Cleaning Mooring Lines

[AlistairM]

Apologies if this sounds a bit amature ish, I am a bit new to the boat ownership game. I have bought the boat out of the water for the winter recently, and am wanting to clean all the mooring lines.

Can this be done in simple hot water or does it need any special treatment.

Thanks for any info that can be offered.

Alistair

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[JamesS]

Once a year I toss all lines and halyards in the washing machine - works a treat!

Cheers

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[AliM]

cool wash in washing machine, just a little ordinary powder. It's great fun trying to untangle them afterwards, but they come up lovely!

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[capricorn]

Take them to a laundrette rather than use your own washing machine.

I've known someone destroy a domestic washing machine after throwing their warps and halyards in. SWMBO not impressed !

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[tcm]

um, i wonder if there's perhaps an argument for buying NEW mooring lines? Yes, gasp, what an incredible waste of er probably twenty quid. Black ones don't show the muck.

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[snowleopard]

visited mayflower marina this summer. walking along to the visitors' berth i passed the princess demonstrators. they had tied their black mooring warps to the opposite side of the unlit pontoon. guess how i found them.

p.s. warps are cleaned very effectively with a pressure washer. and if you use a washing machine never use fabric softener!!

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[Clive]

If you put the lines in a net bag (normally used for washing delicate items) the ropes do not get tangled, I usually sling a couple of lines in when I am washing my weekend work wear.



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[AlistairM]

Do people REAALLLLYYY buy new lines every year ????

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[MIKE_MCKIE]

I use the washing machine, either marina or Laundrette, and in order to stop the rats nest I have bought several netting bags of the same type that SWMBO uses for tights, woolens etc. They have ziplock closure & keep all the lines at least seperate from one another. Also saves looking a prat when trying to get 9 miles of rope out of the washer. If weather is lousy I also use the tumble dryer on low temp. Lines come out fine, nice & soft & look much better too.
I only speak of polyester or nylon ropes, no idea if this is a good idea on some of the more exotic materials.
Cheers
Mike

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[ChrisE]

Well, tcm, you must tie your craft up with binder twine. My mooring lines cost more than that each. Now ten years old, washed every year and still good as new.

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[benjenbav]

Not being 100% up to speed on washing machine techniques, could you please tell me where to get such a thing as a netting bag.

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[silverseal]

Old Thames Barge trick.. tow the warps behind you to clean them. Second old Barge trick. Put a whole lot of spuds in a net bag and tow them behind you - saves peeling them ...after about 10 miles SWMBO quite impressed.

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[macd]

No need for netting bags. Pillowcases work fine.

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[chockswahay]

We cleaned all of our ropes (inc halyards) by soaking them overnight in a big bucket of water and biological washing powder. It works very well but be sure to rinse thouroughly afterwards.

Chocks

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[FullCircle]

Blimey TCM 's got more money than the Queen!!! Mooring lines at a couple of quid a metre even on my 22 footer is 50 metres!= 100 quid
Netting bags can be nicked from your local grocer/supermarket. Its what the veg came in wholesale.


Jim

<hr width=100% size=1>Engine now resembles Singer Sewing Machine - amazing what happens when you renew all the old bits.

 

[miket]

warning

I too used to wash my mooring lines at least once a year.

At SIBS one year I asked a chap on the English Braids stand and he was adamant that there are ways you can and ways you shouldn't wash ropes.

Unfortunately, the only bit I can remember is that the wrong way reduces the original strength of the ropes hugely. Also I very rarely wash my ropes now. As someone else suggested I just pressure wash them.

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[Evadne]

Your local hardware store or <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/static/880/mi/962/p1253962.html> here </A> (First hit on Google, I'm not a washing gadgets freak really!)

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[tugboat]

>Put a whole lot of spuds in a net bag and tow them behind you - saves peeling them .<
Presumably no-ones allowed to use the bog in the meantime? /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif

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