What is a deck-quoit?

A deck-quoit is a ring made of rope, used in seafaring times to keep sailors from boredom during long voyages. The quoits are used to throw over rods or poles, or alternatively can be used for deck-tennis over a piece of net.

Materials needed

• One piece of three-stranded* rope, long enough to go round the circumference of the proposed ring three times.
• Means of stopping the ends of the strands unravelling, either a lighter for synthetic rope, or some whipping twine and a knowledge of whipping for natural rope.

How to make them

First:

Unlay a small amount of both ends of the rope and whip or seal each end of each strand individually (6 whippings in total). These must be good whippings as the ends will need to passed through many times.

For each strand:

1. Take one end of the strand and move it along the strand until you have a ring of the required size.
2. Working from the point where the end touches the strand, wind the other end around the ring, re-laying the rope.
3. Keep going until the entire ring has been re-layed twice, so it is now a three-stranded complete ring. The ends should be close together. Tuck them under so that they do not show.

When you've done all that...

You should now have three beautiful deck-quoits. If they haven't come out exactly right the first time, try again - it improves with practise. Made with natural fibre rope, these look very attractive, and don't cost much if lost overboard...