Mooring Lines Bargains

[gmp]

I've seen on the internet Marlow double braid 14mm 25 metres for £37.50 various colours. The question is 14mm sufficient for mooring lines for a Sealine F43 I'm not sure what I have at the moment except that they are the lines that came with the boat new from sealine themselves.

Any help or advice greatly appreciated, I wouldn't like to miss out on a bargain they're changing from Marlow to Kingfisher hence the clearance price.

 

[ccscott49]

I reckon marlow braid at 14mm would be plenty adequate, mind you, you could always double them at that length, if you're a bit cautious. But whether 37.5 is a bargain, for 25 meters is another thing entirely.
I would have thought E bay would be the place to look.
That's where I get most of my cordage.

 

[Channel Ribs]

Doublebraid is not great for mooring lines. Marlow suggest 16mm Dockline upwards for a 37ft+ boat.

A good price /m for 16mm Dockline is 2.90.

 

[Salty John]

Double braid doesn't stretch as much as three strand nylon and isn't really suitable for mooring warps. Three strand nylon is best and 14mm or 16mm will be OK, at around £2.20 and £2.90 per meter at chandlers.
If you look to buy three strand on eBay or similar, be aware that some types are not suitable for boat applications, being soft and easily damaged, normally used for gardens and security cordons. You can usually identify this stuff because it is offered in odd mm sizes - 13mm, 15mm etc. Some less scrupulous suppliers will try to disguise it with an imperial size.

 

[Bandit]

Look at the English Braids website ( they own Marlow) three strand polypropylene is a better mooring rope it coild better.

I have a motor boat about 11.5 ton and i use 18mm for thr mooring rope and sometines 14 or 16mm for the springs.

I would not go any lighter than the 18mm.

I towed a Fairline 46 last year that was in difficulty with an 18mm mooring rope and bu**ered the rope it is stretched and the lay has opened up so I had to bin it.

Dont buy the ready made dock lines which have a loose laid core with an outer woven sheath as they wear very quickly and once the outer sheath is cut they wear through easily.

I have no spliced eyes on my ropes and the ends are sealed over with a hot rope gun/cutter. I dont like eye splices or back splices as you cant pull them through a ring or a cleat as they always jam. I prefer to make a bowline when needed.

This is obviously a personal preference verging on the obsessional.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I would never use polypropylene as a mooring rope as it is damaged by UV very quickly

The only use of polyproplene on a boat / Yacht is for a MOB recovery line as it floats IMHO.

 

[Salty John]

I think you must mean polyester, no-one would use polypropylene for mooring warps.

 

[gandy]

Gael Force have Marlow "Dock Line" on special offer.

http://www.gaelforcemarine.co.uk/ProductDetailsPage.aspx?product_id=21037