How many spare ropes does a boat need?

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jamesdestin

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And please - nobody answer with "How long is a bit of string"! I've just taken delivery of my first boat, a 25 ft yacht and it seems like every time a rope has been replaced - the old ones been kept as a spare. There must be over thirty ropes of varying description, length and quality. They vary from unused inch plus thick natural fibre to "furry" blue propolene(?) plus various sheets and halyards. The thing is - how do I decide whats worth keeping and whats just clutter? I don't see the point in keeping something if you don't know whether its trustworthy but I suspect that even after ditching the junk there'll still be too much!
 
You are quite correct, every bit of rope thats been replaced on the boats I have bought seem to end up in a locker.

My best advice is be ruthless & dump all the old ropes including any frayed warps.
get yourself a 50 M coil of decent 3 strand & make up your own new warps. You can get an idea of rope lengths & sizes you require from jimmy green

Also as you replace your running rigging you can keep the good rope for spare.
1 tip before reusing any old rope try putting it in a pillow case and put it in the washing machine...does wonders for getting rope clean

poter
 
30 ropes of varying description. Sods law will dictate the moment you throw one out it would have come in handy.
sail around for a while before you discover what they were all used for if you then dont use them chuck em out later on.
 
Not as many as I have and looks like you as well !!!!

Old halyards ... cut at frayed part where it sat for years around the block at top of mast ... rest should be good for temp mooring stuff ... dinghy paimter etc.
Old mooring warps ... usually replaced because they are knackered .... garden fence rope !! ornamental stuff only.
Frayed blue polyprop - UGH !! No use yo man nor beast except strand it and use as light lashing etc. or tarpaulin tie downs ...
Short lengths .... useful
Medium lengths .... useful
Long lengths ..... useful if doubtful bits cut out ....

One rope I have is a light YELLOW line of about 6mm braided synthetic .... it is long and light with a weighted end ... actually a monkeys fist with a nut inside ..... this makes an excellent heaving line ... light but strong........

Be ruthless - as I shall be sometime ... if unsure of strength of rope .... tie of end and hang a weight or even winch against it to see if its weak ... but be careful - synthetic ropes are whiplash merchants with tremendous force when they break ....

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I never throw rope away (except polly prop and natural fiber). I even pull lengths of frayed rope out of the skip, cut out the frayed area(s), give them a wash and add them to my collection. They all seem to come in useful at sometime or another.
So my answer would be - You can never have enough.
 
yeah i'm guilty of hoarding, somehow boats and rope shouldn't be separated. Sometimes bits of rope I come across in the locker take me down memory lane, I've even got some anchor rope me dad passed on to me from our boating in the 70's, it always brings a smile when I find it.
 
Not sure I would be in a hurry to keep nasty bits of poly prop rope ... but do make sure you have a decent long line for emergencies (25m +) .... extending the anchor line ... towing, mooring in unplanned locations etc. My trouble is ... I do like stuff to match ... not that I have ever been able to afford matching lines
 
Here's a 'starter' list. No doubt there will be dissent....
I'd have :

Two springs, each about twice the boat's length.
Two breast ropes, each about twice the boat's beam.
One long line capable of towing, kedging off, about 4 times the boat's length or more.
One light heaving line, braided synthetic, with a 'monkey's fist' or non-lethal weight on one end, about 4 times the boat's length.
Two heavy, strong warps, about twice the length of the boat, for mooring and/or towing bridle.

Is there any real need for anything more?

I'd get rid of all polypropylene, and anything that looks faded ( UV degradation - impossible to predict ) - and all other stuff that's hard to handle. Offer this around your local club, for beers, and bin what gets left.
 
Take all the spare ropes home after selcting just a few for might need on boat. keep 'em at home and it will eventually become obvious what you need and don't need. olewill
 
I would add to your list 1 short [5 m.] length of 10mm. or similar rope to make a first quick mid-ship fastening when in a lock or approaching a pontoon. The short length saves time as you don't have to wind or pull lots of rope around or through a cleat or bollard. Ours is a halyard offcut with a snap shackle at one end which we snap onto a chainplate.
 
Good point. We don't really need much in the way of warps on the lake, but I do have some for jetty mooring and some spare halyards for general little tasks. I also have a 60 metre length of about 15mm nylon rope which came with the boat and has been incredibly useful.
I used to sail with an ex-naval man who always said "Never shorten a rope".
 
Old rope, Ugh, you just dont know how old, or how much UV degraded.

I used 'a handy bit of old rope' to temporarily tie up to mooring in a flat calm bay, whilst I did some work on the engine. 5 minutes later - bump - boat was making love to a neighbour, rope had snapped like a rotten carrot.

never again. chuck all the old stuff, buy new, then you know how old it is and where its been.
 
OK .... old vs new ....

Main thing about rope ....

a) Store in ventilated dry area. (Ha Ha .... yeh on a boat !!)
b) Regularly test by putting weight on it. (Haul SWMBO up mast with it !!)
c) If gets wet / dirty wash and dry. (Stick in washing machine in "sunday best" pillow case .... sooner have dirty lines than Her indoors moaning !!)


Actually above points are valid ... ignore my sarcasm .... on ships, ropes are placed on pallets OFF the deck to allow air to pass under / over etc. The only time they sit direct on deck is when in use .... This applies to natural and synthetic ropes.

The best way to look after ropes is to coil and hang, but difficult on average yacht - they normally - as on mine- get slung into a damp and smelly locker along with fenders and all sorts ....

One of the worst things to do to any rope is 'bag-it' .... Halyard bags etc. are great tidy-uppers ... but really should not be long-term storage for halyard / rope ...... When not in use and boat stood ... do the rope a favour .... coil and hang of OUTSIDE the bag etc.

A rope will love you if you give it a fresh water rinse now and again to rinse out the grit / salt that gets embedded in the lay ... doesn't need washing .... just hang it up and hose it off - then let it drip and dry off ... before putting away again.

Old ropes are not useless .... just relegate them to less serious work ...

Last point ........ if you have the nice soft cotton based ropes for anything ........... they really are nice to handle and are relatively strong ......... DON'T let them sit damp .... they start to go black and literally fall apart in your hands like wet paper !!! OK - so you don't have cotton or cotton mix ropes ... pity as they are really nice for ornamental stuff ......

Now of to my EDH Book to brush up on other rope details !!!!
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Hmmm. Thanks for all the replies. Somehow I think this is something I'll have to learn by experience! I suspect some of you have got more old ropes than I have......
 
It IS possible to have too many

and this happens when you cannot instantly lay hand on the rope you want, nicely coiled and ready for use. A big jumble of tangled rope is worse than no rope.

I suggest that you

(a) dump the blue polypropylene (and any other polypropylene!)

(b) take the unused natural fibre rope home and thence to a boat jumble - there is a market for it amongst people who like making complex ropework, but it will decay if left on board.

(c) sort out the tattier bits and use them for messy jobs.
 
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