Rescue Throw Rope for Iceboating


by Bob Dill DN 3904 - April 1987


A rope is a most useful rescue tool for extricating people and their boats from holes in the ice. Mainsheets are fine if you happen to have your boat with you and you don't need more than 25 feet of rope. An alternative is a weighted rescue throw bag stuffed with 100 feet of 3/16 polyester line. The bag can be Velcroed into the front of your cockpit or carried on your belt when you walk or skate on the ice. The bag can be deployed very quickly and thrown its full length with little risk of the rope becoming tangled. It can also be rethrown quickly. The bag is about 4" in diameter, 10" long, weighs 2 lbs. and is easy to make.

3/16" polyester rope was chosen because it is compact, strong and doesn't stretch much. We have used both fuzzy and smooth sheath ropes. The fuzzy is a little easier to hold on to. To pull the rope harder wrap it around your hips or put a loop in it. The rope won't get excessively stiff when it gets wet and freezes if it is kept moving. The rope is strongly attached to the bean bag and the main bag as this is what the victim will usually hold onto. A 6 loot circumference loop is tied 3 feet from the bag end of the rope which can be put under a victims shoulders if his hands are too cold to hang onto the bag. The bag is packed by stuffing short lengths of rope into the bag. If you coil the rope before putting it into the bag it will probably tangle. Throwing the bag accurately requires a little practice. For long throws use the lanyard. Rethrows are made by piling the rope at your feet and throwing the weighted bag. It is easier to throw the bag across clear ice than to throw it through the air.

Multiple bags can be tied together to string out a long safety line. The rope can also be used to belay people working at the edge of the ice. Having multiple ropes makes the prospect of going in after a helpless victim less risky. 3/16 line is marginal for this; if you do this, at least 2 belay ropes should be on the rescuer. Several people have started wearing a thin farmer john wet suit in marginal ice conditions. I know from personal experience that this makes going in much less life threatening.

The bag can be made with the following pattern in an hour or less. The tips assume some familiarity with sewing simple ags. Some steps have been left out because they are obvious. Don't forget to sew the bottom and side seams with the bag inside out.

The bag is made with strong cloth and 40" of 1" webbing. I use #69 polyester thread (10 lb strength). If you use polyester dress making thread (3 lb.) put in extra stitching. All seams are double stitched butt seams with 1/2" seam allowance. Hotcut, fuse or zig-zag all edges. Main Bag: mark Velcro and webbing locations. Stitch on Velcro. Hem the top. Stitch bottom seam. Stitch webbing across bottom seam - it should butt against the end of the 1" Velcro hook. Stitch webbing on side. Stitch side seam. Melt two 1/4" holes 1" apart through the webbing and bottom of the bag. Bean Bag: Tie 12 oz. (2 and 2/3 cups) of plastic pellets (polypropylene or polyethylene preferred) inside a plastic bag. Stitch on patches (2 edges only). Stitch bottom and side. Sew top about 1/3 of the way on. Put in plastic bag. Stitch top the rest of the way on. An easier but slower alternative: forget the plastic bag. Pour pellets into almost completed bag with a funnel.

The bag is strung by tying a figure eight knot about 2 feet from the end. String through one bean bag side patch then the main bag bottom. Tie two overhand knots outside the main bag. Go back up through the other bottom hole and bean bag patch. Retie the rope through the figure eight to make a loop. Adjust all the knots so the loop is snug and there is a small loop outside the main bag between the overhand knots. Tie the rescue loop 3 feet from the bag (butterfly knot preferred). Tie a figure 8 hand loop at the other end. If you have questions, study the drawings carefully. If all else fails, call me at (802) 863-3208. If you can't find materials give me a call. If you would like someone else to do the work for you contact:

Bill Withum
Burlington Sailmakers
33 North Avenue
Burlington, Vermont 05401.

He estimates he can make them for about ;20 (with rope).

Make one for a friend so he can fish you out.


Rescue Throw Bag Update

by Bob Dill - January 1991

These bags have proven their worth in several rescues over the past few years. Like most safety equipment, the biggest problem is convincing people to keep it with them all the time so they have one when they need it.

See also Long Rescue Rope. A long rope is a real asset in any rescue where the victim is well out on thin/weak ice.

Making these bags is easy. If you want to buy them, ask your sail maker. Bill Withum, is no longer in the business.


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updated September 10, 2000