VOTE: Which Rope For Which Job?

[Tim Good]

Simple vote of opinions. Some more controversial than others. Which rope would you preferably use for which job. List your choices in the following format and then underneath explain if you have thrown in any unusual / new ones.

Mooring Line:
Anchor Rode:
Main / Headsail Sheets:
Spinnaker Sheets:
Drogue Line:
Shore Line:
Halyard:
Running Stays:

 

[causeway]

I'm waiting on some polysteel for my mooring lines.

It's cheap and hopefully will be less likely to squeak.

12mm is 2.5 tonne breaking strain.

Will make an update if it's any good.

 

[Kwik Decision]

Simple vote of opinions. Some more controversial than others. Which rope would you preferably use for which job. List your choices in the following format and then underneath explain if you have thrown in any unusual / new ones.

This is what I use:

Mooring Line: Nylon 3 plat 16 mm (overkill, but it was cheap)
Anchor Rode: Nylon 3 plat 16 mm, as above
Main / Headsail Sheets: Polyester braid on braid, low stretch, 12 mm
Cruising Chute Sheets: Polyester braid on braid, low stretch, 8 mm (never going to use it in strong winds, so lighter sheets preferred)
Drogue Line: N/A
Shore Line: Old Octoplat which came with the boat ~ 16 mm
Halyards: Polyester braid on braid, low stretch, 12 mm (Main and chute). Wire spliced to Polyester for the genoa
Running Stays: N/A

 

[PetiteFleur]

Mooring line - 2 x 16mm braided
Anchor line 16mm nylon multiplait
Sheels, main 14mm braid on braid, genoa 12mm braid on braid - stretchy but not a problem for me
Sinnaker sheets, 12mm braid on braid
Drogue lone - N/A
Shore line - 12 and 14mm braid on braid and 3 strand nylon
Halyards, genoa - 10mm braid on braid, mail halyard 12mm braid on braid
Running stay - N/A

 

[lw395]

Spinnaker guys dyneema.
Mainsheet fine tune matt braid, nice to handle without gloves
Main halyard dyneema.
Anchor nylon
Swinging mooring strop big polyester 3 strand, so I can splice it.
Almost everything else braid on braid polyester.

 

[prv]

These are what I actually have, rather than necessarily the optimum choice after thought and research.

• Mooring Line (assuming this refers to the pendant from buoy to boat): Don't have my own mooring, but I do carry a strop for use on visitor moorings that either don't have a pendant or I don't like it for some reason. This is 24mm nylon 3-strand with canvas chafe sleeves on the inboard ends and a length of chain spliced into the middle to take the chafe from buoy rings or shackles. The rope/chain splices are covered by heatshrink (transparent, so I can check what's going on inside) to help them slide easily through a small ring.
• Anchor Rode: Currently 60m of G40 tested chain, but regrettably will be replacing most of it this winter with octoplait for reasons of trim.
• Main / Headsail Sheets: Polyester braid-on-braid. 12mm jib, 10mm main.
• Spinnaker Sheets: Polyester braid-on-braid, 10mm.
• Drogue Line: Don't have one as such, but there's 50m of substantial 3-strand (not sure if nylon or polyester) in the stern locker as extra anchor warp, tow-rope, long shoreline, etc which is what I'd use in the unlikely event of needing a drogue.
• Shore Line (assuming this means normal mooring warps): a matching set (2 long, 4 short) for everyday pontoon berthing, in posh-looking black 14mm "polysoft" (polypropylene 3-strand, but spun differently to cheap blue builder's rope so it looks, feels and coils better). Also a mixed collection of longer white ones for other situations, various materials and construction.
• Halyard: 12mm polyester braid-on-braid for main and jib, 10mm for spinnaker and topping lift.
• Running Stays: Don't have any on Ariam. On our previous boat they were wire with rope tackles at the bottom.

Pete

 

[Stemar]

For a 24' bilge keeler:

Mooring Line: All chain mooring
Anchor Rode: 17m of 8mm chain then 18mm octoplait
Main / Headsail Sheets: main 10mm polyester, genny 14mm polyester
Spinnaker Sheets: N/A
Drogue Line: N/A
Shore Line: 10mm 3-ply nylon
Halyard: 8mm polyester
Running Stays: N/A

 

[KellysEye]

Mooring Line: Plaited nylon
Anchor Rode: Plaited nylon
Main / Headsail Sheets: Nylon with inner core and outer cover
Spinnaker Sheets: Nylon with inner core and outer cover
Drogue Line: Parachute anchor Nylon with inner core and outer cover
Shore Line: Plaited nylon
Halyard: Nylon with inner core and outer cover
Running Stays: Wire with rope around turning block to tighten

The reason for using plaited nylon it it doesn't have a memory so it coils in perfect loops and never has to be untangled.

 

[GrahamM376]

I'm waiting on some polysteel for my mooring lines.

It's cheap and hopefully will be less likely to squeak.

12mm is 2.5 tonne breaking strain.

Will make an update if it's any good.

I've been using polysteel for some years but 24mm. Would have thought 12mm too thin to allow for chafe which is the usual cause of failure rather than snapping through overload.

 

[Searush]

I'm waiting on some polysteel for my mooring lines.

It's cheap and hopefully will be less likely to squeak.

12mm is 2.5 tonne breaking strain.

Will make an update if it's any good.

Not much give in that is there? I suspect your cleats won't last long.