What to do with old rope?

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Donate the ropes to Sailing Clubs near you. People use them for mooring lines etc.

 

[fisherman]

scouts, sea scouts maybe.

An aside about ghost fishing. Pots as we use them don't hold fish after a couple of weeks or so, the crabs have learned how to eat the netting. We don't use weldmesh much over here.

There was some ranting on local radio about lost nets recently, a monofil net had been found by divers inshore at Rosemullion near Helford. These nets are sometimes lost, but in this case, in a few feet of water there was no need for the net to be lost, it would be very easily recovered. They are taken ashore, the expensive leadline and headrope are strippped off and re used, the netting is bagged up in Newlyn and collected by an outfit that makes pallets from it.
This particular net was probably the property of an unfortunate fisherman who lost his life at sea around that time. Sometimes a rant is misplaced.

 

[Davy_S]

My last boat was damaged by the snatch

what about selling it to a bondage club, they like a bit of snatch.

 

[lpdsn]

I use old rope for mousing lines.

I also keep a few bits with the warps. When going alongside a wall I use the old sheets/halyards to put around the bollards or bits and take the wear and tear on the top of the wall. I join them to ordinary warps to create an overall line that has a bit of spring in it.

I also have a longer old 10mm line for pulling the boat off in strong winds using the opposite finger. An old braid on braid line is easier to slip than three-strand warp.

All in all it does get used up over the years.

 

[ahck12]

I like to replace my running rigging before it starts to fall apart, so even though it is old it still looks usable for something. Consequently I now have 'hundreds' of yards of old rope cluttering up the place that I do not have the heart to throw away.
Should I just bite the bullet and get rid of it, or is there any potential for recycling?

I would be interested in taking some of your old ropes off your hand if you still had any laying around!

 

[RupertW]

I always use mine for mooring lines but for the longer length warps eg springs and as second lines in case the main warps chafe through or untie or whatever. A cleat will be wrenched out by 16mm nylon just as much as 12mm halyard if it’s just a short length without a spring or dogbone.

 

[dunedin]

Old halyards and such make OK mooring ropes for smaller boats.
I 'lent' some old lengths to a school and never got them back.
I saw a dog being led on a length of well used Marlow Excel Racing Dyneema the other day.

Son has a dyneema rope lead for his dog - attached by s/s snap shackle.

However, not good for aging elbows and shoulders when dog chases after a hare!

 

[fisherman]

Son has a dyneema rope lead for his dog - attached by s/s snap shackle.

Howvee, not good for aging elbows and shoulders when dog chases after a hare!

Daughter was training a border collie pup, I made her a lead with shock cord in it, very effective, saved her dodgy shoulder.

 

[thinwater]

Son has a dyneema rope lead for his dog - attached by s/s snap shackle.

However, not good for aging elbows and shoulders when dog chases after a hare!

. Yeah, that's my daughters dog as well. You learn to keep your arm down so that you can absorb the impact.

Obviously, nylon is much better at absorbing impact, and the difference in feel between nylon and polyester mooring and spring lines is obvious. You can use polyester, but it will be hard on everything, starting with your nerves.

I use old ropes for:

• weaving mats and tying all-rope ladders
• Yard work, but not tree work.
• Dog toys.
• Tying stuff to the roof rack etc.

And never mooring. I made that mistake a few times. A rough ride if there is any wave action. Most sailors, who never visit the boat in bad weather, may never notice the difference.

 

[dunedin]

Son has a dyneema rope lead for his dog - attached by s/s snap shackle.

However, not good for aging elbows and shoulders when dog chases after a hare!

PS. He does have a bit of a dyneema rope obsession (partly after in the past having a Marlow sponsorship award).

Our house and his flat must be some of the only houses with clothes airers hoisted on tapered and spliced dyneema cords, running on roller bearing blocks

 

[VicS]

Cut it up, mix it with camel dung and use it as a substitute for pipe tobacco.
I'm sure some of the people I've sailed with did that.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

In days of old it was usual to dismantle old rope and use the individual yarns to make new ropes or fancy work. But I think a) it wouldn't work very well with braided ropes and b) few of us have enough deck space for setting up to make spun yarn, the first step in the process of recycling old rope!

As always, Ashley has all the details!

 

[Neeves]

In days of old it was usual to dismantle old rope and use the individual yarns to make new ropes or fancy work. But I think a) it wouldn't work very well with braided ropes and b) few of us have enough deck space for setting up to make spun yarn, the first step in the process of recycling old rope!

As always, Ashley has all the details!

I recall around 30-40 years ago (how times fly) when wandering the back streets in HK coming across someone making rope from straw, contemporaneously I bought a hand made wooden mallet from a similar back street production.

In both case I did not have the wit to take a picture, or 10.

Jonathan

 

[justanothersailboat]

Cut it up, mix it with camel dung and use it as a substitute for pipe tobacco.
I'm sure some of the people I've sailed with did that.

A bit harsh with Dyneema. Or did the discerning smoker prefer to cut their dung with Vectran?

 

[ProDave]

Old rope has no end of domestic chores like tying stuff down to a trailer and any number of jobs around the house and garden. It should not be retired from such duty until worn at least half way through, where upon it gets converted to twice as many but shorter pieces for the same jobs.

 

[Alicatt]

All the ropes I use for tying down things on my trailer come from one of the yachts that was on the round the world yacht race in the early 2000's, about 20 years good service since being with the yacht.
The company I worked for sponsored the yacht Team Tyco for the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001-2002, I had to carry a load of stuff to the yacht and ended up getting a load of old rope and stuff that I've been using since.
Team Tyco - Wikipedia
2001–2002 Volvo Ocean Race - Wikipedia

 

[Spanjaard]

In my opinion, best thing would be to convert it into soft shackles. As long as it is not under tremendous stress load is good for tying anything. It is not the same to have a bag full of rope of different sizes, than a bag full of soft shackles of different sizes...

It is good to keep some spare rope, not for yourself, but to give away in emergencies. It is surprising, how many novice sailors sail away without the bare minimum .