Warning about sub-standard dinghy painter

[ingrid75]

Last November I ordered a new Achilles dinghy and had it delivered to me in India. I consider the Achilles dinghy to be the best overall yacht tender available today, BUT....the dinghy came with a painter made of about 3/8 inch, white synthetic rope. It looked to be high quality rope and I would have left it on the dinghy except that I prefer a longer painter. After putting my own painter on the dinghy, I used the original, supplied rope to make a new safety rope for our Monitor vane steering oar. Yesterday I gave the safety line a sharp tug to test the knot, and the line disintegrated in my hands. Less than three months in the tropical sun had completely rotted the rope. Had I used the supplied rope, we would have lost our tender in one of the many blustery nights at anchor in the Maldives. As the skeleton at "Pirates of the Caribbean" says, "Fairly warned ya be, sez I."

[StuM]

Almost certainly polyethylene and sounds like it didn't have UV inhibitors. polyethylene has poor UV resistance.

A good rule of thumb is that if a line floats and is "stretchy" (i.e. it's not HMPE - Dyneema etc) then it's probably polyethylene so don't use it in places where it is permanently exposed to direct sunlight, especially in the tropics.

[El Pinguino]

Thanks for the heads up... thats what happens when you shift manufacturing to China I guess...

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by StuM

Almost certainly polyethylene and sounds like it didn't have UV inhibitors. polyethylene has poor UV resistance.

A good rule of thumb is that if a line floats and is "stretchy" (i.e. it's not HMPE - Dyneema etc) then it's probably polyethylene so don't use it in places where it is permanently exposed to direct sunlight, especially in the tropics.

Maybe polypropylene, Stu?

Jim

[Pelagic]

Thanks for the heads up as I will be replacing my original 18 yr Achilles soon.

Never thought about it till now as she had a long spliced nylon painter with thimble, but do people prefer a floating or heavy painter?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Maybe polypropylene, Stu?

Jim

Doh! You are of course correct. A brain fart.

Just spend the weekend helping replace the wire standing rigging on a Farr 1/2 tonner with High Molecular Density Polyethylene (HMDPE aka Dyneema) and making up a batch of soft shackles. Guess I had "ethylene" on my mind.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Thanks for the heads up as I will be replacing my original 18 yr Achilles soon.

Never thought about it till now as she had a long spliced nylon painter with thimble, but do people prefer a floating or heavy painter?

I prefer a floating painter. Not foolproof, but it helps keep it from doing something wicked!

Jim

[Jim van Cleve]

To the best of my knowledge, polypropylene floats, doesn't stretch and degrades
quickly from sunlight.,,it's also strong and inexpensive.

[RaymondR]

I have been told sometime in the past that polyprops UV resistance is related to how much aluminium they put into it at manufacture. I have some locally manufactured which must be getting close to 30 years old as an anchor line in my dingy and it is still good. After an experience with anchor chain where the gal turned black and flaked off in the locker I have avoided Chinese stuff as much as possible but it is not the easiest.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Jim van Cleve

To the best of my knowledge, polypropylene floats, doesn't stretch and degrades
quickly from sunlight.,,it's also strong and inexpensive.

Dunno about that ... it is the standard mooring line on big ships... and I have polyprop shore lines ( not dock lines... shore lines ) on my boat that are 12 years old and still going strong. The bags I keep my shore lines in ... 'bolsas para verduras'... are most probably woven polyethylene... they last about 12 months..

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Jim van Cleve

To the best of my knowledge, polypropylene floats, doesn't stretch and degrades
quickly from sunlight.,,it's also strong and inexpensive.

1 and 3 are correct. But it does stretch - about 1/2 as much as nylon, but quite a bit more than polyester.

And it's only about 60% of the strength of nylon and polyester

[Hanksy]

Huge variance in chinese rope. I bought some 24mm PP rope a few years ago and it's still going strong. Bought some last year from the same supplier and it fell apart after 6 months under an Irish sun (which isn't very bright).

Sent from my SM-G920F using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[UNCIVILIZED]

Polypro such as the yellow stuff used in waterski tow ropes is about a much of a fan of sunlight as Dracula.

When it comes to painters for dinghies & the like, there are some blended lines that are purpose designed for such, having some UV resistance, while floating as well. And also, a lot of sail control lines that are used in sailing dinghies float as well. Plus there are big boat lines which float. Some being blends of polypro & spectra, with others having a spectra core, & blended polypro cover.

[danard]

Achilles are no longer made in Japan, rather they are now manufactured in Wehai China. They have been manufactured there for at least 10 years, that is the last time I visited that factory.

When I asked the owner about them claiming it is made in
Japan he showed me the ID plate and said "This is made in Japan."

This is the same story from one of the well known marine stainless distributors here in the USA. On notably uses a blue green cardboard and boldly states "Made in the USA". The cardboard packing is made here, the rest of their stuff comes from Asia.

I know this because I have been to the foundries and seen their product made with their name cast into it.

[RNWilson]

This rope is double braided nylon over polypropylene - floats, spliceable, and holds knots very well.
https://shop.hamiltonmarine.com/prod...el--42846.html