General types of ropes

In this chapter you will get familiar with one of the most important things about a yacht - the ropes. If we make a broad comparison to the human organism - the rope to a yacht are like the blood vessels to our body. Here you will learn what are the basic things from which ropes are made of, what special functions they have, how they are properly stored, what to avoid, and some other useful tips. There are more than 1500 knots, but actually about 15 are crucial to your cruising, and a few other techniques which you will learn. It is very easy to estimate however experienced one sailor is by the way he handles ropes.

In the past all types of rope, cord, string, twines every thin movable connection between two things was made of combed and shredded fibres of special plant stems (in some cases also with stalks and leaves). The renewable crops used to make ropes were cotton, sisal, manilla, hemp, coir and others. However they had strong and weak points. In addition to being eco-friendly, they get stronger when wet. But the negative sides are that they are hard on hands and tend to rot.

In the course of time, natural-fibre ropes were almost entirely replaced by synthetic ones. The two main materials are nylon and polyester - whose trade names are (for the former) Polyamid, Bri-nylon and Enkalon. For the latter: Terylene, Dacron, Tergal and Fortrel. There is also a good type of rope - organic polymer called aramid (trade name "Kevlar"). The cheaper equivalent is polypropylene. The latest trends in rope making can be found as Dyneema, Spectra and Admiral 2000. Generally, nylon stretches, so it can be used in tow lines and anchors, whereas Polyester stays rigid - so it is better for standing rigging and other cases where stretch is unwanted. The outer cordage comes in many colours, you can even use this for sorting out and organization. Dacron is used principally for running rigging on yachts, mainly for sheets where stretching should not happen. The weakest synthetic fibres are polypropylene and polyethylene - they are actually one and the same thing, just the name is different. Though they have one advantage and it is that they float. Polypro lines are used on yachts for tow-ropes, crab-trap lines, man overboard and the dinghy. You'd better store it in nylon, and not in a place with direct sunlight. The adamant aramid fiber "Kevlar" is exclusively strong and unstretchable. It is self-abrasive and the stiffest one among all synthetic ropes. It requires bigger-diameter of sheaves. Kevlar is often combines with another fiber called Spectra, which helps reducing abrasion. The most common use of Kevlar is at halyard.
Wire Fibers - they are made from phosphor bronze, not coated steel, stainless steel and galvanized stile. The most commonly used, for it has the greatest qualities is the stainless steel. Galvanized is cheaper and more flexible, but it needs more maintenance, so it more and more being replaced by stainless or Kevlar.

Rope weaving
You should understand the principle of the rope constructions in order to have insight into how they work and thus - use them more optimally. The manner in which the rope is weaved influences its elasticity and strength very much.

Braided Rope - it is strong and resistant to wear and kinking. Made of yarns and strands - with 1, 2, 3 or 4 fibers in a strand. Then in the cover braid, the double braided ropes there are 16, 20, 24 or 42 threads. One made from 8 is called "plaited line". A plaited line is flat, whereas a braided - round. The plaited ropes cannot be spliced, they are much smaller. And they are used for flag halyards, sail ties and other (relatively weak) miscellaneous work. Polypropylene ropes are often plaited, while the other synthetic are double-braided.
Twisted rope - Natural fibre ropes are generally twisted. The fibres in the yarns are twisted reversely to the opposite direction from the yarns in a rope. The opposite twisting balances the internal stresses in the rope and strengthens it. It can be twisted clockwise or counterclockwise. In certain cases a fourth strand comes and forms another core around which the other strands get twisted.
Wire Rope - there are three general ways in which it is built - 7 x 7 ; 1 x 19 and 7 x 19. The first type has 7 wires bent into a bundle called a strand (equivalent to a yarn in natural fibre rope).1 x 19 is made by 18 wires surrounding one thick metal line. 7 x 19 is the most complicated - it uses bundles surrounding 19-strand core. 7x7 is most often used by fishers, while sailors prefer 1 x 19 generally.

The Properties of ropes The most crucial things are resistance to corrosion/abrasion, strength and elasticity.

When you make your choice, you should take a couple of things into consideration.

The strength of the rope is the factor which tells you how much load it can lift and if it works. Strength of a rope is expressed in pounds per square inch. The strength of rope can be calculated by multiplying the rope's quotient by the area of the rope in square inches. For the quotient you should have a table with you. The strength also depends on the material from which the rope is made. The elongation is a factor showing how much a rope stretches is of three type - permanent, elastic and plastic.

Abrasion Resistance is a factor which tells you whether and how long the rope will sustain particular pressure at pulleys, winches and other wearing conditions (where there is torsion).

Water Repellency will prompt you on how much rope avoids swelling when went and to a what extent it becomes stiff and unruly.

Extremely important among the factors is called flexibility. This concerns rope agility and the ease to handle it in various working conditions. You should treat your ropes as if they are alive - and know your capacity for falling, slinging, hoisting, towing, etc. Realize how crucial is that, and when you have opportunity get to learn them (in controlled circumstances).

Finally, we come to the size, which is the last essential aspect of ropes. Some people think it is the most important factor. It is easy to see why - if you opt for an undersized rope, there will be over-strain and possibility of breaking.
By boat size, the circumference in cm (or inches, respectively), of the diameter. Rope is any cord larger than 10 mm in diameter.
Smaller is "cordage" or "twine". Ropes used for specific purposes are called "lines".

Beware that some ropes are prone to fraying. This is a process of thinning by gradually losing fibres, layer by layer.