Best Long Lasting Docklines?

[savoir]

To all you unseamanlike, clueless halyard users there is only one thing to say.

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[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Horrible for halyards.

And anything else.

come on stu, if you are going to make a statement like that, back it up..

Sta-Set or sta-set-x has been used for halyards for years on racing boats and has only been put aside due to the new age lines that have come out in recent years.. Its still sold as a comfortable use line of low streach amoung the cruising community.. ask me.. I sell mass amounts of it ...

[Terra Nova]

I have found that dock lines stiffen from being dunked in salt water. 3-strand nylon seems to outlast double-braid by about 10:1, if the braided cover is not protected from chafe.

[Stumble]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

why is that?

It's difficult to splice well, expensive for its SWL, can't really be re spliced after it has been used, has a lot of stretch relative to other things on the market, heavy...

It had a place, but not any longer.

[HopCar]

All these weird ropes are bad for the environment! You guys should all be using ropes made from organically grown natural fibers.

Am I the only one here that remembers using Manila or cotton dock lines?
You guys are way over thinking this. It's just a dock line.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

why is that?

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

come on stu, if you are going to make a statement like that, back it up..

Sta-Set or sta-set-x has been used for halyards for years on racing boats and has only been put aside due to the new age lines that have come out in recent years.. Its still sold as a comfortable use line of low streach amoung the cruising community.. ask me.. I sell mass amounts of it ...

Stay Set X --- Because it is stiff, feels like sandpaper on your hands, doesn't turn over sheaves at the top of the mast very well, kinks, doesn't flake or fake, doesn't work well with winches, and is generally useless. This is from personal experience as well as years of reading on various boating forums.

Stay Set is fine for sheets, stretches too much for halyards, but is doable.

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by Stumble

It's difficult to splice well, expensive for its SWL, can't really be re spliced after it has been used, has a lot of stretch relative to other things on the market, heavy...

It had a place, but not any longer.

I wasn't aware of the splicing bit. I think that you're comparing it to the new amsteel and dyneema lines?

I bought sta set X sheets because I needed something that was thick enough to handle easily, played nicely with a winch, and it was a lot cheaper than the fancy new lines. I'm actually not sure if that was a good move, since I don't honestly know if I want low stretch lines for a jib sheet.

I have a mid to low performance cruising boat. I don't think spending a lot of money on fancy halyards makes a lot of sense. I would think sta set x would be a good compromise. Or is there another, better product for a similar price point?

[Stumble]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

I wasn't aware of the splicing bit. I think that you're comparing it to the new amsteel and dyneema lines?

I bought sta set X sheets because I needed something that was thick enough to handle easily, played nicely with a winch, and it was a lot cheaper than the fancy new lines. I'm actually not sure if that was a good move, since I don't honestly know if I want low stretch lines for a jib sheet.

I have a mid to low performance cruising boat. I don't think spending a lot of money on fancy halyards makes a lot of sense. I would think sta set x would be a good compromise. Or is there another, better product for a similar price point?

This is getting far afield from docklines... Sorry.

For a given breaking strength sta-set is the most expensive line made other that two. Endurabraid (but only if you don't taper it), and SK-90 (which is the newest generation of dyneema). Sta-set X is the next most expensive line for the same breaking strength.

The X because of it's covered parallel core is a real pain in the *#% to splice. Since I don't work in a yard anymore I don't have too, but I still do a lot of friends splicing work. Unless they buy the X, then they can pay a rigger $25 to do it.


The best halyard for the price is a solid dyneema line with one of the new clutches designed to work with it. Likely the cheapest way to go as well (ignoring the clutch cost which isn't fair I know), since line should be bought based on SWL not size. If you need a larger line for handeling, then splice in a cover there. Instead of covering the whole line.

[thinwater]

I tried Sta-Set X for a halyard some years ago. Everything Stu and Greg said. Mostly it was the kinking I hated.

You will also find that products like Endurabraid last 2x as long, because they are not "working" due to stretch (less chafe).