What sort of Rope ?

[coromar]

Hi All,

I need to replace 3 ropes after a storm where they wore thin due to the skipper not passing them twice round the mooring ring!

On e-bay I see there are cheap ropes called Soft Mooring Ropes for canal boats. Are these any good or should I pay more for nylon or polyester 3 strand?

Thanks for any help.

Best wishes,

Paul

 

[rob2]

I can't be certain, but I tend to distrust ropes advertised as particularly suited to inland craft. The demands made on mooring lines tend to be less than those on a tidal mooring.

You're right that a turn should be taken around the ring to distribute the load and wear over a larger area, but for a permanent mooring line, you may like to consider a short chain loop with a rope tail shackled on - that'll last years longer, especially if you can bring the chain onto the bow roller before the rope tail is joined for cleating off. On a swinging mooring, my own preference is for all chain with a loop to drop onto the cleat, but for alongside mooring I have chain onto the pontoon with rope tails for the cleats.

At this time of year, the harbourmaster takes every opportunity to encourage everybody to double up our mooring lines, too!

Rob.

 

[VicS]

Likewise for a swinging mooring my preference is all chain with permanent loop that drops over a cleat or bollard,

For mooring warps to a pontoon Nylon has the advantage over other types that it is much more elastic.

Polypropylene is the least strong of the three main types and the least UV tolerant. It's also the cheapest!

http://www.boatropes.co.uk are often recommended as a supplier of good quality rope at competitive prices

 

[FishyInverness]

I have a friend who runs a canal boat chandlery, who tells me that their Soft Mooring Ropes are Multifilament Polyprop.

Could be the same as the ones you're seeing...

 

[Ross D]

I have bought from boatropes and they were excellent. However, I buy all of my nylon mooring lines from goverment surplus stores (I have one locally). However, if you want longer lengths and can buy by the reel (200m) and share it with a few mates then you can get excellent deals over the internet from rope manufacturers.

For harbour moorings (ie not permanent) we have a very thick nylon mooring line spliced to a steel thimble and then secure with a shackle to the mooring chain. We made it up because the same happened to us last year.

 

[nigelmercier]

On e-bay I see there are cheap ropes called Soft Mooring Ropes for canal boats. Are these any good or should I pay more for nylon or polyester 3 strand?

The soft ones are great for the initial mooring, as they throw well and are flexible. I wouldn't leave a boat moored on them though, you need nylon.

 

[William_H]

Mooring ropes

For my opinion... It is the size of the rope (diameter) that matters. Cheaper rope of a larger size is better with more ability to take chafe. A rope on a steel ring should really have a steel thimble to take the chafe but if not just go for large diameter commensurate with cleat sizes etc. Cheaper ropes tend to have more elasticity which is good. olewill

 

[ffiill]

Multi filament polypropelyne quite happily keeps fish farms where they should be-multiplait seasteel is best but non seasteel is quite OK-those supplied by the noted Chandelry in Inverness are good and well priced.
Even if wearing against rounded steel shackles it takes a good few years before you get problems on 28mm rope/multiplait.