Best Stopper Knots for Team Supplied Knots

[s_forbes]

I've been thinking about this rope that we might have to make, and I'm a little perplexed that FIRST decided to go with a stopper knot instead of a looped end for holding the rope. I feel like we'll see a few robots yanking their rope out of the airship during the season because the stopper knot slipped through.

Still have no idea how to make a good stopper knot with a thin line. Nothing I'd want to hang a robot from, anyway.

[Oblarg]

We're simply using webbing and a water knot.

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Gary Bonner

I would never climb using a sailing rope.

Neither would I. The topic here is robots climbing, not humans.

When I said the team is practicing climbing, I meant getting the robot to attach to a ROPE (per the Game Manual) and ascend ~36".

Human climbers should be belayed with ropes that give, as you said.

[myedinak]

Is anyone considering using eye splices in the ends of the rope? Could an eye splice be used as the retention feature. It could go over the davet fingers and would not slip. I was also planning on putting an eye splice in the robot end of the rope since it would be the least amount of extra material and have the lowest profile when wrapping around the winch.

I am also perplexed why they chose to use a stopper know as the means of securing the line to the airship. These seam line the most likely to fail. Using a loop would be much more secure.

[Cothron Theiss]

Originally Posted by myedinak

Is anyone considering using eye splices in the ends of the rope? Could an eye splice be used as the retention feature. It could go over the davet fingers and would not slip. I was also planning on putting an eye splice in the robot end of the rope since it would be the least amount of extra material and have the lowest profile when wrapping around the winch.

I am also perplexed why they chose to use a stopper know as the means of securing the line to the airship. These seam line the most likely to fail. Using a loop would be much more secure.

Relevant Q&A response. Thankfully, this means that teams using very small diameters of rope can just completely ignore trying to use a stopper knot and just use a loop or a splice.

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Cothron Theiss

Relevant Q&A response. Thankfully, this means that teams using very small diameters of rope can just completely ignore trying to use a stopper knot and just use a loop or a splice.

Absolutely! We haven't stopped trying things, but we're currently looking at tying a bowline on a bight and passing one loop over each finger if we go with 3/8" round line. TBD if we do flat webbing.

[Ether]

Q: Since the splice is not a knot, per Q57, and the splice itself meets the specifications of a rope, is it ok that part of the splice extends more than 2” below the davit fingers?

A: Yes, per I04, part E as updated in Team Update 05 any retaining feature may extend up to 2 in. below the DAVIT fingers.

Yes what?

Yes the splice itself meets the definition of a rope.. and therefore it's OK that part of the splice extends more than 2” below the davit fingers?

or

Yes the splice is a retaining feature... and therefore is not allowed to extend more than 2” below the davit fingers?

[Cothron Theiss]

Originally Posted by Ether

Yes what?

Yes the splice itself meets the definition of a rope.. and therefore it's OK that part of the splice extends more than 2” below the davit fingers?

or

Yes the splice is a retaining feature... and therefore is not allowed to extend more than 2” below the davit fingers?

Hmm... the more I read that now, I think there was a mistake or a typo in the response to Q342. According to my interpretation of the rules and the updates and the relevant Q&A responses, since a splice is itself a rope from the definition of the rope, a splice can extend more than 2" from the bottom of the DAVITS fingers. However, as you noticed, the response states that:

any retaining feature may extend up to 2 in. below the DAVIT fingers.

However, in that same sentence, they reference I04:

be configured such that it engages securely with the FIELD. with a Retaining Feature (RF) that
does not extend more than 2 in. (~5 cm) below the DAVIT fingers.

Am I just misreading something, or is the response to Q342 contain a typo?

And thanks for pointing that out, Ether!