# Lifeline netting and bow pulpit



## jameswilson29

I am trying to figure out where to put 40' of lifeline netting on a 28' boat.

There are gates in the lifeline adjoining the cockpit, plus we board in that area, so I have decided not to run netting around the cockpit and stern pulpit area.

Is it possible/desirable to go outside the bow pulpit or did your netting terminate at the last stanchion post before the pulpit or at the pulpit itself?

My concerns are maintaining access to the mooring cleats and handling the anchor line and anchor.

Is there a risk of a child going overboard in the bow pulpit area?

(FYI: my son wore a PFD last year and never left the cockpit area. Now that he is running around (18 mos.), he will be in a harness and a PFD. I also have a GSD with a talent for falling overboard.)


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## christyleigh

My netting only goes from the middle lifeline to the deck to keep the non-swimming Pug on board but it may give you some ideas -










The netting goes completely around the boat including the gate areas. I wire/zip tied the line that weaves through the bottom of the net to the bottom of the stanchions. For dock line access I bunched up the line and net a bit and wire tied it to lift it up a bit at those points.


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## Blissopia

Christyleigh what type of line did you use on the bottom of the net?
The black net looks good. I can't decide whether to go with black or white.


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## kwaltersmi

Our "netting" goes from the middle stanchion to the base of the pulpit. I'm guessing netting around the pulpit may interfere with docklines and anchoring, but maybe not.

You'll also notice that we just use some thin line/cord for the "netting" because I couldn't get netting to fit the way I wanted. The cord, while not as secure as netting, works well enough at stopping kids and dogs from falling through.

Good job going for the harness! Our kids are only allowed on deck in good conditions with life jackets and harness/tethers.

You can see (sort of) our set-up in this photo:


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## christyleigh

Blissopia said:


> Christyleigh what type of line did you use on the bottom of the net?


 I don't remember. It may have even been Clothesline from Home Depot. This was mostly just as a deterrent for a 20 lb Pug - Not a Child.


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## IslanderGuy

We run our netting all the way around, except not around the stern pushpit anymore as the girls are old enough to not fall through the rails there now. 

For the lifeline gate, I tied a line at deck level between the stern rail and the forward stanchion (I am lucky enough to have little loops or eyes in the stanchion bases to tie to) and laced the lower line and the life line through the netting. At the stanchion where the gate latches, I just ran a bungee from the base, through the end of the netting, and clip the top on the forward side of the stanchion. To open the gate, just undo the bungee, open the gate and lay it down. You can't fold it back out of the way, but you can lay it down on the side deck. I had originally planned a fancy netting gate with a solid rod in the end of the netting, but never got around to it. 

At the bow, I don't cover the very front of the pullpit as we need access to the anchor, but when the kids where littler, I left an extra bit of netting one one side, so I could easily pull it over and tie it up over the opening if the kids wanted to play around on the foredeck. (not while sailing of course.)

And yes, they also wear life jackets at all times on deck, but I figured a little extra effort to avoid a wet, soggy afternoon was worth it.


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