Ideas for marking spool line

[jagfish]

Hi
There might be some well-worn ideas out there for this already. I will want to use a spool for mapping a site. In marking out disances, I was thinking abouat how to mark teh line to know the distances.

I have heard aobu tknot before, but was wondering if that might hamper the spool's functioning (impede smooth deployment of line?). Plus what a pain to tie all those knots! I'd feel like Millie Vanillie (sp?).

I was also thinking that an appropriately indelible marker might be nice, if there is such a thing for braided nylon.

Also I was wondering about the system people use to demarcate the line for length. One dot for 10 feet, two dots for twenty, etc. might get kinda tough once you get out to 100 feet and 10 dots.

Or other ideas...

JAG

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Timely question ... I'm looking for similar suggestions. I've an AOW class going out to do some Search and Recovery dives next week, and I want to mark the reels they'll be using at 10-foot intervals.

I also thought of an indelible marker ... but the problem with that is if you stir up silt (likely for this type of operation), you'll be working by feel ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[fgray1]

You can buy Line arrows and write on them. They also have what's called a cookie. It's a line marker that's round. You can write on both with a pencil and then erase and reuse them later or with a marker and place at the right distance. Also if your mapping out a grid you can use them at intersections.
Place a knot every 10 ft and marker when ever you think you need one.
Fred

 

[Dan Gibson]

I did this once. I used different markings for 100s and 50. I believe it was a long black mark for one hundred followed by smaller marks for tens. I never had more than four short marks. The 50 ft mark had some unique marking. I can't remember, but I believe we used red for that mark. We were not going deep so there was no problem seeing the red. Eventually it will bleed some, so keep the marks far enough apart.

Example: 170' = 1 long black mark, 1 short red mark, followed by two short black marks.

I don't use that reel anymore. It was just for the DM mapping project. It worked fine for that project.

Hi
There might be some well-worn ideas out there for this already. I will want to use a spool for mapping a site. In marking out disances, I was thinking abouat how to mark teh line to know the distances.

I have heard aobu tknot before, but was wondering if that might hamper the spool's functioning (impede smooth deployment of line?). Plus what a pain to tie all those knots! I'd feel like Millie Vanillie (sp?).

I was also thinking that an appropriately indelible marker might be nice, if there is such a thing for braided nylon.

Also I was wondering about the system people use to demarcate the line for length. One dot for 10 feet, two dots for twenty, etc. might get kinda tough once you get out to 100 feet and 10 dots.

Or other ideas...

JAG

 

[Dan Gibson]

Arrows and cookies are a great idea if you leave the line in. If you have to reel it out and in very often, it might be a bit time consuming.

You can buy Line arrows and write on them. They also have what's called a cookie. It's a line marker that's round. You can write on both with a pencil and then erase and reuse them later or with a marker and place at the right distance. Also if your mapping out a grid you can use them at intersections.
Place a knot every 10 ft and marker when ever you think you need one.
Fred

 

[Jason B]

I will want to use a spool for mapping a site.

When I map a site, I take a slate down, draw a rough sketch, then use my compass to take headings to and from all major points of the site (jot these down on roughed out map). Once on land, a little trigonometry will map out a pretty acurate map. Sort of the same idea that a surveyor uses.

I've even done this in a low vis quarry by tying a line to a particular point and tying a float to the other end. Do this all around the site, then surface and take your compass headings from one float to the other. Once again, a little trig and you have a very acurate map (you can even compute the distances using trig). Works like a charm...done a few wrecks this way also.

After posting I got to thinking, I'm using more of a triangulation type approach. Though if you swim from one point to another while counting fin strokes you can use trig to figure it all out (you'll even know how many kicks it takes to get anywhere on the map). Or you could use your line and make just one distance measurment and calculate the others. Math can be a wonderful thing.

 

[Gary D.]

Try color coded fishing line. It comes in various sizes, weights and code combinations. As long as you remove it you can use it for years. It's not very expensive if you use mono. Braded lead is a little costly.

Gary D.

 

[IndigoBlue]

I did this once. I used different markings for 100s and 50. I believe it was a long black mark for one hundred followed by smaller marks for tens. I never had more than four short marks. The 50 ft mark had some unique marking. I can't remember, but I believe we used red for that mark. We were not going deep so there was no problem seeing the red. Eventually it will bleed some, so keep the marks far enough apart.

Example: 170' = 1 long black mark, 1 short red mark, followed by two short black marks.

I don't use that reel anymore. It was just for the DM mapping project. It worked fine for that project.

I dont believe color coding is a good idea, since colors vary with depth. You will end up with everything looking black eventually. So just stick with black from the start.

 

[MechDiver]

Buy a cloth surveyors tape and you don't have to worry about marking anything.

 

[FreeFloat]

I haven't tried it but it seems to me that using a small strip of duct tape at regular intervals would make a visible, and touch-able marking on the line while still allowing it to be reeled in in an emergency.

Then again, I'd likely just stick with the Magic Marker marks myself. Long and short marks are my choice too.