How to Splice a Line

Splicing is the means of putting two pieces of braided or twisted rope together to form one line. A valuable and somewhat necessary skill in boating, you can purchase spliced lines, but knowing how to do it yourself saves you money and can come in handy in a pinch. Splicing your own lines also allows you to control the length of the line and adjust the loop size, whether it be for the dock lines or an anchor. Learning to splice is a basic skill that takes just a bit of time and practice to master.

Things You'll Need

  • 3-strand boat line
  • Knife
  • Lighter
  • Masking tape
  • Waxed sailor's twine (optional)
  • Flat-head screwdriver or spike (optional)
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Heat the knife with the lighter to cut the line and melt the fibers so they don't ravel. Cut through the rope with the hot knife, creating the length you need, including the loop.

    • 2

      Unravel the strands of the 3-strand rope about 8 to 10 turns. Begin by untwisting one strand. Wrap a piece of tape around the rope at the base where the strand is unwound. Untwist the other two strands.

    • 3

      Tape or whip the ends of the three strands. Tape by wrapping a piece of 1-inch masking tape twice around the end of the strand, making it even with the end. Pinch the rope and tape together to seal. Whip the ends by laying the end of a piece of waxed sailor's twine against the strand, from the end to about 1-inch up the rope. Begin twisting the twine around the strand tightly, forming loops laid very tightly together, over top of the end strand. Form two loose loops when you get to the bottom. Cut the twine, slide the top end down through the loose loop and tighten it off. Tie it with the other end still hanging out, and cut the excess off. Do this for each strand.

    • 4

      Form a loop in the strand the size you want your eye to be. The base of the loop is where your tape ends at the untwisted strands, so place this along the main line at the point you want the loop to be.

    • 5

      Lay the unwound strands over the solid strand, placing the center strand straight along the top of the solid strand facing away from you. Fan the right strand out to the right of the main strand, and fan the left strand out to the left.

    • 6

      Make the first tuck. The first tuck is always the center strand. Lift a strand on the main line of the rope and tuck the center strand beneath it, pulling it down so the entire strand is pulled through to the base of the eye. For heavy, thick or stiff lines you may need a tool like a spike or flat-head screwdriver to lift the strand on the standing rope (main line).

    • 7

      Tuck the left strand beneath the standing line strand just above the one you tucked the center strand beneath, and pull taut. Now take the right strand and tuck it. This strand goes to the main line strand below the center strand. The sequence will be center, above, then below. This repeats the entire splice.

    • 8

      Take the center strand and run it over the strand on the main line just above the one it went beneath, then below the next one. The method is leap frogging, under one, over the next, then under the one after. Turn the rope one-quarter turn clockwise after each tuck to help the spacing. Do the strand tucks in turn: center, left, right.

    • 9

      Tuck each strand six times. Pull the strands taut. Lay the line on a flat surface and roll it back and forth to even out the tucks, then pull taut again. Roll again until you have a good snug fit. Hook the eye over something and pull it tight so there is tension on the rope. Cut the tails of the strands even with the line. Use the lighter to gently melt the loose ends to seal them.