Acera

[Seaworthy Lass]

Acera is a new HMWPE rope:

https://company.metstrade.com/Image/...IN_PRIVATEFILE

This is a little background information:

- Acera is produced by Timm Slovakia ropes.

- Timm Slovakia set up a manufacturing plant in Trenčín in 2001 and they produce most of the ropes for their Norwegian parent company Timm AS, who have "produced ropes exclusively for the maritime industry since 1772".

- In 2015-16 Timm AS was aquired by the Norwegian company Wilhelmsen Ships Service AS.

- The fine fibres are produced in China and the strands and rope woven in Slovakia.

- Acera is certified by DNV -GL.
It comes in many forms including 12 strand, that has a similar breaking strength to SK 75/78 Dyneema:
http://brmnorway.no/onewebmedia/Prod...A_Amundsen.pdf
Elongation is 2-3% at break.
Individual strands have received a 360° coating to give enhanced abrasion resistance.
Splicing technique is as for dyneema.

Best of all, the price is about a third of that for dyneema .

So that's it in a nutshell .

The coating makes the rope stiff, but dunking the portion that is used for the stopper knot in warm/hot water allows it to be knotted easily while wet. It will stiffen again when it dries. This is a tip I picked up in a fishing chandlery. The fishing industry has been using it here for a few years now, so the chandler has had some experience with splicing and knotting it.

I have been successfully experimenting making soft shackles (the high strength versions with Brion Toss's button knot stoppers). I am also using Acera to make our Jordan series drogue.

SWL

[Seaworthy Lass]

PS I have no affiliation with Timms and I have purchased all my rope .

I just thought this may be of interest, as it makes the cost relative to breaking strength, considerably less than that for polyester or nylon with huge advantages in weight, UV resistance etc etc.

[Dockhead]

Where do you buy this stuff?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Where do you buy this stuff?

I purchased it through a fishing chandlery in Harlingen in the Netherlands:
CIV Lauwersoog - Harlingen CIV Lauwersoog – Harlingen |

Timms distribute worldwide though, so it is most likely available in the UK as well. If not, it is so lightweight postage would be minimal.

This is the batch of 8, 10 and 12mm that I purchased for the series drogue. 140m took up astonishingly small volume when coiled. I threw in an orange as a size reference when taking this photo, as a ruler was not on hand :

[Seaworthy Lass]

I have not heard of Acera being used for yachting. None of yacht chandleries I have visited locally have heard of it.

Last week when I dropped into Harlingen for some supplies (marine supplies is less expensive in chandleries catering for fishermen) I was lucky enough to encounter a rep from Timms and I had a thoroughly enjoyable hour chatting. He said the yachting market was miniscule compared to fishing & transport industries so it was not worth pursuing.

Same goes for the mooring line I am using (Lankhorst's Tipto Twelve). Fantastic rope at a fraction of the price of line using used for yachts. It is generally unknown in the yacht chandleries here, yet the manufacturers are based only a short distance away here in the NL. All the fishing boats here bristle with it though. Tipto Twelve is now holding our boat snuggly .

SWL

[Dockhead]

Does not seem to be available at all in the UK for some reason.

How does it compare to Dyneema? Do you think it can entirely replace Dyneema?

I will need a ton of cordage for my summer adventure (including for a drogue), so I'll need to be ordering some soon. I'm thinking this stuff might be good for a spare anchor rode also.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Does not seem to be available at all in the UK for some reason.

How does it compare to Dyneema? Do you think it can entirely replace Dyneema?

I will need a ton of cordage for my summer adventure (including for a drogue), so I'll need to be ordering some soon. I'm thinking this stuff might be good for a spare anchor rode also.

I think Acera will serve well both for the drogue and as a spare anchor line. I am planning to buy 100m for the latter before we leave the NL and I will make it up in a few portions with eye splices at each end, as otherwise securing the snubber to the line will be difficult. It does float though, but I imagine this will only be needed in an emergency and not for long.

Acera is not as pleasant to work with as it is stiffer, but I think that is a minimal drawback. It is the coating that makes it stiff, but this supposedly provides additional chafe protection. If the price was identical I would prefer to work with dyneema for soft shackles.

Regarding elongation, it is reported at 2-3% (SK75, 78, 99 are 3-4%). I haven't found any figures for creep.

SWL

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I think Acera will serve well both for the drogue and as a spare anchor line. I am planning to buy 100m for the latter before we leave the NL and I will make it up in a few portions with eye splices at each end, as otherwise securing the snubber to the line will be difficult. It does float though, but I imagine this will only be needed in an emergency and not for long.

Acera is not as pleasant to work with as it is stiffer, but I think that is a minimal drawback. It is the coating that makes it stiff, but this supposedly provides additional chafe protection. If the price was identical I would prefer to work with dyneema for soft shackles.

Regarding elongation, it is reported at 2-3% (SK75, 78, 99 are 3-4%). I haven't found any figures for creep.

SWL

Well, 1/3 the price is a compelling argument.

If it floats, however, I won't use it as an anchor rode.

[nigel1]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Does not seem to be available at all in the UK for some reason.

Try Wilhelmsen Ships Service Ltd, they have a branches around the UK, and are a stockist of Timms rope.
Phone: (+44) 1322 282 400
Phone after hours: (+44) 7710 919 601
E-mail: wss.uk.cs.products@wilhelmsen.com

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Well, 1/3 the price is a compelling argument.

If it floats, however, I won't use it as an anchor rode.

The weight (and space) savings make it super attractive as emergency anchor rode. I think a little weight could easily be added at the eye splices at the end of each segment to weigh it down if the rode is made in several pieces. It wouldn't take much.

For me the pros outweigh the cons in this instance .

SWL

[Seaworthy Lass]

This may well be the very first "high strength" soft shackle made in Acera .

"High strength" is the casual term currently used for soft shackles with a breaking strength of 230% of line strength (if well made), as opposed to 170% for ones made with a diamond stopper knot.

Although I am happier working with the softness of dyneema, the finished result using Acera is fabulous. The rope itself feels very waxy (for want of a better word). Unlike dyneema, this means the individual fibres seem to have no tendency to snag. There was certainly none when making it, as the fids just slid smoothly between the strands with ease. The rope's stiffness has transformed to comfortable firmness in the finished product, making it nice to handle. Hopefully the coating lives up to its promise of enhanced abrasion resistance.

The breaking strength the 6mm Acera soft shackle shown below is estimated at around 8600 kg (19,000 lb).

It cost just under 2€ to make.

I love it

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

This may well be the very first "high strength" soft shackle made in Acera .

"High strength" is the casual term currently used for soft shackles with a breaking strength of 230% of line strength (if well made), as opposed to 170% for ones made with a diamond stopper knot.

Although I am happier working with the softness of dyneema, the finished result using Acera is fabulous. The rope itself feels very waxy (for want of a better word). Unlike dyneema, this means the individual fibres seem to have no tendency to snag. There was certainly none when making it, as the fids just slid smoothly between the strands with ease. The rope's stiffness has transformed to comfortable firmness in the finished product, making it nice to handle. Hopefully the coating lives up to its promise of enhanced abrasion resistance.

The breaking strength the 6mm Acera soft shackle shown below is estimated at around 8600 kg (19,000 lb).

It cost just under 2€ to make.

I love it

Fabulous! I will try to finish my list today and order some.

I had some Dyneema once (or was it Acera sold as Dyneema?) which was waxy and somewhat hard to work with. However, the waxiness persisted and prevents the usual Dyneema frizziness, and I love this. My favorite shackles and loops are made from that particular load of dyneema from a couple of years ago.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Fabulous! I will try to finish my list today and order some.

I had some Dyneema once (or was it Acera sold as Dyneema?) which was waxy and somewhat hard to work with. However, the waxiness persisted and prevents the usual Dyneema frizziness, and I love this. My favorite shackles and loops are made from that particular load of dyneema from a couple of years ago.

That frizziness occurs when individual fibres snag. When working with dyneema unless I take extreme care, I hear an occasional crackle as a fibres snap when caught. For me it is a sound akin to fingernails scraping down a blackboard, as I know what it signals.

I have found eye splices and the initial stages of making a soft shackle are easier with Acera, but the stopper knots are harder. The tip I picked up a few days ago about soaking the rope in warm/hot water for a minute and then working with it while wet, was a gem. Don't make it too hot, as this may remove some of the coating.

SWL

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

That frizziness occurs when individual fibres snag. When working with dyneema unless I take extreme care, I hear an occasional crackle as a fibres snap when caught. For me it is a sound akin to fingernails scraping down a blackboard, as I know what it signals.

I have found eye splices and the initial stages of making a soft shackle are easier with Acera, but the stopper knots are harder. The tip I picked up a few days ago about soaking the rope in warm/hot water for a minute and then working with it while wet, was a gem. Don't make it too hot, as this may remove some of the coating.

SWL

Well, I don't use stopper knots at all. I use Evans' multiple collapsed brummel eyes technique. My shackles aren't as pretty as yours, but I am extremely happy with them. They work brilliantly well. If they didn't have the tendency to frizz, they would be perfect for my purposes.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Well, I don't use stopper knots at all. I use Evans' multiple collapsed brummel eyes technique. My shackles aren't as pretty as yours, but I am extremely happy with them. They work brilliantly well. If they didn't have the tendency to frizz, they would be perfect for my purposes.

Evans also calls the knot he developed a "stopper knot".
In his instructions he uses twin bury loop splices before tying an overhand knot. Have you modified the technique and use Brummel eyes?

Regardless of the exact method or what you call it, I think you will find wetting the Acera before forming the knobbly bit at the end will make the task easier .

SWL