Short splice

A short splice in progress.

Makes a secure join between two pieces of stranded rope.

Method

1. Tape the rope.
2. Unravel enough for about 5 tucks.
3. Push the ends into each other and tape the middle.
4. Make the first complete set of tucks, and then another.
5. Repeat this using the other end.
6. Remove the tapes, tighten, and complete the remaining tucks.

Natural fibres hold well with three tucks each side. Modern synthetic materials tend to be slippery and a minimum of five complete "tucks" is recommended.

Pros and Cons

The Short Splice makes a secure join between two lengths of three-strand rope. This is entirely satisfactory for some purposes, e.g., making a longer tow rope or dinghy painter. However, the Short Splice is useless for any running rigging because the splice will be too fat to pass through any blocks.

See also

• Eye Splice & Short Splice (PDF)