3-strand twisted vs braided nylon for strength & looks

[guy48065]

I suck at weaving a tidy eye splice with twisted rope. Is a long buried splice using braided just as strong?

 

[Bob_VT]

Actually no however, what are you going to be using the lines for? The tidy eye splice is stronger and the buried splice will still hold (but is more at risk under heavy loads.

 

[Chris1956]

Twisted nylon line has more give than solid braided nylon line. Twisted nylon line is normally used for anchor lines. Solid nylon braided line is used for dock lines. It is not hard to create an eye splice in twisted line. Practice a bit, and you will get it. Your splice may be a bit ugly, but it will hold.

Hollow braided line is usually polypropylene line, and is normally unsuitable for any serious usage.

 

[kjsAZ]

Teufelsberger or as they were previously called New England Ropes have some really nice and complete splicing guides for 3-strand twisted double braided ropes. http://www.neropes.com/Interim Page Alternate.html . I was really bad in it too but after I followed their guide they came out really good. I don't like the 3-strand twisted ones on my small boat as they never coil up as well as the double braided ones. Double braided is also nicer to the hands.
If you use doubled braided you better use some stretching material attached to them. I use a replica of the Drop-N-Stay for the anchor which also makes the boat less swing and simple bungee cord intertwined to the dock line to get the "shock absorbers".... That worked actually better than the 3-strands for this purpose and costs close to nothing.
http://www.pinzi.us/boating/Drop-N-Stay_replica.pdf

Hollow braided line is usually polypropylene line, and is normally unsuitable for any serious usage.

It's reasonably well suited for hanging clothing to dry...... Just deteriorates a bit fast in the sun.

 

[Texasmark]

I learned to splice in the Sea Explorer Scouts, BSA. When I worked on the tugs the last 2 summers in high school, I taught the regulars how to splice. I use the eye splice for all my anchor lines with the metallic eye sleeve. Main thing in keeping your splice looking good is to keep it tight and keep twisting your individual (3) strands to keep them all together and tight then every time you make a round, tighten it all up.

No doubt www has instructions on how to do it. The main thing to get right is the 3rd strand which you turn the work over and reach across from the rear, catch that lonely strand looking right at you and tuck back under it. Once you get the first lay, the rest is just repetition.

HTH,
Mark

 

[guy48065]

Hollow braided line is usually polypropylene line, and is normally unsuitable for any serious usage.

I found some braided nylon with removable core at a coastal hardware so I bought 20' with hopes it would be suitable. The weave was still so tight I couldn't shove a fid very far up the middle so I added it to the "assorted ropes" pile in the basement :-/
I had a length of loose-weave braided synthetic winch rope (Amsteel, Dyneema, etc) and that made some very presentable dock lines. I notice the selection of synthetics is growing at my local West Marine so even though expensive they must be catching on for small boats.

Meanwhile I'll practice my 3-strand splices while watching TV...

 

[HalfFish5087]

Twisted nylon line has more give than solid braided nylon line. Twisted nylon line is normally used for anchor lines. Solid nylon braided line is used for dock lines. It is not hard to create an eye splice in twisted line. Practice a bit, and you will get it. Your splice may be a bit ugly, but it will hold.

Hollow braided line is usually polypropylene line, and is normally unsuitable for any serious usage.

Chris, I thought this was the other way around. Not saying your wrong, but I'm just trying to understand. Like you say, the twisted has more give and seems like it would be better suited for docklines so its a little easier on your boat. And the braided appears to coil better and is a little better on the hands so it seems as it would be best to use for anchor line. Again, not knocking you just trying to learn.

 

[doyall]

Link to an animated, step-by-step guide to tying boating knots:

http://www.animatedknots.com/indexboating.php

And a rope comparison from a guide on eBay nonetheless:

When buying anchor rope, you are likely to encounter two types of nylon rope: twisted and braided. All nylon rope makes an excellent choice for anchor rope and the difference between braided rope and twisted rope really comes down to stiffness and whether you need to splice the rope or not.

Twisted Rope	Braided Rope
More stiff and less flexible. Fairly easy to splice. Generally less expensive. Has more stretch than braided. Has a tendancy to kink or hockle.	Less stiff and more flexible. Difficult to splice. Frequently stronger than twisted rope. Looks better. Easier on the hands. Less stretch than twisted rope.
Shared Features of All Types of Nylon Rope
Nylon stretches. This allows the line to absorb a portion of the load placed on it from wind and wave action. Nylon absorbs much more of the loading energy when anchored compared to natural fibers like Manila and Cotton. This allows the anchor to remain set rather than pulled out. The fact nylon stretches creates heat within the fibers, eventually breaking down the rope and leading to failure.

If you use braided rope, use these:

Rope clamps solve the tedious task of splicing. It's patent pending design gives it the strength to far exceed rope manufacturers recommended weights. Made from space age composite material. Brass threaded inserts are molded in one half of the clamp and stainless steel screws are used to tighten the halves together.

 

[Chris1956]

I like the anchor line to have some stretch (give). It gives a better ride at anchor. It is also a lot cheaper than double braid.

In my usage, the dock lines do not need to stretch, as I use whips and bumpers, therefore double braided line is suitable. I also like the double braid line strength and especially it's resistance to chafing.