Old Lines - Keep or toss

[KP44]

I use the mesh-bag-washing-machine once in a while. Always works well.

Anything that's polypropylene has a short life. Most other lines last a long time with minimal care. I use poly for my dingy's painter because it floats and stays clear of my prop. I use a metal, hammered "rope clamp" instead of a splice. When that clamp gets corroded it reminds me to replace the painter.

[Hickers]

Too true, I'm at Airlie Beach and non stretch and old dock lines should not be used for mooring your boat. Replace them regularly, the sun is not your friend.

[Ken Z]

i tie them low to a large tree or bollard encased in concrete to my truck and pull baby pull till its tight, twang tight, if it holds keep it nothing the marina needs to see.

[sailcrazy]

We made an inventory of all the working lines onboard (dia and length). Then we inventoried all our "extra" lines. We selected a "designated backup" for each critical line onboard (dia and length, after any chafffe/damage was cut off) and bagged them as emerg b/u's. We selected a few of the remaining lines for dock/spring/mooring/etc., picked a couple to cut and make new fender lines. and the rest we set by the dumpster for anyone who had a use for them. We've done that a couple of times, and the longest they lasted laying there at the dumpster.......was 20 minutes! Works for us, and we gained some additional storage space onboard.

[Mike Banks]

I use my old ropes and lik=nes to make fenders out of car or truck tyres, depending o9n the six=ze you want. I sort of knot the rope around them, then when the kno=itting meets, splice the ends or tie thenm together to make a hanging loop.

yoyu start with a bowline, them pass the rope bundle through the tire and ou the=rough the wowkine loop, then bake doen the sma=e sia-de as it came uop again, but hold a loop in it so that when you pass the bundle of rope through the tyre to come up the other side, there is a loop to take the bundle through before you go back down and through the tire again. This is quicker than the method where the rope is knotted each time, and tyres are so cheap that there are no tears if one loses one if the rope chafes through and unravels. Wrapped up and a couple of them tied together in series make a good drogue with a shackle and length of chain or some other weight such as a kettle-weight (they also make an excellent kellet) to keep them them down and stop them planing..

Money for old rope.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by zeehag

keep em. they make great dinghy painters, kayak lines, lashings for over the top of tarps in cane zones... you can make fenders out of em--that is in ashleys book of knots--- always keep old lines old chain and old sails.

I agree, junk is junk but much of old line is good for repurposes. Especially fenders, or a badass welcome mat at dock.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by thruska

I agree, junk is junk but much of old line is good for repurposes. Especially fenders, or a badass welcome mat at dock.

I certainly re-purpose lost of old line:

• The section of halyards inside the mast are very good.
• Bisected big-boat halyards can make good sheets.
• Bits of furler lines make good tie-downs.

And so forth. But if they are really tired...


Sail Delmarva: Got Rope?


You feel like you got some value, and you save some history--both of these ropes went a lot of places with me. I gave the mat to my Mom for Christmas.

[wjhutchings]

As old salty said turn them into fenders, most probably just as good as any inflatable fender much cheaper, or you could turn them into heavy duty matting for the hard wearing areas of the boat, top and bottom of the cabin entrance steps, just need to learn how to sennet, which will advance your seamanship skills