Deck rails

I'm looking for the pvc coated nylon guard lines they often use on sailboat deck rails.
I remember using them many years ago, it was an outer pvc casing and inside multiple fine strands of nylon i think. The end fittings had a bullet shape cone inside which locked the nylon when pvc was stripped back.
I cant for the life of me remember what the pvc coated nylon was called nor the end fittings, can anyone please enlighten me ?

 

Are you talking about extruded rub rails and their ends? Post a photo so we can tell what product you're looking for.

 

Or maybe the plough steel wire coated variety? Not forgetting the old zinc plated (core) stuff used to rust to pieces under the dipped coating.... do NOT use that type as it is dangerous, period.

 

Sorry dont have any photo's..it was used through the stanchions on deck.
It has a pvc coating that you cut off for the fitting, inside were hundreds of fine strands which you spread out and an aluminium bullet put into center which you hit into the outer case to lock the strands then screw on end of fitting. See sketch

 

Some racing regulations don't allow coated wire here(Australia), it can have a plastic sleeve preferably clear. Not sure about other countries. Think it came about post 98 Sydney to Hobart or around then.
The thing is that the coated wire precludes inspection & can become a very unfavorable environment for "stainless" wire.... of course you wont know it's buggered till it's needed to hold some one on board & of course the wire diameter dosen't represent as the actual wire size enabled by the stanchions etc.

Jeff

 

He's talking about lifelines.

 

No not lifelines...they were just threaded through the stanchion posts around the side deck, where most have S/S rails. Pinned at one end forward and cord tightened at the other aft...linking pulpit and pushpit.

 

There are a number of brands for mechanical wire rope fittings: Electroline, Esmet, GSProducts, Norseman, Sta-Lok, etc.

Vinyl coated wire isn't generally recommended except in life lines, because of it's construction. Typically vinyl (or PVC) coated wire is a lower grade and not strand polished, plus often isn't the appropriate construction. The most common vinyl coated wire is 1x19 or 7x7 and I've never seen anything other than 304.

Steve, if the wire was run through stanchion posts, then it was a life line. This is one of the very rare occasions that Jammer has been correct. This is also one of the few locations you'll see coated wire on a yacht. Steering units often use it, though it's about a 50/50 split on stainless or galvanized wire, in this application.

A typical example of coated (PVC) wire, for life lines, in this case with mechanically clamped pelican hooks.



It's fairly uncommon to see mechanical fittings on this type of line, though it's possible to do, it's not cost effective, considering the strength and durability of a life line. These mechanical fitting are bigger and much more costly than the other attachment and connection options available.

This is the typical coated wire, life line with a crimped (swaged) terminal threaded into a pelican hook.



Same thing except with Sta-Lok (style) mechanical terminals, threaded into pelican hooks.

 

Ok thanks for the info, but they were not wire that we used they were nylon.
This was many years ago so maybe no longer available however they worked very well.

 

They do make fittings designed to have line (regardless of material) spliced around them, but I've never seen a mechanical fitting that crimped or other wise clamped the line.