How to soften old hardened braided lines

[holmek]

Any ideas? over time sheets and halyards become stiff, any ideas on how to clean, soften, rejuvinate running rigging?

[savoir]

Put them in a washing machine with lots of soap. Set the machine to a non spin cycle. You might have to bind up snap shackles with a sock.

[atoll]

a racing friend of mine used to fill his dinghy with fresh water and all his lines, on the dock and add fabric softner ,then let them sit for a few days.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Do a search under washing running rigging, & similar. It's been covered a lot, including the do's & don't's.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by savoir

Put them in a washing machine with lots of soap. Set the machine to a non spin cycle. You might have to bind up snap shackles with a sock.

The time spent in a washing machine is often not enough to wet the lines through. That is a certainty for a front load machine.

They need to soak for a while, hours or days. I used to put my boat lines in a Rubber Maid tub with detergent and water, put the tub in the back of my truck and drive to work and back a few times. I would rinse the same way.


There's a temptation to add bleach but remember, bleach can weaken the lines. Better dirty lines than weak lines.

[Tetepare]

Throw away buy new. I replace one or two each year. Keeps the cost down yet have good rigging. I dislike sailing on boats with old lines owned by those to cheap to do an update now and then.

[savoir]

Can you send your old lines to me ? I have no pride whatsoever. I'm still using a line that I found in a dumpster 5 years ago.

[hellosailor]

Soak in fresh water for a couple days. Change water daily.
Font loading washer, coiled and tied neatly in a lingerie bag, pillowcase if you must.
Warm water, good soap, gentle cycle. And fabric softener, which is actually wax.
Then hang to air dry.

If the lines are long enough, end-for-end them as well, since that also changes all the wear points.

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by savoir

Can you send your old lines to me ? I have no pride whatsoever. I'm still using a line that I found in a dumpster 5 years ago.

Nope. I re-purpose them. Last halyard was turned into a dock bridle for the boat. The previous one became a three kayak tow line. I carry two retired halyards in case of emergency.

Not a matter of looks or pride, it's usefulness. Aged halyards and sheets slip in clutches and winches. Dock lines harden and can't be easily slipped through cleats. So they get used elsewhere. You wouldn't want the lines I throw in the trash.

[hellosailor]

tetepare, you're an absolute wastrel.

Go take those old lines out of the trash. Soak 'em in used bilge oil, and they make perfectly fine wicks for tiki torches.

[UNCIVILIZED]

I've created this DIY Sticky since, as we all know, modern cordage ain't cheap. And there are some common misconceptions about how best to care for running rigging, including some simple things that can be done to add YEARS to it's longevity. Especially as these questions come up so frequently.
And if this "sticky" doesn't answer your big cordage queries, by all means ask
EDIT: Thinwater has also written some excellent pieces on cordage care, which are more than worth looking up. And there are some Practical Sailor articles on it as well.

When it comes to cleaning or washing lines: Skip the bleach, seriously!!! Ditto on anything resembling a fabric softener. As some fibers, like aramids for example (Kevlar, Technora, etc.), have serious bleach allergies. It will eat them up quite literally. And some of these chemicals are also Bad Juju for the line's proprietary anti-abrasion/anti-UV coatings (see below).

Also personally, I pass on machine washing any lines that have parallel fiber cores. Particularly the ones which have cores that are encased in a proprietary fibrous tape, such as StaSet-X for example. As I'm thinking that washing such lines in a machine, might damage the coils & stacked wraps of their internal structures. That, or possible hockle or kink such types of cores.

And, both before & after washing, make sure that you're lines are fully free of internal hockles or twists. Routinely inspecting their entire length by hand (touch) for such "herniations". As you don't want to set up the lines for a preventable, early demise. And it's good practice to check all lines for such things regularly anyway.

Otherwise, washing running rigging in the machine is okay. I've always just used a mild detergent in the washing machine. Sometimes dish soap, or even baby shampoo. And you shouldn't have a problem washing lines in most types of gentle washing machines.
Then, once they're finished being washed & rinsed, just let them hang/drip dry.

If you're worried about the lines potentially jamming the washing machine spindle, seize the loops of the lines together into a large (O-shaped) coil, in several places around the perimeter. And if you like, pad the shackles with an old sock folded over several times, lashed into place.

Bottom line, you're trying to get the salt & dirt out of the fibers of the line, as that's what eats them up when they're under load, due to internal abrasion. Think of the salt crystals & dirt as tiny belt sanders inside of the line. So to get the stuff out, some mild agitation while they're being washed helps.

However, if you wash them too frequently or aggressively, you'll wash out/off the protective coatings which are built into them. Such as the Samthane on Samson Ropes.
Such coatings are what makes them shiny & slippery; both internally, & externally, when they're new. With a big part of the coating’s function being to enhance the abrasion resistance of the line; between the core & the line’s cover, as well as against external sources of wear.
As, for example, New England Ropes touts the coatings on their anchor rodes as being a key factor in what makes them significantly more abrasion resistant than other manufacturer's anchor rodes.

Also, see this thread -> http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2153283

The biggest thing that you can do to extend the life of your running rigging is to prevent chafe, & to keep them out of the Sun. The latter is pretty easy to do, as crazy as it may sound. Simply put a reeving splice into the tail of all of your halyards & reefing lines. Which takes 10 min per line to do, if that. And once that's done, it then literally takes all of 3 min (max) to change out a halyard, or to pull it out for inspection.
https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...ing+Eye+Splice

Which, if you won't be using the boat for more than a week or two, take out your halyards, & replace them with halyard leaders. Leaders being purpose made substitute lines, made from 4-5mm cord. Stuff that costs all of $0.10/ft for example Samson Solid Braid Nylon Rope
It's fairly common to remove halyards on racing boats after every regatta for just this reason, as it extends their service lives by YEARS. So given the cost of running rigging, it's well worth doing.

Also, take steps to lessen the chafe on your running rigging by:
-> Adding an extra layer of cover onto your halyards in high wear areas, such as where they pass through line clutches, over sheaves, or are subject to heavy winching loads.
-> Paint them in high wear areas with a line protectant such as Maxi Jacket II, or RP25. It increases their lifespan by 30-50%. See the below linked post.
-> Ensure that all of your lines have fair leads.
-> Ensure that your sheaves are properly sized for your lines. Both in terms of sheave diameter (minimum 8x rope diameter), sheave width, & sheave groove profile.
-> Regularly inspect your lines for chafe. Ditto your sheaves for any scoring that will accelerate line wear & abrasion.
-> Secure them via the self-tailing jaws in a winch, or on a (traditional) horn cleat, NOT primarily by means of a line clutch or jammer. Cleat them off, & then release the load on the clutch.
-> Don't undersize your lines, thinking you'll be saving money. Stretch is pretty much the #1 line killer out there. And it’s usually caused by thin, stretchy lines (especially in/with double braid Dacron or Polyester). Since as lines stretch, their fibers rub against each other internally, as well as externally, thus wearing them out prematurely. And this movement under load also causes them to rub on sheaves, etc. Again, vastly accelerating their aging.
-> Buy low stretch lines, such as Spectra, Vectran, & Technora, etc. Including for sheets & furling lines: They cost more initially, but more than make up for this price difference in the long run. Especially Spectra, as it’s the most slippery line fiber available out there. Plus it's incredibly chafe resistant. So it vastly outlasts things like Dacron/Polyester.
-> End for end your lines regularly, so as to spread out the loading & chafe which the different sections of them routinely see. And with 12-strand single braids, when you notice chafe on their ends, snip off worn splices, & throw in a new one.

NOTE: ALL of the above also applies to; Docklines, Anchor Rodes, Roller Furling Lines, etc. With the exception of using high modulus lines for mooring & anchoring.

Maxi Jacket/Maxi Jacket II, & RP 25: What they are, & why you'll want to use them -->
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2367869

Tips on checking running rigging for stretch, AKA excessive fiber breakdown (otherwise known as wear) -->
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2367470


EDIT: When storing cordage on or off of the boat for any length of time, put something in with them to keep mice at bay. Such as several old socks filled with Moth Balls, or cotton balls soaked in Peppermint Oil (replacing them regularly).
And, yep, you guessed it, storage off of the boat's usually preferred.

[UNCIVILIZED]

PS: Also, Do not wash lines which are less than a year or two old, odds are it’ll ruin them. As they may develop herniations where the core pokes out through the cover, irreparably damaging them. Soaking them though should be okay.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by savoir

Can you send your old lines to me ? I have no pride whatsoever. I'm still using a line that I found in a dumpster 5 years ago.

Thumbs up!

[thinwater]

Soaking and scrubbing is a better idea than a machine. It works much better, and will not damage. Even if you are going to use a machine (in a pillowcase, unless you enjoy washing machine repair as a hobby), soak for several hours first, as several wise sailors suggested. The wetting time is really important.

Skip the fabric softener. Instead, wait until the lines are dry (dry ropes soak up the treatment better). Then treat in a bucket with Nikwax Polar Proof wash-in water repellent (but ignore the instructions). Use about 4 ounces per 4-gallons. Soak for about 2 hours, turning and agitating a few times. Then use the dregs for more ropes, adding about 2-3 ounces of treatment each time. The ropes will absorb less water (fabric softener makes them absorb more water), dry faster (fabric softener makes them dry slower), and as a result, not mildew or collect salts and get stiff. The water repellent also replaces the lubes deep within the ropes. It also lasts MUCH longer than fabric softener, which washes out in the rain.

Generally this can be done without removing the ropes. Just do the tails in a bucket, on deck. They will feel and behave MUCH better.

[barnakiel]

I wash ours in normal washing machine. Remove the salt and dirt and the line seems to become younger.

But some old lines simply harden, esp nylon ones. Replace these.

They are easy to tell apart because they dust too.

Cheers,
b.