What ever you want to call them, soft goods etc, mine had algae. The line that runs up the mast, main halyard, was mostly covered in green algae but the part that run in the sail track looked new. I put the rope in a bucket with laundry detergent and some bleach. I agitated it like you would a washing machine... a few time, soak, etc., then laid out to dry...

Rope looks new. Just saved another $60 in not having to replace a halyard.

Rope pricing is getting out of hand...that washing ropes, appear to be a wonderful solution for making older ropes look good.



Edited by goodsailing on Feb 12, 2015 - 01:50 PM.

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Goodsailing

Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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Washing does indeed clean lines up nicely. I even wash them in the washing machine, using fabric softener in the rinse cycle. The lines come out tangled, but that's just a few minutes to undo. Do be aware that old lines, washed or not, lose some strength with time. Probably not an issue for sheets, but might be on a highly loaded line.

For new double braid line I've been using Novabraid from sailcare.com, good price, similar to Sta Set in construction and feel.

Dave

davefarmer

Washing does indeed clean lines up nicely. I even wash them in the washing machine, using fabric softener in the rinse cycle. The lines come out tangled, but that's just a few minutes to undo. Do be aware that old lines, washed or not, lose some strength with time. Probably not an issue for sheets, but might be on a highly loaded line.

For new double braid line I've been using Novabraid from sailcare.com, good price, similar to Sta Set in construction and feel.

Dave

I did the first run in the machine, then realized it was quicker, and more efficient to do it in a bucket. These are not rock climbing ropes so less emphasis on rope care and use.

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Goodsailing

Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
--

Quote

These are not rock climbing ropes so less emphasis on rope care and use.

climbing ropes are dominated by the requirement that they effectively absorb and dissipate the energy /
sailing ropes require high stiffness values to maximize their effectiveness and enable sailors to control sails and equipment precisely

Both types of rope can be the difference between a good weekend vs a terrible one (or worse)

I personally would not use bad / weak / or damaged running rigging (nor standing rigging ) in any critical area (main/jib/outhauls/downhauls/barberhaulers/spin tach&sheet, center board return lines, etc)

I have seen old lines fail too often:

I have seen catamarans on the beach blown away in a squall because OLD 1/2' lines were OLD and failed. the boat was "caught" by a cemented in bench and mangroves, otherwise ... it was gone (in a bay)

(rope) Jib halyards can fail and the jib falls down (at the worst possible time) - risking the sail

I saw (the aftermath) pf a Prindle 19 after it continued straight down the road (the car and trailer had made a right) because the tie down lines failed.

I would inspect all lines closely. lines with visible wear or uv fading should not be used in critical areas.

davefarmer

Washing does indeed clean lines up nicely. I even wash them in the washing machine, using fabric softener in the rinse cycle. The lines come out tangled, but that's just a few minutes to undo.

Buy or "borrow" a lingerie or sweater mesh washing bag and put the lines inside, they will be less tangled but more importantly you don't run the risk of them snagging in the washing machine moving parts.

Reccomend Oxiclean instead of regular laundry soap.

Should also probably be noted not to put them in the dryer after washing, no need and the heat can't do anything positive to the line.

http://www.amazon.com/Blu…r-lingerie/dp/B00GXUFCYU


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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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That's a great idea, thanks Damon!

Dave

Old pillow cases work quite well as well. I have several that I keep just for washing lines. 1 line per case or a couple of short ones. Load 4-6 cases in washing machine and in 30 min you have new looking lines.

Quote

Reccomend oxiclean instead of regular laundry soap.

+1
Oxyclean works wonders on organic stains, think grass, blood, algae, greases from foods. If the stain is non organic, such as rust, it doesn't do much.
It's effectiveness doubles when used as directed, ie fully dissolved & mixed with the hottest tap water you have.
I mix it in a wash bucket of hot water, toss items in, agitate them briefly, then leave them to soak. After an hour, pour the entire bucket into the wash.
It's surprising how well kids sports items, your white socks, & lines come out.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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Lets see. The purpose in washing some of the ropes (the tramp ropes will be thrown out) were to make them look new-like at a savings of $60 in replacement value of just one rope, to have new looking rope, not buy a new rope. Fortunately my wife likes to clean and keeps plenty of detergent on hand including Ox-y-clean which by the way says on the package--- doesn't contain chlorine. We also have plenty of pillow cases here too! (Yes I've known about washing ropes in pillow cases, but this is not a 60 meter 10mm rope so any tangles can be easily dealt with, our machine doesn't even have a spindle agitator, just a barrel. I mentioned washing by hand was easier. Now, thinking I need chlorine, I elected to use the laundry detergent and a half of cup of bleach. Sure, I could buy detergent and special Victoria Secret laundry washing bags, but when you figure your time and expenses doing that, would surely eat into the $60 savings I'm getting at


You must figure your total cost. Why would I buy an old boat to have some fun, just to put in a huge amount of money into it, to fresh-in it up a bit?
A bucket, water, and some on-hand detergent and bleach, and a little sweat equity, tossing the rope around will do, aside from the fact that you might hear this while back there in the laundry room:

ARE YOU USING ALL MY BLEACH DOING YOUR ROPES!

No hun,

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Goodsailing

Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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PLEASE stop with the ROPES.

From Dave's link http://sailcare.com/noropeonaboat.shtml

a personal story from Jerry ...

No Rope On A Boat!!!
Ever wonder why there are so many ways to refer to all the ropes, line, and cordage
on a boat? You're not alone!! Here's a personal story from Jerry that explains a lot.

My wife Sam and I learned this lesson back in the late 70s, when we first got into sailing. We had just taken our first boat (a 22 ft. Venture) out on the lake for only the second time. All in all it went ok; docking was a bit of a challenge but we got it into the slip with no damage. A couple across the dock came over and gave us a hand and invited us over for a cold beer.

As I stepped from the dock over the lifelines he stopped me. He pointed to the cables holding up the mast, then stepped over the life lines onto the deck of the boat and said "try stepping off the dock onto the boat at the shrouds." Made sense!

As we took a seat in the cockpit Sam commented that he sure had a lot of ropes on the boat. Both he and his wife stopped and looked at us in open-mouthed amazement. Then he said, "Sam, there are no ropes on a boat - only sheets, lines and halyards!"

We were embarrassed but our host went on to explain how crucial rope/line is on sailboats and how important it is to know what each one is, what it does, and what it's called.

The ropes that control the sails (both main and jib/genoa) are called sheets. The ropes that pull the main & jib/genoa up into position for use are called halyards. The rest of the ropes are called lines with a name like dock line, outhaul line, reef line, down haul line, Cunningham line and so on.

So "rope" is just is not a good enough term as there are many ropes on a typical sail boat, all of which have specific jobs and names. Knowing and using the right names for various "ropes" is key to efficient sailing. Asking someone to tighten the outhaul line or to ease the sheet on the headsail is a waste of time unless they know what you're talking about. If they DO know the names, it becomes easy for one person to steer or drive the boat while the crew adjusts the sails to keep the boat on her feet and moving.

It's also worth noting that color coding the ropes helps a great deal when asking someone to perform a task. For example, it helps to be able to say "It's the red jib halyard" or "the blue mainsheet".

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Ron
Nacra F18
Reservoir Sailing Assn.
Brandon, Mississippi
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Quote

PLEASE stop with the ROPES.

http://tomdove.com/blog/2…ines-ropes-and-all-that/

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

But if you are talking collectively of refurbing lines, sheets, and halyards, on the whole boat, is it not simpler to say: refurbing all the ropes? If you said refurbing all the lines, then that would exclude sheets and halyards and might include the shrouds if one might not know the difference between a line and a shroud. Saying, refurbing lines, sheets and halyards would appear wordy. Using the term ropes, might serve well in communicating what you're talking about in refurbing all the lines, sheets and halyards. Ropes negate steel lines, shrouds. Lest not forget string that holds the turnbuckles from turning or bungee for trapeze retainer, all under consideration of being replaced, or washed.

Pull the blue one!

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Goodsailing

Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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