Rope size and Garmin Plotter

[STELLA L]

Purchased our 25SC in February and have read the TUGNUTS web site almost every day since. Lots of challenges and questions that I am glad are answered and discussed here. Some seem rather complex but there always seems to be someone who has faced the same situation and can assist or refer. Lately I have had one "big" situation (at least for me) and one I am sure will be an easy solution.

Easy one first - what size line is the minimum for tieing off for the rear shore line when anchored? I have heard 3/8th. But..........can I go smaller w/o negative results? Just looking at using the smallest spool for storage when not in use.

2nd question - Since my auto pilot at slower speeds was wandering from 10 to 2 and 2 to 10 and so forth I was told to do the recalibration set-up before I look any farther. I did the at-the-dock calibration but when I went to do the other calibration (in transit as stated in the book) my plotter alarm went off stating something to the effect that it could not read the RPM. Have tried several times to do the dock recalibration again but cannot finish because the alarm keeps blaring before I finish. :shock: Going to Lk Chealn to camp on the boat and fish and test all systems. If possible would like to use the auto pilot.

 

[baz]

Stern tie:

1) I have 350-400-feet of 3/8" line (ensure it's floatable). I would think any size from 1/4" to 3/8" is sufficient. By having 350-400 feet more than likely you can run the stern line to shore and back so you have double the strength to feel more comfortable, plus doing it this way allows you to untie the boat end and simply retrieve the line from the boat when casting off. My 3/8" line spools easily onto a regular home plastic hose reel with maybe 15 feet left. I attach the hose reel lying flat down on the swim step and have it so it plays out the line as I make my way to shore in the dinghy and it can easily be wound back later.

2) My advice is to get a colorful line so other boaters can see it. I've seen stern tie lines that are black and in twilight conditions are almost impossible to see. I almost ran through a sailboat's stern tie because I did not see it.

Auto pilot at lower speeds:

1) It's not unusual for the boat to wander as you've described if there's a strong wind on your beam or if there's a cross current or even large rip tides and swirls. If you think it's excessive then chat with Andrew/Kenny, and also ask about the Chart Plotter alarm sounding. I have no explanation or how to get rid of the alarm issue as I've not come across it. There's a recent post by HRowland at http://www.tugnuts.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3615 that provides very good details on how to perform the 'in transit' auto pilot calibration. Maybe this will help you.

Good luck and enjoy Lake Chelan... 🙂

 

[Sound Hound]

Polypropalene and hollow polypropylene are two different tensil strengths. 3/8 ths of regular polypropylene is probably sufficient for 25SC sizes. Yellow is visible and polypropylene floats.
http://www.bevisrope.com/rope-info/rope-characteristics

 

[Red Raven]

We use a 1/4 inch line for stern tie (R27). My thought is that if you have any significant wind you shouldn't be doing a stern tie. The forces are much greater on your anchor when you are stern tied if the winds change to abeam. A stern line should be used only in protected water with low winds to allow more boats to fit in an anchorage. A 1/4" stern line is very compact and does the job when it is appropriate. If the stern tie is at risk of breaking it is time to pull the stern tie and let the boat spin or get out of dodge. In that situation it will likely drag your anchor before he stern tie fails which isn't usually good.