A Fistful of Splicing Fids

The stainless set from Selma combines elegant design with durability.

A common splicing technique starts with the cover going through the core, as shown at left. The core-to-core splice, which begins with the core going through the cover, achieves maximum strength in lines with Spectra, Vectran, or other low-stretch, high-strength fibers.

While pre-spliced lines are easy to come by these days through marine chandleries, riggers, or the major rope suppliers, the sailor’s art of splicing is far from obsolete. The near extinction of wire halyards means halyards on cruising boats will need to be respliced more frequently to prevent chafe. And for boats that roam widely, a skilled rigger isn’t always at hand when it’s time to swap the halyard end-for-end, or change the nip at the sheave. The skill is becoming even more essential today, as double-braid lines with high-tech fiber cores become more common on board. …