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blue-moon · 10-01-2022, 20:58

I just bought a Beneteau Oceanis 40 (year 2011). My fist boat and need some advice on lines and ropes. unfortunately the previous owner took away everything in lazarette … tools, lines and ropes etc. now I need to buy new dock
Lines and different size lines and ropes for various needs like docking, tying dinghy, securing deck gear etc for heavy weather. What would you recommend to buy? Appreciate if you could send me a list.. lines and tools etc I need for a 40’ sailboat.
Thanks so much.

requiem · 10-01-2022, 23:27

So, uh, how is your boat currently secured in its slip? Also, what's your sailing experience? Are you coming in new and looking for a complete "what should I have on the boat"? That might be a long list, and somewhat depends on what you plan on doing with the boat.

Common recommendations for docklines would be two bow, two stern, and two spring lines. The bow and stern lines at 2/3rds the length of the boat, and the spring lines the entire length of the boat. 5/8ths inch nylon rope should be sufficient, either double braid or three-strand laid line. (Yes, I just Googled all that, but it fortunately lines up with what I'd want anyway.)

While we just replaced some frayed and cored lines with new double braid the other day, and it's oh-so-soft-like-butter, I am of the growing opinion that laid line may be the better choice due to durability and cost. It sometimes feels like all the double-braid lines get terribly frayed far too quickly.

Some people have both permanent lines (measured and left at wherever "home" is) and transient lines (carried aboard); I've only ever bothered with the latter.

blue-moon · 10-01-2022, 23:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by requiem

So, uh, how is your boat currently secured in its slip? Also, what's your sailing experience? Are you coming in new and looking for a complete "what should I have on the boat"? That might be a long list, and somewhat depends on what you plan on doing with the boat.

The boat has 2 aft docklines and med moored in the marina now.
I sailed 3 weeks in Caribbean (around BVI) and got ASA skipper license. I will generally sail costal in Aegean sea coast and around islands.

Most of the time I will med moor at the marinas and also anchor and tie at the rocks with aft shorelines at some bays.

I couldn't decide the type of the lines I need to get?

**GordMay** · 11-01-2022, 03:21

What requieme said.

Three-strand nylon line is the most shock absorbing [stretches up to 16% of its length, when loaded to 15% of its breaking strength], is easy to splice*, and is the most affordable.
Double braid nylon is has about half of three-strand's stretch, is slightly stronger for a given size, is available in many colors, has slightly better abrasion resistance, and is harder to splice*.
I don’t know much about the various “plaited” ropes.

Since larger diameter line takes longer to chafe through, a case might be made for selecting the largest diameter, that will fit your cleats*. But, as the line diameter gets larger, it also becomes less elastic.
Dock line failures are almost always a result of chafe. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to rig dock lines so that they never rub against the dock or the boat. So, chafe guards, of some sort, are always a good idea.

I might increase requiem’s length recommendations slightly: four the length of your boat [although you can usually get away with shorter bow and stern lines] , and two [to four] lines at one and a half times the length of your boat.
Remember, the inconvenience of a line that is too long, is far less, than one that is too short.

* A knot, by the way, is a poor substitute for a proper splice. A bowline, for example, reduces the breaking strength of a line by about 40%, while a splice retains about 95% of the rope's strength.

* Cleats are almost always undersized [IMO], on production boats.

**tkeithlu** · 11-01-2022, 05:30

1. Draw the tasks (tie dinghy, anchor boat) on paper, draw the lines needed, and make a judgement on size, type, and length.

2. Separate "Need stretchy/elastic" and "Avoid stretch" in your mind, and choose a type for each. As Gord says, twisted nylon is the best for stretch (anchor, dock line, tie downs), and Dyneema is non-stretch (halyards, running rigging). Avoid polypropylene because while it floats, it is not UV tolerant. Dacron is a cheaper non-stretch.

3. When you get to tying things down, consider undersizing rather than oversizing, because elasticity is important. I tie down with nylon that is less than 1/4" diameter, with some of it being 1/8" paracord.

4. You've drawn it, you've got your lengths, so you know what you need. Now consider spares. What failure/wearout scenarios are in your mind? Spare anchor rode? Second anchor? Extra mooring for a storm? That's what you need to add.

5. I keep a rope bucket for spare bits of line. I usually can rummage through it and find what I need for small jobs.

requiem · 11-01-2022, 07:51

Any thoughts from the group on lines ashore? I haven't played with such, and the few notes I've seen suggest a spool* of floating line (nylon with polypro core?) in nice visible colors. It may also be wise to have webbing or sacrificial line for wrapping rocks, so you don't have to trim off the end of the line too often as it wears.

*I'm reminded that spools shouldn't be assumed to contain a single continuous length; tape splices can happen and would need to be properly spliced if so.

Alistair242 · 11-01-2022, 08:11

Depends which part of the Med but for a 40ft monohull I would carry the above mooring lines plus 2 x 50m lines as stern to shore lines when needed. If you carry a decent length of rope with your 2nd anchor this can double as one.
These would be specifically for Greece and Turkey but good to have on board.

Edit. I prefer nylon for all lines. In the Med the sun will degrade poly pretty quickly.

flightlead404 · 11-01-2022, 08:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Avoid polypropylene because while it floats, it is not UV tolerant. Dacron is a cheaper non-stretch.

OP mentioned "tying dinghy" but I don't know if that means "towing dinghy".

If it does, then this is one place to consider a line with some polypropylene in it (but definitely NOT the pure polypropylene line, it is terrible stuff and won't hold a knot either).

I bought 100' of line from Defender specifically designed for dinghy towing. It is (from memory) a sort of combination polypropylene core with a nylon outer braid. It floats, is stretchy, is in a high viz color, will hold a knot, and can be spliced as well.

Its a little tricky getting a good eyesplice because the core and cover stretch differently but a little trial and error will get it.

I made two 50' lines with a 10" eye splice in one end, and eye spliced to a dual-strap webbing towing bridle and it works great.