Bolt Snap cave live

[Yoyoguy]

Hey all,
Couple questions. From what I read I want #24 cave line to tie my bolt snaps. These will be regulator bolt snaps, flashlight bolt snaps and gauge bolt snaps. I am in the U.S. and looking to find where I can buy this without breaking the bank. Everywhere online I see hundreds of feet for like 40 bucks. I will likely only need a couple yards or so. Also, is it called #24 here as well or is this comparable to say 3/32 line? I found some military grade "polyester" 3/32 line for cheap but not sure if this is durable or even used in dive applications. Thanks everyone.

 

[tomfcrist]

3/32 line will work just fine. The reason people use #24 line is that it is commonly available by stripping a little bit off the reel that they already have available.

 

[victorzamora]

I have also used the guts out of 550-cord (paracord) before. Take a section about 2ft long and pull all the insides out of it. That will give you 9(?) sections of line that will work well enough.

 

[gearhound]

Most just use the extra line that you pull off of their spools or reels. But you can just go to your local hardware store and buy some masons line. It's usually pretty cheap, and you can get it in different colours if you want.

 

[tbone1004]

what gearhound said. There's nothing "special" about cave line, it is literally just standard braided nylon line. I prefer #18 for bolt snaps because it ties in smaller knots and is easier to work with, but you can use whatever you want. Remember, #18 still has 150+lb tensile strength, so even if you are cutting that in half with a knot, one loop will hold easily 150lbs which is far more than you'll ever put on there. Yes, this means one loop of #18 cave line can pick up a set of doubles without breaking.... #24 is used in some of the higher flow caves and wrecks because there's more of it so it has slightly better abrasion resistance, but the tensile strength is not a concern. Use what you have, or can get for cheap.

When you're shopping, just make sure it is braided not twisted.
MARSHALLTOWN The Premier Line ML340 Mason's Line 500-Foot Fluorescent Pink Braided Nylon - Masonry String Lines - Amazon.com
$9 to last you basically forever and you'll always know your gear...
MARSHALLTOWN The Premier Line ML338 Mason's Line 500-Foot Fluorescent Orange Braided Nylon - Masonry String Lines - Amazon.com
that is normal price for this stuff, but that's fluorescent orange, and they also have yellow and all sorts of fun colors if you want to give yourself an extra ID advantage.

 

[paulw]

Get a finger spool and cut a little line off then use the spool for a SMB .

Finger Spool 75' Line Cave Tech Scuba | eBay

 

[gbf]

Get a finger spool and cut a little line off then use the spool for a SMB .

Finger Spool 75' Line Cave Tech Scuba | eBay

Where I get mine.

And while we're on the subject of spools, when you get ready to clip yours...

This:


Not This:

 

[Lorenzoid]

If you buy a bunch of bolt snaps or other stuff, you could ask the seller if they would kindly throw in a few feet of line. They just might oblige.

Is $30 for 840 feet (256 m) "breaking the bank"? https://www.divegearexpress.com/dive-rite-nylon-braided-line-white

---------- Post added June 8th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ----------

Ah, never mind what I said. It seems that buying a cheap spool that's pre-loaded with the line you want is the most economical way to go.

 

[Tug]

If you need anything from Dive Gear Express, you can get a few feet of cave line for free with an order.

https://www.divegearexpress.com/library/articles/attach-boltsnap