Newfangled "Elastic" Dock Lines

[Dockhead]

I'm in the market for some new dock lines, and I see that what is offered now is completely different from when I last bought them (which might say something about how old my dock lines are).


I have liked nylon octoplait for docklines, snubbers, etc. But now I see that most of the new dock lines sold are something like "Liros Handy Elastic" (which looks like double braid, but stretches up to 20% like nylon, and is made from "polyamide", whatever that is), "Gleistein Dock Flex", etc.


What is this stuff? Anyone use it?

[Bycrick]

Nylon IS a polyamide.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Sorry - no help on the docklines; I'm still using old double braid; but you gotta like a Brit that quotes an American poet ...

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Bycrick

Nylon IS a polyamide.

Ha! I didn't think of that. Thanks for the chemistry lesson


So it's not newfangled at all. Good to know!

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

So it's not newfangled at all. Good to know!

All nylon is a polyamide, but not all polyamides are nylon. One familiar example that is not nylon would be Kevlar.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I'm in the market for some new dock lines, and I see that what is offered now is completely different from when I last bought them (which might say something about how old my dock lines are).


I have liked nylon octoplait for docklines, snubbers, etc. But now I see that most of the new dock lines sold are something like "Liros Handy Elastic" (which looks like double braid, but stretches up to 20% like nylon, and is made from "polyamide", whatever that is), "Gleistein Dock Flex", etc.


What is this stuff? Anyone use it?

We have been using nylon 12 strand double braid docklines for over 35 years. I still have the original two 50' black line I got off the bargain table in 1987.

I've only bought three sets of docklines in all those years.

But the two replacement sets have been different in a disturbing way:

They "creep" in length. When I tie up the boat I usually make my dock lines fairly tight to control the surge we have in this marina and we've had in other marinas around the world. But no matter how snug I make them, the next day they are loose. The long spring lines are sagging into the water. I take up the slack on day two, but on day three they are loose again. This seems to be an infinite process. Maybe by day five they get to the point of staying tight. But then I untie the boat to go somewhere and upon returning I have to start all over again.

And it is surprising: 8 inches of slack in a 20 foot spring line lets the boat move quite a lot in a good surge, and even with all the spring in those nylon lines the boat fetches up at the end of that slack with quite a jerk. It's aggravating.

One problem is that in many places in the world the selection of rope is very limited. I want only dark blue 12 strand double braid of 1/2 or 5/8" and buying online and shipping it in is a little risky and adds greatly to the cost. Dang!

[ggray]

You may have answered your question in your first two paragraphs.

I had the same thing happen, to the point that I suspected someone was coming around and loosening my docklines. Crazy!

But then I thought more logically. I think was is happening is that when nylon gets older, time, sunlight and being stretched takes its toll, and the nylon takes a very, very long time to recover from being stretched. And it's constantly being stretched by every lurch of the boat. It's no longer like a rubber band. Time to be replaced.

Originally Posted by wingssail

We have been using nylon 12 strand double braid docklines for over 35 years. I still have the original two 50' black line I got off the bargain table in 1987.

I've only bought three sets of docklines in all those years.

But the two replacement sets have been different in a disturbing way:

They "creep" in length. When I tie up the boat I usually make my dock lines fairly tight to control the surge we have in this marina and we've had in other marinas around the world. But no matter how snug I make them, the next day they are loose. The long spring lines are sagging into the water. I take up the slack on day two, but on day three they are loose again. This seems to be an infinite process. Maybe by day five they get to the point of staying tight. But then I untie the boat to go somewhere and upon returning I have to start all over again.

And it is surprising: 8 inches of slack in a 20 foot spring line lets the boat move quite a lot in a good surge, and even with all the spring in those nylon lines the boat fetches up at the end of that slack with quite a jerk. It's aggravating.

One problem is that in many places in the world the selection of rope is very limited. I want only dark blue 12 strand double braid of 1/2 or 5/8" and buying online and shipping it in is a little risky and adds greatly to the cost. Dang!

[Benz]

I think it's just marketing so they can charge more. There's several flavors of nylon ( 6, 12, etc ), and maybe they're just re-branding a flavor or have cooked up a new one.
Buy whichever one suits your fancy and your budget. At the end of the day, it's not rocket science, it's just to hold your boat on.

[GreenWave]

It is Marketing. Sounds fancy, new, improved, etc... people will then buy it. Even if they didn't need it because it sounds cool.

[leecea]

Maybe you saw their description: https://www.liros.com/catalog/en/han...-mm-6-m-p3561/ - looks almost like the same idea as climbing rope - it absorbs shock loads.

They do still make octoplait: https://www.liros.com/catalog/en/squ...es-10mm-p3481/ - maybe it's not stocked as much.

[rslifkin]

I generally use double braid nylon for dock lines. Not quite as stretchy as 3, 8, or 12 strand, but still stretchy. And they look nice, hold up well and are nice to handle. I wouldn't mind 8 or 12 plait, but double braid and 3 strand are generally the easiest to find pre-spliced (at least in the US).

[Nicholson58]

If you know how splice an eye on three strand then just buy line off a spool. Eye on double braid is a bit more difficult but doable. I make up all mooring and anchor pennants for our summer fleet of small boats using 3-strand. On ROXY, I use 1” dynema but we are too heavy for stretchy stuff.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

If you know how splice an eye on three strand then just buy line off a spool. Eye on double braid is a bit more difficult but doable. I make up all mooring and anchor pennants for our summer fleet of small boats using 3-strand. On ROXY, I use 1” dynema but we are too heavy for stretchy stuff.

I don't like 3 strand -- hockles.


I do know how to splice double braid, but it's a PITA. I'd rather buy the dockline already spliced; it's not a big expense.


I do all my single braid and octoplait splicing myself, however.

[David Mathis]

We've been using three strand nylon dock lines for many years and never had a problem with them nor found a reason to try to "improve" them. There is an old saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

[Jim Cate]

^^^^

Kevlar is an aramid, not a polyamide and quite different in composition and behavior from nylon.

Jim