stern but if you have a motor sailor or other boat that has a break at the poop then you may wish to enclose just the cockpit area. Carefully check the condition and tension of the lifelines and tighten up any that are slack. Don’t forget to replace or renew split rings once the tension is correct.
Netting is very stretchy and it is very easy to get frustrated with the project and make a mess of the whole thing. You might find that you have to adjust it later but attach one end to either the bow or stern uprights with a few cable ties.
Roll out the netting and attach it at the other end, loosely taping or cable tying it to the toe rail and upper lifeline every foot or two. If you have gates don’t worry about these at this time we can come back to those later. It is possible to do this yourself but there is less frustration if you can get someone to help. If you think that the netting is not tight enough then it probably isn’t and it should be tighter, remember someone may fall against this and although you want some give you don’t want them to get caught up in it.
If you use plastic cable ties make sure to clip off the ends with a pair of side cutters or pliers. Personally when I rig netting I like to use some thin dacron line and whip it around as shown in this picture where the netting attaches to the stanchion. You can use the same technique to clip the netting to the lifelines.
The completed job, notice how on this boat with the almost universal perforated toe rail the rope is rove around and around, this is great way of attaching the bottom of the net but be neat and keep everything tight.
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