eBay three strand?

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dhays

dhays

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Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
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Location
United States
Vessel Name
Kinship
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North Pacific 43
I noticed yesterday that some of my permanent dock lines are stating to get a bit too chafed for even my rather high tolerance. Some I can cut and simply make shorter, but some others are going to need to be replaced. I like to use nylon three strand for the stretch and can easily splice them myself.

I really don't want to spend more than a $1/foot for the line and can fine some cheap line on ebay. It is definitely "budget" quality but I have doubts that I could spend twice the money and have the line last twice as long. While we do get some big storms on occasion, my harbor is pretty well protected and I am in a slip with fingers on both sides so I am pretty secure.

So, what are your thoughts on cheap line and do any of you know a good source for inexpensive nylon three strand?
 
Maybe provide a link to the ebay advt. Even if it seems cheap, and on ebay,the quality can be fine.
 
That company has a website with a dealer locator. You could at least go see the quality of the line before buying it.

Ted
 
I bought 100 feet of 3 strand 1/2 inch from rope king off amazon a few years ago. It was fine. I use it as another anchor line with a small danforth.
 
I had never heard of Rope King but looking it up online it appears to be a real rope manufacturer based in Ohio. The ONLY thing I have bought off Ebay that was not what I expected was rope. I bought a 600' spool of 3/8 nylon that turned out to be some kind of extremely cheap poly (Not even sure really) it formed hockles coming off the spool and it was downhill from there.

Ken
 
AlaskaProf said:
West specifies Samson 5/8" breaking strength as 12,000#. Home Depot says their stuff "load limit" = 1,200#. Not sure that is the same thing, but I'd be wary.
Click to expand...
Yes curious, but likely key punch operator dropped a digit?

Here is their contact number.
Rope King USA - 440-498-1648 - 30255 Solon Industrial Parkway, Solon, OH 44139

When I looked into buying mine, I read of some complaints on amazon, yet I thought the complaints more fishy, like coming from competitors. The rope I got looked great, felt great, seemed to be everything you will expect from 3 strand rope and so far works great as an anchor line. All 100 feet I examined saw no flaws.
 
Actually all of the Rope King ropes seem to spec load limit at roughly 10% of what I would expect the breaking strength of the size would be. I also noticed that all their ropes state nylon-polyester blend and that they float.

Ken
 
kchace said:
Actually all of the Rope King ropes seem to spec load limit at roughly 10% of what I would expect the breaking strength of the size would be. I also noticed that all their ropes state nylon-polyester blend and that they float.

Ken
Click to expand...
When you said they all float, you made me look back and see what I bought.

My rope does not float.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005TLVQ0I/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Who knows what it can hold, but it has held fine. It is not looking any different from new in 2015 when I got it. Seems every bit the same as all other 3 strand I have seen. Comments are getting pretty ragged?

I took screenshot of what I purchased.
 

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I wont buy rope I cant feel. Tight lay is critical to strength and durability.
I once bought some soft nylon that looked great but would hockled as soon as load was released. The better stuff seems to have a strand of poly in it that serves as a stress indicator. If it has broken the nylon has been over stressed.

Washing machine hose makes great chafe guards. For 5/8"-1" rope. Smooth inside and cheap and easy to find.
 
sdowney717 said:
I bought 100 feet of 3 strand 1/2 inch from rope king off amazon a few years ago. It was fine. I use it as another anchor line with a small danforth.
Click to expand...



That is good feedback. Rope King is available from Home Depot and if you pick it up at the store, no shipping.
 
dhays said:
That is good feedback. Rope King is available from Home Depot and if you pick it up at the store, no shipping.
Click to expand...

Here is a pic of my braiding it for the anchor right after I bought it.
I dropped a few tucks, but it holds. I even dipped it in white latex paint as an experiment.

I use this off the stern for a lunch anchor just for convenience. It has held even when the wind picked up and went under a lot of tension. The Danforth is real small, maybe 8 lbs, but it really can bite in and hold.

If you ordered from HD and did not like it, they would refund you.
 

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I'd sure make an argument for the better quality double braided line. There's nothing worse than trying to wind up a rope that twists around and just doesn't work. And when the cheap stuff fails......
 
I ended up getting a 600' spool of Seachoice 5/8" Nylon three strand off eBay. $240 including shipping.

My thought is that for the price and for my use, I can hardly go wrong.
 
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Seevee said:
I'd sure make an argument for the better quality double braided line. There's nothing worse than trying to wind up a rope that twists around and just doesn't work. And when the cheap stuff fails......
Click to expand...


Keep in mind that I am going to use it for my permanent dock lines. They don't get handled much. I splice them and have them sized for my dock and my boat. They don't get rolled up but stay laid out on the dock when not in use.

For the dock lines that I keep on the boat for traveling, I use a quality double braid.
 
dhays said:
I ended up getting a 600' spool of Seachoice 5/8" Nylon three strand off eBay. $240 including shipping.

My thought is that for the price and for my use, I can hardly go wrong.
Click to expand...

You got great price on that line.
Prices for rope seem to be going up a lot, too much.
 
sdowney717 said:
When you said they all float, you made me look back and see what I bought.

My rope does not float.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005TLVQ0I/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Who knows what it can hold, but it has held fine. It is not looking any different from new in 2015 when I got it. Seems every bit the same as all other 3 strand I have seen. Comments are getting pretty ragged?

I took screenshot of what I purchased.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was only going by what they showed on their web site under "Nylon Rope". It only lists load rating, not tensile strength. They have a category called "Marine Rope", but when I click on that I get nothing. So maybe they have a different spec for that?

Ken
 
The thing to look for in three strand nylon is pre-shrunk. The reason is that it is much more abrasion resistant. Only the big manufacturers do this and it does cost more. Both Samson and New England make pre-shrunk lines.

Pre-shrunk ropes will have a harder lay than cheaper lines and be slightly harder to splice.

Look for terms like pre-shrunk, steam set, or heat set. The rope should feel to hard in your hand. It should be difficult to unlay when you twist it.

Cheap ropes often don't meet industry standards for strength. When they don't twist the line as tightly, they don't need to put as much nylon into it to make the diameter. They can be significantly weaker.

In my store I sold Samson and Sea-Dog rope. The Samson was significantly stronger. The strengths were clearly marker on the spools and boxes.

Dave, Seachoice is a house brand for a big marine distributor, Land N Sea. It is imported from Asia and not great quality. Put some kind of chafe guard on the contact points.
 
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O C Diver said:
That company has a website with a dealer locator. You could at least go see the quality of the line before buying it.

Ted
Click to expand...

UV stabilization or lack of is something you can't see until its to late.
I have bought cheap rope in Oz before , not for the boat, that has failed miserably in the sun.
 
dhays said:
Keep in mind that I am going to use it for my permanent dock lines. They don't get handled much. I splice them and have them sized for my dock and my boat. They don't get rolled up but stay laid out on the dock when not in use.

For the dock lines that I keep on the boat for traveling, I use a quality double braid.
Click to expand...

Dhays,

Makes more sense for fixed dock lines.
 
dhays said:
..................... I really don't want to spend more than a $1/foot for the line and can fine some cheap line on ebay. It is definitely "budget" quality .............
Click to expand...

Do you consider your boat a "budget quality" boat?

Sometimes, cheap line is OK. Lines you might need for negotiating locks, for example.

For normal use at your home slip or as a transient, I would suggest higher quality line. Sometimes you can find deals on name brand line and that's a good choice if it suits your needs. Sometimes the marine retailers have sales on quality, name brand lines. That's another way to save money.

In the long run, saving a few dollars on suspect docklines is probably not the best choice.
 
WesK said:
Do you consider your boat a "budget quality" boat?
...
In the long run, saving a few dollars on suspect docklines is probably not the best choice.
Click to expand...

:thumb:
 
HopCar said:
The thing to look for in three strand nylon is pre-shrunk. The reason is that it is much more abrasion resistant. Only the big manufacturers do this and it does cost more. Both Samson and New England make pre-shrunk lines.

Pre-shrunk ropes will have a harder lay than cheaper lines and be slightly harder to splice.

Look for terms like pre-shrunk, steam set, or heat set. The rope should feel to hard in your hand. It should be difficult to unlay when you twist it.

Cheap ropes often don't meet industry standards for strength. When they don't twist the line as tightly, they don't need to put as much nylon into it to make the diameter. They can be significantly weaker.

In my store I sold Samson and Sea-Dog rope. The Samson was significantly stronger. The strengths were clearly marker on the spools and boxes.

Dave, Seachoice is a house brand for a big marine distributor, Land N Sea. It is imported from Asia and not great quality. Put some kind of chafe guard on the contact points.
Click to expand...



Thanks HopCar. I am going to look at what type of chafe protection I can use. Most of the chafe problem is where it it tied to the dock cleats. I get very little on the boat side.

FWIW, I have no illusions as to the line quality. I have had inexpensive three strand before and while it is easier to unlay than high quality line, the resulting splices are not as good.

I have considered putting a length of chain around the dock cleat and then just using a shackle to attach the line with a galvanized thimble spliced into it to attaché the line to the chain. That would solve the dockside chafe.
 
Dave since these lines live on your home dock, I think the chains are a great idea. Make the chains long enough to overhang the edge of the dock. That's how I rig my hurricane lines.
 
dhays said:
Keep in mind that I am going to use it for my permanent dock lines. They don't get handled much. I splice them and have them sized for my dock and my boat. They don't get rolled up but stay laid out on the dock when not in use.

For the dock lines that I keep on the boat for traveling, I use a quality double braid.
Click to expand...

Agree, nothing more frustrating than replacing expensive line when cheap will do just fine for your application.

Plus, for permanent line, three strand is easy to splice and redo every time you get a chafe spot.

I have contemplated just making up cheap loops for cleats (boat and dock) then using normal dock lines between so they don't get worn on fittings.
 
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