Re: When to replace rope?
I learned the hard way on this. During the first trip of my second season of boating I pulled out the rope that was used the prior year. The rope looked bad, and was starting to flake apart. Since it was the first run of the new season, we decided to use the rope. I was driving, and my BIL was trying to get up on a slalom. Shortly after hammering the throttle to pull my BIL up, the rope snapped near the handle. My BIL's fist recoiled into his own chest. Both his fist and his chest were really sore after this. His PFD absorbed a lot of the energy, and prevented a more severe injury. Looking back, we were lucky that his fist recoiled into his chest, and not into his face. He could have been knocked out cold on the water. I am strong, but I don't want to try dragging a 190 pound unconscious man into my boat. We were lucky, and I resolved after this incident that I would only use ropes that appeared to be in perfect condition.