Class 1 3-strand ropes are made from any or all of the following fibers: Olefin, Polyester, Nylon

Although the 3-strand splice is the most common splice, and simple to perform, technique is important to preserve splice strength. Take care that the tucks lie neatly; rope strength can be lost if the strands are twisted incorrectly.

Tools Required: Fid; tape or whipping twine; marking pen, scissors or a sharp knife; hot knife or heat source; ruler.

Getting Started: From one end of the rope, count back 16 crowns. Tape this section. unlay the rope up to the tape then tape the end of each strand. Form the eye and tape the standing part of the rope. To avoid a twist in the eye of the finished splice, untwist the rope one-half turn between the pieces of tape.

STEP 1 ... TUCKING THE FIRST STRAND

With a fid or your finger, raise a strand just below the tape on the standing part of the rope and insert the middle working strand under the fid and pull the strand through. Mark the first tucked strand with a single hash mark; numbering the working strands will help you keep track of the tucking process.

STEP 2 ... TUCKING THE SECOND STRAND

Using the fid to separate strands, tuck the next working strand over the strand you just tucked under and under the strand just below it. Mark this strand with a double hash mark.

STEP 3 ... TUCKING THE THIRD STRAND

Turn the entire piece over. There is one working strand left to tuck and there is one strand left in the standing part of the rope that does not have a working strand under it. Insert the fid to separate the strands and make this tuck, continuing to work counter to the lay or twist of the rope. Mark this strand with a triple hash mark.

The first round of tucks is complete. Tighten if necessary by pulling on the strand ends.

When you tuck, take care to use all three strands in each round and that you tuck under a strand in the standing part of the rope and not under one of your working strands.

STEP 4 ... FINISHING THE SPLICE

Perform four more complete tucks. Tighten tucks if necessary. Both the front and the back of the splice should resemble the illustrations shown.