Rope

[DHutch]

Wheni was long lining Azalia and Ilford i couldnt help but notice the line roger had bought.

- It was a dirty brown colour, three stranded, and about 15mm diameter, soft but firm, and floating.

 

I know people have been ranting about decent staplespun polyprop on her for quite a while. But this was the first time ive actaully seen any, and it was very nice. Apprently swindelers have it for quite a good price. For a roll anyway.

 

 

Daniel

[Chris Pink]

]

I picked up a 90m reel of 20mm polyester octoplat (eight braid) for £200 from a chandlery in Liverpool a couple of years ago. I've used it for everything - mooring, centreropes and anchor lines. It's not cheap but £2.20/m isn't too bad for this type of rope. The advantage of octoplat over triple strand is that it doesn't kink no matter which way you twist it. The disadvantage is that nobody seems to know how to splice it. Also I have the feeling that my octoplat doesn't have particularly good abrasion resistance as I've already lost a strand on a mooring rope - or perhaps that's down to my own stupidity for leaving it across the corner of my gas locker lid where it's been chafing.

 

Just saw this, did you ever learn how to splice it?

 

I bought some 4 strand a few years back and the guy who sold it showed me how, and the basic principle is that you are trying to get each strand in the standing part with one strand from the unpicked part laid under. I found it easier than 3 strand (which is the same principle) because it was easier to confuse 3 strands than 4 so i would hazard that once you'd grasped the principles 8 strand would make good splices.

 

(Can i have another topic on what the parts of a splice are called please?)

[WotEver]

Just saw this, did you ever learn how to splice it?

If it's the plaited variety it's spliced exactly the same as 4 strand - you just keep the pairs together.

 

Let me Google that for you ;-)

[Trafalgar Marine]

To give you an idea of the difference in rope strength;

 

Staple spun 3,050

Polysteel 4,300 (strong polyprop rope designed for fishing industry)

Multifilament (soft black) 2,560

Synthetic hemp 1,775

Polypropylene no guaranteed breaking strain

 

All figures are for the breaking strain in Kg of a 14mm diameter rope.

 

This should be used as a rough guide only. Different manufactures will not make the rope to the same specifications.

[Chris Pink]

If it's the plaited variety it's spliced exactly the same as 4 strand - you just keep the pairs together.

 

Let me Google that for you ;-)

 

If you're going to make a sarcastic reply to my post you could at least learn to read with a degree of comprehension.

[the_wheels]

 

 

Thanks for the tip about washing the ropes tied up in a pillow case - we will be trying it later today!

 

 

 

 

did it work. I am thinking of using a pressure washer to clean our ropes

Edited August 16, 2012 by the_wheels

[BEngo]

did it work. I am thinking of using a pressure washer to clean our ropes

 

 

Putting them in the dhobymatic (in a pillowcase) with some good non-bio dhoby dust certainly does work. I usually use the 'colours non-fast' wash at about 40C. Hang them up to dry properly afterwards.

 

A pressure washer is likely to drive some grit and dirt from the outside into the strands so the rope will look good but be damaged internally as it is used.

 

N

[koukouvagia]

Putting them in the dhobymatic (in a pillowcase) with some good non-bio dhoby dust certainly does work. I usually use the 'colours non-fast' wash at about 40C. Hang them up to dry properly afterwards.

 

A pressure washer is likely to drive some grit and dirt from the outside into the strands so the rope will look good but be damaged internally as it is used.

 

 

Slightly off topic, but how do people keep white cotton ropes clean? I've got quite a lot of this on the cratch of the motor and the butty. I've tried the pillow case method, gentle scrubbing by hand, pressure washing and the result is always the same – disintegrating and fraying rope. I suspect the cottonline you buy today is of an inferior quality. You can buy the horrible-looking synthetic stuff which is more durable, but this doesn't look right on a couple of ex-working boats.

 

I've taken to dunking the ropes in a bucket of diluted emulsion paint. The results aren't bad, but I still find myself replacing the rope rather more frequently than I'd wish.

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Was it the grit in the ropes that cut those deep grooves we see in metalwork and stonework on bridges and locks?

Each Autumn I soak our white ropes in a bucket of warm water and some Vanish. Leave overnight and then a gentle long wash in the machine. No pillowcase.

I looked up 'care of ropes' on the internet some while ago and found some fascinating tips on a couple of bondage sites!

[IanM]

Was it the grit in the ropes that cut those deep grooves we see in metalwork and stonework on bridges and locks?

 

Any grit probably helped but it's more down to just the action of the rope itself.