How much rope do you carry? is it enough?

As i am cleaning out the locker on my boat (Albin 27) i am finding more and more rope. Most of it is in serviceable condition and after cleaning out what is not i am still left with 600' by my estimate of various sizes and lengths plus about 100' on the anchor. seems like over kill to me but i am new to boating on this scale. i have 1000's of hours on small freshwater lakes where 2 cuts of 30-40' will serve any need i have ever ran into.

Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

I have about 700 feet including a secondary anchoring rode. I have storage room so I'm not tripping over it.

Giggitoni said:

Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

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That needs to be embossed on a plaque and mounted on my locker hatch.

What do you need all the rope for? You'd be surprised.

I like to have enough on board to always double up on my dock lines encase bad weather is due in and I can not be hauled out, If rolled tight and stowed correctly, lot of extra line can be towed aboard. Sitting home will not help out when you need it.

It's not uncommon to have a set of permanent "home" dock lines (unless you don't actually have a home dock), as well as a set of permanent traveling dock lines... plus extra dock lines for storms... and of course the anchor rode... and the spare anchor rode (at least one)... plus extra lines just 'cause...

-Chris

I have waaay more than I need, but like the man said, better to have it aboard.
If line length per waterline length was a measurement I think I could be a contender.

Just to take a different position for a 27 foot boat:

six 30 ft lines times 2 - spares and heavy weather
anchor line
spare anchor line
100' of tow line - which could be the spare anchor line.

Space on a boat is a premium and there are lots of spares that can be carried which may be needed immediately, such as pumps, impellers, filters, oil, hoses, light bulbs etc. Save some of the space for them.

Anyway. It is easy to collect line and hoses beyond what you can expect to use without having access to a store.

Just my opinion of course.

Marty

I'm swapping out all my block & tackle equipment on my davits, dinghy crane, and mast & boom for single amsteel 5400 lb. line, so I've lost lots of length there, but I figure there's still around 4-500' of various sizes here and there.

I have two 600' spools of 1 1/4". One stows in the anchor locker and the other is going to placed in the stern. Also probably another 400' of random line here and there to tie up the ol' girl.

ranger42c said:

It's not uncommon to have a set of permanent "home" dock lines (unless you don't actually have a home dock), as well as a set of permanent traveling dock lines... plus extra dock lines for storms... and of course the anchor rode... and the spare anchor rode (at least one)... plus extra lines just 'cause...

-Chris

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This is how I roll!!!.....or....uhhhh......float!

We have anchored in fairly deep water 250-400ft.

It takes many lines ( 5 or 6 ) shakled together to get 1000 ft of line out.

But it does work if you want to catch some Z,ss alongshore and the wind is mild.

We barely have 10 ft of chain so hauling it back aboard (60lb anchor) is no big deal for the hyd windlass.

Overnight anchor line will be light ,1/2 or so the storm at 5/8 and the hurricane at 7/8 or 1 inch , but all strung together has enough spring to give a smooth night in mild swell.

I have permanent dock lines for my slip and numerous extras for traveling, my main anchor has ~150' of 5/16" chain, plus an extra anchor with about 150' of 1/2 line, plus about 250' of 1/2" floating line on a spool.

I'm a single hander on the great loop so my situation is a bit different but:
I have about 400 feet of line/rode in service (a combination of 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch). In addition I have 300 feet of 1/2 inch double braid on a hose reel that can be used to tie to shore, make up new lines etc.

I also have 150 feet of double braid on board that can be used to replace worn fender whips and various other jobs. Plus of cours 10 fenders each with 6 foot 3/8 whips.

All of this may seem like overkill but for a cruising trawler perhaps not. Last night I was anchored on the Tombigbee tucked in behind a bridge with 100 feet of chain out on my bow anchor plus 50 feet of stern rode out. Tonight I am rafted off another trawler at Bobby's Fish Camp with all lines doubled. It is possible another trawler will wind up rafted off of me.

So, as always, the answer is dependent on how you use your boat. If you spend most of your time at your home dock, with occasional trips to local marinas, then 600 feet is likely more than you need.

Have fun,
Arch

I'm down to a less than 100' of dock line (1/2") but I never dock so what's the point of having lots? I do have 60' of 3/8's" 12-strand. Before Tropical storm Beryl I had three more 25-40' pieces of 3/4", 5/8" and and 1" that were damaged (used as snubbers) I started and finished with 3 snubbers (added/swapped during the eye) but those lines all had chafe by morning and the lengths left rendered them useless so off the boat they went.

There's not much worse than a locker filled with ridiculously short pieces of frayed line. I wouldn't keep a line less than 15' with ONE exception:

I was on a 110' Schooner (Steelaway is just 80' on deck if memory serves me) and I noticed when raising her sails she had rope with round balls that rolled up the mast... so I started thinking. I found some heavy duty 1" PVC pipe (not the skinny thin walled stuff) and cut it into 3" lengths. Then, using a sander I rounded off the edges of the ends. Those I put onto a short line that I use when at a non-floating dock. It will roll up and down the piling and at midships, keeps me tucked safely near the dock. Just an idea, for a piece or two of your junk line.

The good stuff: keep. For me, I like the feel of the braids (better hand) but 3-strand has a lot of bounce so keep both. There are some nice storage setups I've seen used in aft lockers (hanging the lines from hooks) so if you can make them tidy? I don't like line in a locker that gets damp because of the potential damage from mildew. Hanging the lines will dry.

On my stop anchor (Hydrobubble 16 lbs.) I've got 110' of 1/2 three-strand and a ridiculously short hunk of chain, so if I needed more line I've got it available.

I don't like line in a locker that gets damp because of the potential damage from mildew. Hanging the lines will dry.

Hemp , cotton , natural stuff line for sure but ON Nylon?

I have plenty of mooring lines and 400' of anchor lines. I also keep lots of extra line in the hold in a plastic tub. Could be about twenty or more lines there of varying lengths and sizes. Always seem to need extra lines to hold the dinghy down, hang a fender, make up lines for the dinghy, Tie things to keep them from moving around when Willy starts rolling and she can become quite a good roller. Never counted them and never intend to. I have basically the same system at home too. More than one tub there.

At home I like to have plenty of fairly short pieces of wood that I call dunnage to put things on keeping them off the ground. Longer pieces make good prybars. I was like a fish out of water when we first got to Alaska w/o any dunnage. Collected it as fast as I could and being sourrounded by sawmills it didn't take long.

FF tell us about anchoring in "250 to 400' of water. Do you have a reel type winch or a big capstan?

Wow. i guess i am about right. i will make room and keep it onboard.

FF said:

I don't like line in a locker that gets damp because of the potential damage from mildew. Hanging the lines will dry.

Hemp , cotton , natural stuff line for sure but ON Nylon?

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You're correct of course. Too many times when emptying out lockers the bottom line coils have been rendered useless by mold. As I'd not seen hanging lines with growth I made the correlation (oops!) that hanging prevented mildew. Airflow of course is an additional factor.

When cruising though there needs to be a way to stow lines that are wet -- my snubber for instance. What do you suggest? I don't have a great method so would like to know how others solve the "put away damp" or "dry first" (where?) dilemma.

The chain goes into the locker wet of course. Still one of the things I do when I get to a dock is remove chain, give it a fresh water rinse and then repaint the markers.

eseyoung said:

Wow. i guess i am about right. i will make room and keep it onboard.

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I would think so. You might find that anchor rode a bit short, depending on where you anchor. Hope you've go some chain on that anchor.

I just added up my estimated line length, not counting my five permanent dock lines:

Anchor 1 - 120' chain, 240' line
Anchor 2 - 30' chain, 200 ' line
Anchor 3 - 10' chain, 100 ' line
5 traveling dock lines - 15-30' each
4 dinghy lines - 15 ' each
2 nylon tow lines - 35' and 100'
2 extra long mooring lines for Angel Island - 120 ' each
1 bucket of line - 150'

What an eye opener!! I've got over 1000 ft of line on my little 34 footer!

eseyoung said:

As i am cleaning out the locker on my boat (Albin 27) i am finding more and more rope. Most of it is in serviceable condition and after cleaning out what is not i am still left with 600' by my estimate of various sizes and lengths plus about 100' on the anchor. seems like over kill to me but i am new to boating on this scale. i have 1000's of hours on small freshwater lakes where 2 cuts of 30-40' will serve any need i have ever ran into.

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OK I will say it!

Rope or Lines?

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

OK I will say it!

Rope or Lines?

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Generally bulk "rope"...but when assigned a specific job it become a "line"...

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

OK I will say it!

Rope or Lines?

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Rope while stored. Lines when used to tie off the boat.

You guys just are not fun.....

Rope or line, it`s like torches/flashlights, within reason you can`t have too much.

lets see...
In the anchor locker, 200ft of nylon attached to 220ft of chain.
mooring lines, home set, docking set, two older sets for spares, each set 2x 30' + 2 x 15', so 90'x4. 360'
tow line 100'
shore tie 500'
hoisting (mast and davits) 4x30, 120'
dinghy anchor, 100'
odds and ends, another 100'
total: 1500'

re mold: my anchor chain rests on my nylon rode. The nylon is perpetually wet, in a non-ventilated locker. No mold. Go figure.

Every time I pick up the Coot from the KKMI boatyard after maintenance/repair, they offer me the choice of a braided-nylon line about 20 feet in length or a bottle of wine. First accepted the line but now the bottle since I'm "up to here" on lines. The last bottle of wine "cost" me four BOAT bucks. The bottle is in the right foreground:

It's rope even aboard a boat until it gets employed in the operation of running the boat. Then it's a line.

manyboats said:

It's rope even aboard a boat until it gets employed in the operation of running the boat. Then it's a line.

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Eric, gimme a break! I don't have a bell, so there won't be a need for a rope onboard.