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Best Ropes


cheshire~rose

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We need to invest in a new set of ropes for Python and I thought I would ask for some opinions from those of you here who have more knowledge about what the different types of rope are called. We do not have a chandlery near to us that I can go to fondle a selection of rope and when ordering the stuff online you can't tell what it feels like. 

We have some wonderful ropes we use on our boat which are lovely to handle and after the very harsh (and very tired) ropes we are currently using on Python they are a pleasure to handle but we do not leave them on the boat full time. We have a set of old ropes we tie the boat up with at her mooring and bring the "nice" ones inside, only using them when we cruise. They have been on the boat from new (I think that is 13 years this year) but only used for leisure. They are a natural material and when an end started to come un-spliced a couple of years ago I noticed the fibres are very soft and almost silky. I have a feeling they might have been quite expensive? . I suspect if they were used as permanent mooring lines they would have been long gone though and I need what we use on Python to be good value for money and last well even if used permanently and not taken inside. 

If folks can share their experiences of both good and bad please (so I know what to avoid!) 

Thank you

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If you want to keep to the comercial time period the lines were usually cotton  for mooring good but goes a bit harsh when it's been wet (the cheap at that time) cheerful stuff was a variation of Hemp rough & hard on the hands, a good type to use if you can source it is Used climbing rope more often than not 120 ft & you can get rid of the suspect bits ( nice to handle) ask at outdoor shops.

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I prefer modern polypropylene "hemp look alike". They do not absorb water like many ropes & float so are less likely to get around the prop. They do not seem to produce sharp shards like the old stuff used to. However they are not as strong as other types but I see that as an advantage because the one time a rope jammed in a lock (River Wey) the rope snapped before teh T stud came off or worse.

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I would have thought climbing rope was too stretchy for a narrowboat and I wonder if recognised shops are allowed to sell the used stuff these days?

I can't think of any natural rope fibre that would appear "silky" - apart from silk itself of course but I've never heard of silk ropes being used to tie up boats... 

IMHO there's no good reason for using natural fibres these days I'd just use 3 strand nylon which IMHO is better than polyester, the only good reason for polyprop is if you need the rope to float. 

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I have a set of 14mm synthetic hemp mooring lines from Tradline in Braunston. As they float I use centre lines that are long enough to reach beyond the stern as they are unlikely to end up round the prop and gives me plenty to have coiled on the cabin top. Checking their website they care currently on special offer and you get a soft shackle for attaching the centre line, although you probably don't need that on Python.

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Thanks everyone for their replies. I am so sorry I did not revisit this thread last night. I was in a meeting and did not get home until around 11:30pm and my head was spinning!

Our own ropes (the "silky" ones) are almost certainly cotton but there are all kinds of grades of cotton and these are lovely to handle.

While we want Python to look "right" we are not overly concerned with being 100% authentic, Python is a historic boat that still works and, being crewed by volunteers who may not have a great deal of boating experience we prefer to make life a bit easier (and safer) for them if possible. I am of the mind that if the boatmen of the past had access to things that made their lives a little easier then I am sure they would have adopted them. 

I will have a look at synthetic hemp thank you.

 

 

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P.S. 

Python does use centre lines. 

They were in use before we had the modifications done in the front of the hold when we could not access the bow of the boat. 

We do now have some access but centre lines are useful! 

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19 minutes ago, cheshire~rose said:

Thanks everyone for their replies. I am so sorry I did not revisit this thread last night. I was in a meeting and did not get home until around 11:30pm and my head was spinning!

Our own ropes (the "silky" ones) are almost certainly cotton but there are all kinds of grades of cotton and these are lovely to handle.

While we want Python to look "right" we are not overly concerned with being 100% authentic, Python is a historic boat that still works and, being crewed by volunteers who may not have a great deal of boating experience we prefer to make life a bit easier (and safer) for them if possible. I am of the mind that if the boatmen of the past had access to things that made their lives a little easier then I am sure they would have adopted them. 

I will have a look at synthetic hemp thank you.

 

 

Just my opinion but if I wanted "rope" coloured synthetic I would go for polyester over polyprop which I think is awful stuff and doesn't always stay fast anyway. Polyester is much nicer to handle.  You can get natural coloured 3 strand polyester but I haven't seen a nylon equivalent.  If you don't mind braided rope there's a lot more choice you see a lot more braided rope on narrowboats these days..

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13 hours ago, cheshire~rose said:

P.S. 

Python does use centre lines. 

They were in use before we had the modifications done in the front of the hold when we could not access the bow of the boat. 

We do now have some access but centre lines are useful! 

If your centre line is attached to the front of the cabin then, strictly, it is a 'back end line', which on a working boat would be attached to the back end rail, so called as it is at the back end of the hold.

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14 hours ago, David Mack said:

If your centre line is attached to the front of the cabin then, strictly, it is a 'back end line', which on a working boat would be attached to the back end rail, so called as it is at the back end of the hold.

Every day is a school day!

Would that fasten to the big metal loop on that rail so it could slide to whichever side it was required? 

We do not have that rail as Python has doors in that end of the cabin, We have a line each side that is fastened onto the upstand of the hand rail - at least we did have one each side until one got stolen some time back shortly before her bottom was condemned and we have not got around to doing anything about replacing it since because there have been far more pressing matters to deal with. Not for too much longer though!

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14 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Errr. lines, please!

As Richard pointed out ages ago, rope is what your lines are made from, innit.

Clearly written as someone who knows the ropes 

Thank you - I am still having to correct myself every time I refer to the roof cabin top so I have grave doubts about how long it will take me to replace the word "rope" with "line" in my vocabulary 

.... perhaps I need to write 100 lines until I get it right :rolleyes:

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