How many spare ropes are enough?

[JPA Cate]

hmnnc:

Maybe it would help if I tell you what lines we have in our lazarette, so I will, in a moment. But first I want to say that as you replace worn line, you do tend to keep the old line for repurposing.

For instance, you have to have dock lines: We carry two bow lines, two spring lines and two stern lines. Say one gets chafed, and has to be replaced. We keep it. We have used old dock lines for the following: adding line to a friend's boat while he was away during bad weather; repurposed as towing line (for helping others). It is not "untidy" so much as "awaiting repurposing. This is only an opinion, but I think one should carry at least one line of about 200 ft, about 1/2" diameter, for when you need to take out a spare anchor when your primary anchor is fouled. Sometimes cheap nylon line gets old and stiff, that's to be re-purposed or given away. You want line that you can easily use, flexible, able to take a bowline knot and stay secure.

You can use repurposed sheets to make a bridle to hoist your outboard.

You can see I'm in the keep the rope camp. You don't know the future, so you don't know what you'll want it for. ( We once gave away some line for someone to use to tie up his cow.) We carry enough spare, so that we have an extra spring line, each of them is length over all plus about 6 fit. Sometimes it is used to spread out the load on a dock. It is not used often, and none of them are dyneema, the least stretchy is polyester double braid, the dock lines and 2 of the spring lines are nylon 3 strand.

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Dock lines, nylon 3 strand, 6 (+1); use explained above.

Anchor rode, 2, 200 ft. nylon 3 strand (one on anchor other one in lazarette).

Miscellaneous line from previous years, kept for repurposing.

*************

Although you and your wife may be equal partners in the boat, my personal opinion is that unless each of you is equally good at captaining the boat, you should both agree that one of you is captain. If that is your responsibility, then she has to accept the decision; if it is she, then you have to accept it. From experience, I found it really difficult to give up autonomy for the boat. It can be a fraught issue, and open discussions are needed to get through it. For me, what helped me was to acknowledge that although I was already a sailor when I met Jim, he did have more and more varied experience than I. It made accepting him as a leader easier.



Ann

[SailingHarmonie]

How many lines? This many…

https://fetchinketch.net/2019/09/07/just-waiting-2/

[Shanachie]

It's not only how many lines, but the length.


I carry four 50-footers made out of an old anchor line that was little used. The reason? My boat is 34 feet, and I find that I sometimes wind up in marina slips designed for 45-footers or more.


When maneuvering out in a strong current or wind, you want to double back the lines so you can retrieve them as you're leaving. Those 25-footers just don't do the trick.


Besides them, I have maybe 10 lines. They are always useful on my coastal cruises. Dock lines. Tying jerry cans to the lifelines. Securing the dinghy.



And then there are bungee cords ...

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by mhinnc

Up Against The Ropes - They say the first step in overcoming an "addiction" is to admit it. Okay, I'm just about there... maybe. I'm trying to decide if the problem is truly mine, or my wife's. (Maybe I should pause here and mention I've NEVER been able to prove her wrong during our 39 years of marriage.)

See, she believes our 30 footer has an over abundance of ropes stashed in the lazarette. She asked me to count them, but I've not yet had the time. There's a lot of 'em. Different types & lengths. My reply to her latest 'protest' was "Look, dear, how neatly they are coiled and easy to access." She wasn't impressed. I've developed a habit of being overly prepared on safety related equipment on the boat, being that we've only been sailing (coastal - off shore) for two years. I'm not satisfied that's enough time to have formed a satisfactory opinion based on experience. Why, heck, I may not yet have collected enough.

But really, is there a consensus on how many extra lines to keep at hand "just in case"? Type? Length? I suppose time is drawing nigh when I must face the inevitable weaning from this splendid assortment. So, any insight would be most appreciative... I suppose.

We have available approximately 200 feet of 3/4” new double braid available. Are you interested? Antigua.

[lifeofreilly57]

It all depends on what your doing.
In our cruising period I carried quite a few lines, two headsail sheets, just in case during long passages.
Enough three strand to tie off to mangroves in the case of sitting out a tropical storm.
Reef lines for the main, since they can see a lot of chafe.
A spare halyard which was not cut to length, so I could cut and fit it any of the halyards I needed in case of a failure.
Dock lines for the rare case we docked.
Sheets for the inner foresail, which resided on a removable inner forestay, it was used mostly on longer transits for more flexibility in sail trim.
Of course, if just coastal cruising you could eliminate at least half of those.

[caffel]

I say keep the emergency stuff accessible on top, then vital things like the preventer and fill the rest w spares. When the lid won't shut, you have too many spares.

[Peeew]

I have had great deals from W&W rope in Massachusetts. They buy a lot of “ends” from a nearby winch company that are leftovers from new jeep winch installations. Sometimes quite a selection. When they are overstocked they sell it by the pound.
https://www.rwrope.com/

[sailcrazy]

Over the 25+ years we've had this boat, we seem to have done the same....collect lots of line. Our answer....we made a list of every line that we have rigged, then found a suitable sub (similar dia, same length plus or mnus), labeled all those "spares" put them in a duffle, and found a home for it. Everything else was excess! We did end up keeping a few long lines in good nick (another duffle, stored), but the rest we simply gave away. So far we've never run short of a required line. But....it is hard to carry good line to the garbage and just drop it off!
.

[RaymondR]

The only effective answer to your wife on the fecundity of ropes in the locker is a short reply along the lines of "Ropes are a bit like women's shoes, you can never have too many of them"

[grantmc]

Isn't this thread a wonderful variation on that old imponderable how long is a piece of string?

I confess! I'm a hoarder and have ropes and retired lines of all varieties, weight and type.

For the creative there are all manner of little projects one can do with old rope. From cabin sole mats to fenders and belts and baskets. You tube really is your friend.

But whatever you do, if you decide to throw it out, please dispose of it appropriately.

This project particularly caught my fancy. Although rather than melting I'd encourage whipping:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL-CueJH1pg

[Nightcrawler]

We ducked into Shelter Cove to weather hurricane Mathew. After all, Hilton Head had not had a hurricane in forever. 42' GB, on a face dock. We had 12 lines. Used every one. She came through without a scratch. After that, we kept them all. Been in two more hurricanes after that. All good.

[Bill_Giles]

You can never have too much rope unless it’s wrapped round your prop.

[Mirage35]

Like grantmc I find that it hurts less to get rid of them if they're going to do something more or less useful.

We have a friend in the marina who weaves carpets out of used line, so she has received a couple of sets of old jib sheets (I've decided one set in reserve is enough).

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by sailcrazy

Over the 25+ years we've had this boat, we seem to have done the same....collect lots of line. Our answer....we made a list of every line that we have rigged, then found a suitable sub (similar dia, same length plus or mnus), labeled all those "spares" put them in a duffle, and found a home for it. Everything else was excess! We did end up keeping a few long lines in good nick (another duffle, stored), but the rest we simply gave away. So far we've never run short of a required line. But....it is hard to carry good line to the garbage and just drop it off!
.

Once, along time ago, Jim found a brand new 1/2" polyester double braid jib sheet in the dumpster at the marina, new enough to still be shiny. It had a small diesel spill on it. It got the soapy water in a bucket treatment, and was hung on the lifelines to dry. It was re-purposed to the line for a towing wind generator. It served that function for the 18 yrs. we had that boat. One man's trash is another's treasure.

Ann

PS: old Portuguese proverb: He who saves, finds.

[Kettlewell]

I once warped an engineless boat across Newport Harbor to shore in the middle of the winter using about 600 feet of line strung together. I got one end to shore and then pulled the boat over to the dock.