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March 17, 2017 3 min read
With the sailing season about to start we thought we would give you some tips on how to look after your sailing ropes. Every boat has plenty of rope onboard and the start of the season is a good time to check your boat over including your rope and rigging systems.
The first thing we’d advise you to do is to check each and every dinghy rope very carefully, run through from one end to the other looking for any issues, fraying areas and inspect where the rope goes through cleats or sharp turns. It’s also important to check your rope work, if you’ve got splices, joins, tapers or whips check them over.
Secondly, check the ends of the ropes, if they’re not sealed then finish them off properly with a heat knife or rope hot gun. Some people prefer to cut the rope and seal with a lighter, if you’re going to take this approach then put some electrical tape round the rope before making the cut – then you can heat the end. We would recommend a rope seal hot knife, a great little tool and very handy for the dinghy park.
If the sailing ropes do come off the boat without too much hassle then why not put them into the washing machine. It might sound a bit weird but it’s the best way to get them clean. Just make sure you don’t use soap with a beaching agent.
Once the ropes are washed make sure you dry them thoroughly, it’s best to put them in a dark but warm room where the sunlight isn’t going to get to them. Sunlight is one of the biggest killers of sailing and dinghy ropes, especially those which do poke out of the boat cover.
When you go to put your sailing ropes back onto your boat check your pulleys, cleats and boat for abrasion points. If your rope is running around a sharp item or pulley that doesn’t work then it’s not going to last as long. At that point it’s probably time to replace the hardware on the boat, or add some protective tape to reduce friction.
Caring for your ropes is important, we see lots of people pulling their boat from the water to their boat parking space with a mainsheet trailing across the concrete. This is a very fast way to reduce the ropes lifetime and create weak areas.
Another important factor is to use the right rope for the job. Yes, we all love a bit of cheap string but sometimes a cheap bit of rope won’t last as long, costing you more money over time. Check what sort of load each line is going to be taking, obviously control systems, sheets and halyards are going to take the biggest loads. You’ll be fine with a bargain bit of floatline for your boats painter though!
If you use a rope which isn’t suitable you’ll see your sails start to have problems. For example if a rope can’t act correctly as a halyard you’ll see it stretching and your sail starting to drop from where it should be, no matter how much you try and tighten the halyard it won’t work. If you’re unsure of which rope you need then please just give us a call, or drop us an email – we are always more than happy to help.
If you’ve got any questions about which boat rope is going to be best for you, or if you just want to talk through the options then feel free to give us a call.
Helpful and fast service
Helpful and fast
Really speedy dispatch after easy buying process.
Great to see minimal packaging used to help the environment.
Great price. We'll informed with delivery updates. Once arrived it was better than I expected. Great cover well made
The breathable poly cotton cover is very good quality heavy material. Fits the boat well.
Delivery very prompt.
The twine was exactly as described and perfect for the job.
Responded immediately and with excellent knowledge and customer service. Fast delivery. Can’t recommend enough!
the product is perfect main sail repaired ready to go
Excellent strong lightweight clips ideal for swapping out flags easily
to be used for trapeze lines - hopefully will withstand UV better than other cheaper versions.....
Ordered and it arrived within 2 days.. Superb personalised service. Would highly recommend this website. Thank you.
Super service, dispatched next day and arrived in time... Fantastic service.
These blocks are a nice balance between quality and weight - I needed something light for jib sheet clew blocks as I didn’t want too much weight hanging on the corner, and it needed to run smoothly (and stay running smoothly) - these fit bill nicely. The sheave is also more protected than other blocks where the edges can get chewed up where they hit the mast.
Used the Dyneema to make soft shackles. Spliced easily but was noticeably “tighter” when pulling through the tails than I found for similar 4mm Dyneema. Glad for the set of Fids. However I ordered the black colour and whilst it was easy to mark up white Dyneema for planning the splices I couldn’t see the pen marks I made on the black rope. I suppose I should have thought of this and got a white marker! Overall very happy.
Easy to order and promptly sent. Used the 4mm Dyneema to make soft shackles - my first attempts - found it easy to splice and it has made some useful and strong shackles.