Very Stiff Nylon Line any Suggestions?

[tomhaughton]

Hi there, I recently bought 100 metres of 16mm nylon line on a drum.
it is as stiff as a board. I've soaked it and I tried trailing it behind the boat for a day or so, all with no improvement so over to you guys. What remedies can you offer? BTW I could not believe how much drag there was on a 100mts just tailing in the water. No wonder a drogue works so well.
Thanks for any help. regards Tom

[estop]

My anchor line was like that. 250 ft of 1 in. Washed it in a washing machine .Warm water and soap. Also used fabric softner. It was tangled bad, but was not hard to untangle. Came out baby soft after it air dried. Done this with dock line's also. The EZ does cycle is best. The machine I yous is a top load.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by estop

My anchor line was like that. 250 ft of 1 in. Washed it in a washing machine .Warm water and soap. Also used fabric softner. It was tangled bad, but was not hard to untangle. Came out baby soft after it air dried. Done this with dock line's also. The EZ does cycle is best. The machine I yous is a top load.

might be best to take the line to a laundromat and use one of their big industrial machines if you value your marrige!

"Honey how do i use the washing machine?"

"what do you want to wash?"

" just the anchor rope honey!"

................."OVER MY DEAD BODY!...HONEY!!!!!!!!!!":devil :

[JPA Cate]

estop's is the first I have ever heard of that worked! Good on ya, mate.

Stiff nylon seems to be either from Korea or aged. In my experience, nothing ever helped the cable like stiffness of it.

Ann

[carstenb]

Washing it in a wahsing amchine with fabric softener will cure it. To keep it from getting tangled, put it in a sack or pillow case.

Use it all the time

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Tom.

Originally Posted by carstenb

Washing it in a washing machine with fabric softener will cure it. To keep it from getting tangled, put it in a sack or pillow case.
Use it all the time

And tie the two ends together, so they cannot knot.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by atoll

might be best to take the line to a laundromat and use one of their big industrial machines if you value your marrige!

I've now washed all lines on boat this way with a comm'l front loader. Got a rude reaction from the attendant, however, who didn't call me honey. She lurked around waiting to see if I tried to use the dryer which I didn't of course.

[Alan Mighty]

Good luck at laundromat.

In my experience with nylon cordage:

* detergent strips coatings added to nylon by manufacturer, making rope more prone to absorbing water (and loosing some strength etc). Result of detergent is rope that looks dull, not shiny, but sometimes regains softness;

* washing without detergent can remove salts and dirt that stiffen laid line and cut fibres inside lay - so if stiffness is caused by salts, a freshwater wash can help you;

* for nylon laid line, stiffness is likely caused by either being worked muchly or temperature change (or both). When laid cordage is kept at high tension, the lay tightens. If loaded for a short time and then rested, twist and lay can relax. But if load is maintained for a long time, new tighter twist and lay get set - result is stiff line. Nylon line stretching and rebounding gets warm. And stretching and higher temperature do the same thing: tighten twist and tighten lay, and set them that way. Leaving nylon cordage in hot conditions, i.e. in hot sun, also has stiffening effect.

* good luck with fabric softener. Usually contains chemicals not existing during your grandparents' lives. Who knows what those chemicals do, other than transfer money from consumers' pockets to big company?

Al

[hugosalt]

Coming off the drum new "as stiff as a board" I would think
that line was manufactured tight. Happened to me with
8 plait anchor line, wasn't stiff but was really tough to splice.
Thought it was just me but rigger at merchant and then at
manufacturer agreed tough to splice...admitting was made
with too tight a weave.
Let us know how you make out if you splice.

[Stumble]

It depends on why its stiff. If it has a very tight lay it could simply be the way the line was designed. If it has hardened over time it could be the factory coatings have failed, the line has been exposed to heat which will damage it, or it could be full of salt.

Frankly I have never had much luck washing line, except for cleaning dirt off of them but good luck.

See What's the Best Way to Clean Rope? - Practical Sailor Article for actual research on washing line.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

I've now washed all lines on boat this way with a comm'l front loader. Got a rude reaction from the attendant, however, who didn't call me honey. She lurked around waiting to see if I tried to use the dryer which I didn't of course.

sounds like good grounds for first date and marrige proposal,mine would never even let me near a washing machine with any boat stuff,and we've been together 25 years