Spectra Splice for Floatline

[zootielolo]

How do most people splice the spectra in their floatline? I have currently seen two types of spectra splices. Since I don't know the names I will just post links to them:

Splice 1:

splicing spectra, denema, or other loose braided cords - YouTube

Splice 2:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Spectra-Loop-Splice/

What are the advantages of each? Also, how do most people secure their splice; whipping? lock stitch? some method i am unfamiliar with? The guy in the first video uses some method which looks appealing but I cant figure out what he is doing.

['o Cino]

I use a fingertrap method, minimum 6" internal run. Unlike the first vid, the spectra is guided perpendicularly through the body of the cord to make the loop first...then, you run the fid up and poke it out just under the line that goes through the body, pulling this tail through. It's a subtle bend, and can be dotted with a bit of Superglued if desired. The biggest trick is not fuzzing out the cord with the running of the fid or tail. That means taking care to seperate the fiber groups as you work the line.

Anytime you put a severe bend in Spectra/Dyneema/Vectran, it reduces the tensile strength by as much as 50%. Destructive testing done years ago, and a simple overhand had drastic effects, whereas a clove hitch was near full strength.

Good luck with your build.

[Paul Benson]

That first video was pretty slick, what did he mean by music wire?

[Bill McIntyre]

The first video was the way I splice a loop of Spectra for a slip tip, except I skip that last step.

[zootielolo]

Thanks for the responses O'Cino and Bill. After reading more about the issue, I figured I would post what I found out about splicing. Basically, there are three main splice types for spectra.

Tuck Splice
The splice in the first video (before his trick) is a simple bury or tuck eye splice. This type of splice is supposed to be the strongest type of splice, with a holding power of 90 to 100 percent of the ropes strength. The problem with this splice is the tail is prone to slipping out when untensioned or if under a jerky load and generally requires a longer tail tuck. The way to negate this is to lock stitch and whip the slice, which should eliminate this issue.

Stitch Splice:
This is the spice I believe you use O'Cino. I could not find anything out about its holding strength relative to the rope strength, but a guide to making one is located at:
http://www.neropes.com/Splicing%20Guide%20Individual%20Splices/SINGLE%20BRAID_EYE_SPLICE_LOCK%20_STITCH.pdf

Brummel Splice:
Benefit of this type of splice retains 80-90 percent of the ropes rated strength, requires a shorter tail (still recommended to be 72 times the diameter of the rope), and does not require lock stitching or whipping. Posts on sailing forums suggested that the Brummel splice was stronger than the stitch splice. Instructions on how to make it are located here:
http://l-36.com/brummel2.php

Also, it was mentioned on several sites that failing to taper the tucked tail will weaken the splice, but it looks like too much of a pain in the ass to do with something like 7/64 amsteel blue spectra.

I think I will likely go with the Brummel Splice, as I just tried to make one and its seems easy enough.

[zootielolo]

That first video was pretty slick, what did he mean by music wire?

I'm not sure, I was going to order some, but ended up going down to home depot and buying the thinnest wire they had. 100 feet of it was 3 bucks, used primarily for hanging photos and the like.

[Bill McIntyre]

For what its worth, here is a thread I created on splicing Spectra for a slip tip. You can see that its the same method used in the first video.

http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=112680&highlight=slip+tip+spectra