Pointing a rope is done partly to prevent it from untwisting, and partly to make it go more readily through a block or hole. Fig. 139 shows one method. The rope is unlaid for the necessary length, the strands reduced gradually, and then laid up again. The ends are finally whipped with small twine. If necessary the end is stiffened by inserting a piece of stick. Sometimes a “becket”—that is, a piece of small line with an eye at the end—is put into the end and whipped over to secure it, as in Fig. 139. Fig. 140 gives a more elaborate method. The rope is first unlaid, and a stop put on it where the unlaid part begins. As many yarns as are required are taken out and made into nettles by twisting together the two halves of different yarns. The remainder of the yarns is scraped down taper with a knife. Half of the nettles is turned back on the standing part of the rope, and the other half allowed to lie on the scraped part. Two or three turns of twine are hitched round the division of the two sets of strands, and the nettles laid backwards and forwards, the weft being passed each time, as described in making the fender (Fig. 134). The end usually is whipped and a seizing put on the upper part, which is snaked, as illustrated, by passing twine diagonally under and over the outer turns of the seizing alternately—that is, if it comes out over the upper turn, it will go under the bottom one, under the top, and so on until it is finished.
Fig. 141 is part of a mainstay. An eye is first made in the end, and a mouse the shape of a pear raised on the rope with spun yarn. Each turn of the yarn is hove well taut with a large serving-mallet, and beaten close. The eye and the rope as far as the mouse are wormed, parcelled, and served over; the mouse and the part below it (the tail) are parcelled with worn canvas, well tarred, and pointed over or grafted with small stuff. The mouse is covered with nettles, and their number diminished as they are worked into the smaller parts. Below the pointing it is again served over.
Fig. 141.—Mainstay.
Shear-legs are fastened together as indicated in Fig. 142. They are first laid side by side, and a lashing of rope put round them. The ends of the lashing are carried one up and the other down to form a cross lashing, and are knotted in the middle. This is called a Portuguese knot. When the legs are separated, the knot becomes very secure.
A neat pair of yoke lines is made and fitted in the following manner. The length of the lines depends upon the distance of the yoke from the after seat; that distance added to 3 ft. will give a good length for each line. Supposing the top of the back-board to be 3 ft. from the yoke, two-and-a-half fathoms of white cotton rope will be necessary, the extra half fathom being allowed for knotting, etc. Cut this in two equal lengths; take one of these and “stop” with a few turns of twine at 14 in. from one end and 6 in. from the other, which will leave 70 in. between the stops or whippings. Now unlay the longer end and whip each strand close to the end, leaving a few inches of spare twine on each, which will be useful when finishing the manrope knot.
Fig. 142.—Shear-legs.
Fig. 143.—Wall Knot.