Stealth mode - New Generation Ropes

[Seaworthy Lass]

I have been exploring fishing chandleries again. After a year with little access to stores of any kind, is like letting a kid loose in a toy store .

UHMWPE is being used more and more in the fishing industry and all sorts of ropes that are not usually seen in “marine” chandleries are making an appearance. The huge bonus is that the price is a fraction of that of Dyneema.

I discovered Acera Amundsen the year before last and I am constructing our series drogue from this. I’ve also used it for numerous soft shackles and the portion of our snubber that runs over the bow roller.

The latest rope I have been trying is Southern Ropes Stealth Super 12. It is heat set to minimise creep and improve strength. It has a polyurethane coating for extra abrasion resistance. Breaking strength is superior to Acera (up to 27% greater depending on line diameter!).

As with Acera, it is significantly stiffer than standard Dyneema, with an almost waxy feel to the strands. The huge bonus is that neither of these ropes fluff up during construction, eliminating snagging of fibres. I have used the Acera soft shackles for a year now and this property is retained, which has been brilliant. Handling it, I suspect the same will apply to Stealth 12.

The only drawback is that its stiffness makes tying stopper knots more awkward in both these ropes. This is instantly overcome though if you dip the rope into warm water. It instantly softens dramatically into a floppy state, which reverts to its original condition when it dries.

The stiffness took a little while to adapt to, but it is a sheer pleasure working with it now. I vastly prefer it to the softer types of UHMWPE rope.

I can’t find a lot of technical information regarding Stealth 12 online (figures for creep etc), but this is the breaking strength table:

GP-12 - Stealth Fibre - Fibres

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I discovered Acera Amundsen the year before last and I am constructing our series drogue from this. I’ve also used it for numerous soft shackles and the portion of our snubber that runs over the bow roller.

Nothing to do with UHMWPE, but did you read Kim Klaka's article in the March edition of Cruising Helmsman?

Klaka suggests that storm tactics might need rethinking. He argues - although admitting that the scientific/evidence-basis is thin, we ought think of a storm and corresponding tactics in at least two phases:

* in the first phase, a drogue should prove useful to slow a boat down and avoid surf-riding; while
* in the second phase, higher boat speed should prove useful to deal with the long fast waves at a time when the risk of surf-riding a breaker is lower.

I've attached a copy of Klaka's article. I shan't leave it on the website for long.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

Nothing to do with UHMWPE, but did you read Kim Klaka's article in the March edition of Cruising Helmsman?

Klaka suggests that storm tactics might need rethinking. He argues - although admitting that the scientific/evidence-basis is thin, we ought think of a storm and corresponding tactics in at least two phases:

* in the first phase, a drogue should prove useful to slow a boat down and avoid surf-riding; while
* in the second phase, higher boat speed should prove useful to deal with the long fast waves at a time when the risk of surf-riding a breaker is lower.

I've attached a copy of Klaka's article. I shan't leave it on the website for long.

Hi Alan
Thanks for the info. No, I have not read the article. Could you please email it to me? I missed seeing your attachment.

SWL

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Hi Alan
Thanks for the info. No, I have not read the article. Could you please email it to me? I missed seeing your attachment.

Done. Should be in your mailbox.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

Done. Should be in your mailbox.

Hi Alan
Many thanks. I will have a careful read tonight.

We have not yet experienced waves that would require tactics such as this, so I have no practical experience in this regard (although we did have fun surfing down a few waves almost bare poled in the Force 9 gale crossing the North Sea a couple of weeks ago ).

A little like an insurance policy, I hope we never need to use the drogue.

SWL

[Seaworthy Lass]

The first project was a “high strength” soft shackle made with a button stopper. Using 5 mm Stealth 12 gives an estimated break load of 7800 kg. As usual SWL should be taken as 1/5 of this.

The dramatic difference in price compared to Dyneema was the initial drawcard,
but apart from their chafe resistance and “non fluffing” with use, the super smooth strands of the latest UHMWPE ropes such as Stealth 12 and Acera make beautiful looking items:

Edited to add: actually called Stealth Super-12

[Dockhead]

Nice! I'll grab some of that if I see it.


I made a Jordan Series Drogue out of the Acera Amundsen (bought on SWL's recommendation and through her connection in Holland), and was very pleased with it. I'm using it for other things on board, as well.


One thing I've learned from working with UHMWP single braid over the years is that the coating is extremely important. Uncoated Dyneema frizzes and fluffs, which is very bad. I think the coating also helps the splices to stick together properly. The coating on the Acera Amundsen is excellent -- for me, just the right stiffness and stickiness, not too much, not too little.



I'll look forward to trying this new entrant.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I made a Jordan Series Drogue out of the Acera Amundsen (bought on SWL's recommendation and through her connection in Holland), and was very pleased with it. I'm using it for other things on board, as well.

I am still plodding along with cone attachment for our drogue. It is a mundane, mind numbing task, which will take about 40 hours to complete. I have put it aside for now while I do some fun stuff .

SWL

[Seaworthy Lass]

Next task was to replace the soft shackles on the old blocks used for outboard yankee sheets with ones of the correct length.

With such a thick attachment point, if the shackle does not swivel then crossing the legs allows a better degree of twist when under load:

[Pete7]

Is Super 12 the same thing?

http://www.southernropes.co.za/catal.../yachting.html

Seems they have a shop in Fareham, UK, just up the road from me which is interesting and handy.

United Kingdom - Contact Us

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Is Super 12 the same thing?

Yachting - Leisure Marine - Applications

Seems they have a shop in Fareham, UK, just up the road from me which is interesting and handy.

United Kingdom - Contact Us

Yes, that’s it . I see I have been naming it incorrectly. Super-12 (undyed version) and GP-12 (dyed) are both made with Stealth yarn. Southern Ropes seem to have both Commercial and Yachting divisions so their rope should be easier to find than Acera.

I have been super busy the last few days completing all sorts of jobs that have piled up while I was waiting to be able to access shops/internet again. The more I work with this Stealth rope, the more impressed I am. I will stock up big time before we leave the Netherlands.

SWL

[Fi2010]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Nice! I'll grab some of that if I see it.


One thing I've learned from working with UHMWP single braid over the years is that the coating is extremely important. Uncoated Dyneema frizzes and fluffs, which is very bad. I think the coating also helps the splices to stick together properly. The coating on the Acera Amundsen is excellent -- for me, just the right stiffness and stickiness, not too much, not too little.

Your correct. Additionally, the coating for UHMWP is needed to protect against sun damage and chafe. It also removes the slippery nature of UHMWP. Tough working with slippery rope or fabric.

[chowdan]

There are a few sources on amazon for UHMWP.

Has anyone tested these products? I'm looking to pick up a small spool to play around and learn new knots/splices. It doesn't seem the Southern Rope Stealth 12 is available in the USA.

I could always purchase one or two different brands off Amazon and return the lesser quality one if need be(one that closely matches the description of the Stealth 12).

[Fi2010]

What makes UHMWPE and HDPE light in weight and strong is the heating process to line up the molecules in polyethylene. How strong depends on how much a manufacturer of rope fiber wants to cook the polyethylene fibers. There’s different levels of quality.

The quality of fiber purchased (cheap vs. expensive) and how a rope manufacturer chooses to weave their rope will impact its strength. What you might not know is the rope manufacturer can set their machines to change the thread count in their rope to make it stronger or weaker. They usually don’t publish this information. We only know about the process after it was shown to us at a rope factory.

The type of coating on rope can also enhance rope strength. Dependent on use, rope coatings can cause problems in drag device manufacturing, but is usually not an issue for sailors using the rope for a different purpose.

AmSteel Blue, EverSteel X, or Neutron 12 by Sampson rope are good options to Stealth 12 Chowdan. Pelican and New England ropes will also have similar ropes, but under different trade names.

Stealth 12, AmSteel Blue, Dyneema, Spectra are only trade names for UHMWPE and HDPE which are similar fibers. If you’re trying to make a comparison check out the ingredients and weave of the rope to help make a decision. What your specific use is for the rope will also matter. All these ropes are excellent, but price might inevitably be the decision maker for you.

[thinwater]

DSM is manufacturing UHMPE in China.



https://www.compositesworld.com/news...turer-in-china


And there are others. While I would stay with a name brand for anything critical, there are many applications for strong rope, and I think the time is near where UHMPE will become the cheapest fiber on a strength bases. In many cases, it is already there. I've tested some really cheap products and generally been impressed; they are often slightly weaker than Amsteel, for example, but they met the claimed specs and were cheap in terms of $/pound-strength.