For the record, I will be the first to admit that a professionally executed reverse-tuck Class 1 eye splice on modern braided line adds an air of proficiency and seamanship to any boat. When I see a boat with braided line eye splices, I am more impressed than any amount of brightwork or varnish.
The finished art (and I use that term “art” deliberately) is what everyone notices. What nobody sees, though, is how the actual splice is concocted. (I use the term “concocted” deliberately as well.) Nor do they see you soaking your hands in hot water for 10 minutes Afterward to reduce the pain and swelling from pulling and pushing the rope strands through one another!
The first reverse-tuck splice I ever tried took all day and used up 10ft of expensive double-braid. Even then, I didn’t want to show it to anybody. With practice, I’ve managed to do a few that are more professional-looking. But I’ve always needed an instruction sheet to remind me which bit of rope is trimmed here, and which bit goes there. To say it’s a complicated procedure is an understatement, a bit like “some assembly needed” on the
