HOW MUCH EXTRA LINE DO YOU CARRY?

[zengirl]

I ask because this is my first boat and the po has the cockpit locker FILLED with line. On the bottom there are two big buckets filled with chain and spilled over to the other bucket with line. I can understand this. But then there is just tons of line on top of the two buckets filled almost to the top. There's barely any room for emergency stuff and life jackets. This is a really deep locker. I can't imagine anyone needs this much extra line. So I want to just get some basic numbers and give the rest away.

[Tillsbury]

A bit, but nowhere near that much. Take it all home, wash it, sort it, then bring some good quality bits back to the boat and make them earn their locker space. Most of your lines should have a use, only a little bit of "just in case" unless you're setting off on a major passage.

[Hudson Force]

I think the answer is best made by sorting the types of spare line.

Dock line - We always carries spares of two lines our vessel's length and two lines half
that length.
Running rigging - We always carried enough line to replace our jib sheets and halyards,
block and tackle line and dinghy lift & painter.
Ground tackle - We kept an all chain rode, but kept 300' of 3-strand nylon rode.
Small stuff (line and strapping) - 'enough to replace our flag halyards and probably
about 200' of pieces for lashing and a sounding lead line in shallows.
(We probably used a lead line off the bow more that most as we enjoyed gunkholing as well as scouting for tropical storm anchorages. Our depth sounder transducer was just too far aft for close work)

[zengirl]

Both answers...just what I need to know. Thanks

[Tayana42]

Zengirl, if you are setting off around the world you’ll want spools of line for spares of everything. If you are costal cruising and maybe crossing to the Bahamas you don’t need so much. I like many people tend to keep old lines (for spares or emergencies or because they cost a lot and I can’t just throw them away...). Old, stiff, partly chaffed dock lines and old chaffed and hockled anchor lines don’t do much good and take up too much space as you described. I now keep some spare dock lines and one extra nylon anchor rode with some chain. It is always useful to have some light stuff for lashings and a spool of paracord takes little space. Do you need spare sheets and halyards, spare vangs, etc.? Probably not unless your running rigging is in bad shape in which case you should replace it before it breaks or chafes through.

On a small boat, while it is tempting to want spares for everything it is often a case of less is more.

[model 10]

I have imagined how much it would take to tie up in some nice mangroves somewhere, so I have probably 400' of nice rope for that and then I could rob some other stuff from the boat, cause 400' probably wouldn't be nearly enough. I don't like skanky old lines on the boat.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Ecos

I have imagined how much it would take to tie up in some nice mangroves somewhere, so I have probably 400' of nice rope for that and then I could rob some other stuff from the boat, cause 400' probably wouldn't be nearly enough. I don't like skanky old lines on the boat.

Exactly! You never know when you'll need a few hundred feet of line. I have at least 3 buckets full, various diameters, kicking around. I used one to tow a 43' lobster boat to port from well off the Nova Scotia coast, far from CG or tow boats. In the Bay of Fundy tides, you need at least a 100' bow AND stern line to tie up to a pier with no floats.

Just this month I took a municipal mooring, and at the 2AM dead low tide, the wind swung us dangerously close to shore. We actually touched bottom twice. The only fix was to row out into the wind and current to set a kedge off the stern. My spare anchor line is in the forward rode locker, but I was able to quickly grab a bucket of about 200' of half-inch line, bend it to the anchor, set upstream and upwind, and kedge us away from the shore before we touched again.

Then there's dock lines for different situations. Sometimes four isn't enough, sometimes you need more than two long ones, sometimes you need extras, maybe to raft up. If a sudden squall comes through, you might want to run extra lines.

Yeah, I've got a lot of lines on board.

[a64pilot]

I keep my old sheets and halyards and use them up for things like the dinghy painter etc. Sometimes give some away too.
However I have 1,000 ft of 5/8” line, two old 300’ pieces of anchor line and one new 300’ piece meant for the sea anchor and a 100’ for whatever, then of course dock lines.
The two 300’ pieces of old anchor line would be my go to to start cutting up for storm prep and or to tie myself into mangroves. 1,000 ft sounds like a whole lot, but I bet I’d use it all tying into mangroves.

[Capt Phil]

Hudson Force advice might be a little overkill but nevertheless I agree with him. If you need a line for towing, you will want as near new as you can find, ether your vessel or someone else’s. Dock lines wear out fairly quickly so look to replace them within a year or so. Halyard lines will do in a inch with but will probably have some wear where they go through the sheaves at the mast head.
If any of your bits and pieces show wear or chafe, dump them, also if any have been contaminated same thing. the rode attached to chain in the buckets at the bottom of the locker should be compared to the anchor chain and rode to ensure it is the same size and chain will run through the windlass. Even 1/4 inch difference in link size will cause you problems with your windlass.
Kudos to your OO to leave with a wealth of line to sort through... it will be worth your piece of mind to take a sunny afternoon to sort through the whole mess.
Phil
Remember ! Lines are for boats and ropes are for sex...
,

[model 10]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I bet I’d use it all tying into mangroves.

So many different situations in the Mangroves. I don't like the stern to plan. I would want to be almost surrounded by mangroves. I've gone into the Mangroves of Belize to check things out just in case we spend the summer there someday. I think you could get into a place where it would be only 50' to mangroves on either side. That would still be bunch of line when you got done. 1000', no problem.

[JPA Cate]

@zengirl,

You will want spare, good quality galvanized shackles, as well. You can use the short bits of chain around the tree, and shackle lengths of line to either end of it, so as to not worry about chafe. Lines to trees should be doubled back to the boat, for ease of departure when the time comes.

Ann

[Dockhead]

None, but I have miles of extra rope. (There's no such thing as "line". There's a line, but the cordage itself, not put to a specific purpose, is rope, cable, or small stuff.)

I guess literally miles, or at least, a few thousand feet, in size ranging from 4mm to 25mm (I won't even mention the small stuff)



Spares for all sheets (2 sets of spare jib sheets), all my old halyards (180 feet long each, and I use them surprisingly often for different things), a large assortment of different dock lines, assorted rope for use as barber haulers, guys, etc., assorted rope for use in different kinds of lifting tackle or tying stuff down, short handy lengths of rope kept tied to the pushpit for miscellaneous duty, a couple hundred meters of Dyneema single braid in different sizes, a 500 foot piece of 1" nylon for trailing warps (from before I made my drogue), a few hundred meters of spare anchor rode, etc., etc., etc.


You can't have too much rope on a sailing vessel, which runs on rope. Of course finding places to store it all is a different question A proper sailing vessel should have a dedicated rope locker.

[Paul L]

We are currently cruising some pretty poor regions of Indonesia. Pretty much in every anchorage we get boats coming up to us to tell us about their village. The conversaion always migrates to do you have any......? For the kids we give them a school writing notepad and a pen. The older folks that we like get a chunk of rope from my spares bag. This large duffle bag has been hidden deep in a locker and hasn't seen the sun for years. The locals get big smiles when they receive the rope gift.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

@zengirl,

You will want spare, good quality galvanized shackles, as well. You can use the short bits of chain around the tree, and shackle lengths of line to either end of it, so as to not worry about chafe. Lines to trees should be doubled back to the boat, for ease of departure when the time comes.

Ann

Or, my preference, a collection of soft shackles

[Hudson Force]

Several have mentioned the benefits of recycling line. Capt Phil mentioned that the dock lines wear out quickly. An older anchor rode can make a lot of dock line when it's replaced. a64pilot mentioned repurposing line for things like painters, etc. and Paul L suggested that local islanders are pleased with the gift of old line.

When you reassign rope it's wise to match to function with the stretch and shack absorbing trait of the material. Rodes, dock lines, painters all function best when having some stretch, -usually nylon; while the dacron, with little stretch, from recycled running rigging is best suited for block and tackle, dinghy davit lifts and some lashings.

Old sheets used for dock line can make for a harsh and jerky ride in a slip.