Can a Snatch Strap Be Used as a Safety Line ?

[svstrider]

I am looking for something to use as a safety line on my cat. I know that snatch lines have about 15 - 20% stretch in them. I am looking at this item in an auction site here in OZ.
Is it suitable for use as a safety line?
4WD Nylon Towing/Snatch Strap, MBS 8,000kg, 60mm (2& 1/2 inch x 9Mtrs (30 ft) It will only be about $25 delivered which is about one third off.

[blu]

What are you going to use it for? Safety Line? If it's auction for that price, I would not use it for a safety anything.

[Roaring Girl]

If by safety line you mean the thing to which you tether yourself as you go fore and aft (I'd call it a jackline) then you don't want stretch and you do want to know it's shock load capacity. We use crane strops which are flat, cheap and incredibly strong.

[svstrider]

Yes, I meant a safety lines.
I thought Jack Lines was the correct term but when I googled it to be sure I found out JL's were used on Square Riggers to hold gaff booms up.

Thanks for the advice. I sorta thunk (sorry, starting to talk like a Mississipian - been on this boat wayyy too long ) that using stretchy lines to stay aboard was inherently incorrect. I will have a look for crane strops on the www.
I am on an oil rig so I will go and chew the fat with the crane operators tonight. However I don't think I can easily sneak off with 20 meters of crane strop in my luggage.

[rustypirate]

You can get polyester strap (webbing) which is much stronger than Nylon and does not stretch nearly as much.

[thinwater]

you will find they are 20% stretch to failure. Actually, nylon vs. polyester makes little difference in stretch for webbing products - it is more about the weave, which makes a big difference.

I think the width is the big problem; 2 1/2 inches is going to be painful to deal with.

I think stretch is going to matter somewhat less on a cat. Wide decks.

[maxingout]

We used nylon webbing for jacklines and we felt that it did a good job. It was one inch webbing.