Good solutions for netting lashings?

[Andy Best-Dunkley]

I would like to hear how others solve the problem of fixing their netting securely, tight, but in a way that it is possible to get the whole net off easily for washing! I've threaded plastic covered stainless wire through the outmost eyes of the net, and then threaded the wire through dead eyes that are securely fixed to hulls and beams. After this there is additional whipping around the wire and net! Of course it is not really very exciting to think about taking this lot off and putting it on again each year, but due to long winter layup here in Finland, the net is getting stained so I'd like to be able to wash it.

I am sure some of you must have very handy solutions to this problem - please share! See my solution in the attached photos.

Thanks - Andy

[Maxim Jurgens]

I'd double the nr of eyes by placing an extra one between each existing one. Remove the steel wire and instead thread a fibre glass batten ( we use 8mm thick fibreglass mainsail batten material ) through the eyes on the edges of the net . Lash the batten onto each of the ss eyes . On the corners, where the battens meet, you drill the battens and but a 4mm bit of rope through them so they do not move relaltive to each other. When you remove the net you only have to cut or remove the lashings from the ss eyes to the battens . You can then remove the net including the battens as one piece.  

Maxim Jurgens 

Siam Sailing, Thailand

 

[Robert Hughes]

I take a similar approach to Maxim, but using black PVC electrical conduit, about 20mm diameter, instead of fibreglass batten.  It's very smooth and slippery, so you don't get any chafe.

[Andy Best-Dunkley]

Thanks Maxim and Robert - I don't think the batten system would work for me as the netting is not in a flat plane. Is the electrical conduit round or rectangular in profile? It seems to have a bit the same problem as the battens (for my boat)? Thanks for the ideas though!

[Maxim Jurgens]

Batttens and conduit are flexible, so can to  large degree be persuaded to take the desired shape. 
Andy Best-Dunkley said:

Thanks Maxim and Robert - I don't think the batten system would work for me as the netting is not in a flat plane. Is the electrical conduit round or rectangular in profile? It seems to have a bit the same problem as the battens (for my boat)? Thanks for the ideas though!

[Robert Sheridan]

We have used battens, conduit and just a  bolt rope and all have work well.  One advantage of a batten is that if you wrap the netting round a beam (fore or aft, you can thread it though to lock it rather than using a lashing.  We have used battens at bow and stern end of the netting and a bolt rope on either side (but this may be because we ran out of batten).

We tension if fore and aft first after that what we do differently to you on the sides is to initially tighten the netting with temporary lines / the bolt ropes and then weave a long line between the batten/conduit/bolt rope and the fixing points on the hull (in our case holes in a hardwood strip)  hauling on it as we go.  The batten/conduit/bolt rope are not secured to the netting (this where using a batten or conduit comes in as with a bolt rope you have to secure it at either having got it as tight as possible).  Photo attached. 
This technique means you can reduce the gap between netting and hull to almost nothing.