Purchase guide 1/4
How to choose your dock lines ?
In the rope category, dock lines, also known as mooring lines or hawsers, are not the star products of the rope family. Yet, with so many fancy names, the must play an important role.Which dock lines should you choose for your boat? First, we examine the rope’s materials and construction.
My dream dock line
In the ideal world, a dock line should combine elasticity (to absorb jolts), robustness, resistance to various types of aggression (abrasion, UV, salt, humidity), limited space requirement and low water absorption. In real life, you have to make some compromises according to your priorities.
Materials:my dock line is made of…
In terms of materials, you can choose between monofibre ropes (100% polyester or 100% polyamide) or mixed ropes with a polyamide core and a polyester cover
Polyester has two main properties: resistance and lifespan (it is UV and chafe resistant).
Polyamide is a useful fibre for dock lines because its elongation, or elasticity, is substantial. A polyamide dock line offers a very good shock absorption but has a lower lifespan because of the low resistance of this material to UV and water.
Another material is polypropylene. Despite its very low UV resistance, polypropylene’s advantage is its buoyancy and very light weight. During a sailing a trip, a large spool of polypropylene is always handy in case you need to pass a line ashore.
Construction:braided or stranded line?
You must then choose between two rope structures (or constructions): braided line (single braid or double braid) or twisted (3-strand)
Braided mooring lines are more robust and have a lower shock absorption capacity compared to stranded lines, regardless of material.
Our dock lines either cut to size or sewn
Our dock lines catalogue contains a selection of ropes suitable for docking. It’s up to you to decide if you want to focus on shock absorption, durability, strength, lightness, compactness, etc. For each mooring line, you can choose between two types of products:
- cut to size: you select the length and diameter of the dock line
- ready-to-use You select the length, the diameter and our riggers will make a large loop (eye splice) at one end and a constrictor termination at the other end (to prevent the rope from fraying). The eye splice is protected from chafing by a polyester cover that extends the lifespan of the dock line.
Like chafing, jolts can be devastating to dock lines! If your boat stays in the water for a long time, we recommend that you equip your dock lines with shock absorbers. This French-designed, highly resistant, innovative model (made of natural rubber) works in compression to improve shock absorption and to avoid breakage of the snubber.
Like chafing, jolts can be devastating to dock lines! If your boat stays in the water for a long time, we recommend that you equip your dock lines with shock absorbers. This French-designed, highly resistant, innovative model (made of natural rubber) works in compression to improve shock absorption and to avoid breakage of the snubber.
| Product * | Material(x) | Construction | Resistance | Shock absorption | Lifespan | Lifespan | Clutter * | Water absorption* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-strand polyamide dock line | > Polyamide | > Three strands | ★ ★ ☆☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★ ★ ☆☆☆ | ★ ★ ☆☆☆ | ★ ★ ★☆☆ | ★ ★ ☆☆☆ |
| 3-strand polyester dock line | > Polyester | > Three strands | ★ ★ ★★☆ | ★ ★ ★☆☆ | ★ ★ ★☆☆ | ★ ★ ☆☆☆ | ★ ★ ★☆☆ | ★ ★ ☆☆☆ |
| Single flat braid polyester dock line | > Polyester | > Single braid | ★ ★ ★☆☆ | ★ ★ ☆☆☆ | ★ ★ ★☆☆ | ★ ★ ★★☆ | ★ ★ ☆☆☆ | ★ ☆☆☆☆ |
| Dockline polyamide core and polyester cover | > Polyamide (core) > Polyamide (core) | > Double braid | ★ ★ ★★☆ | ★ ★ ★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★ ★ ☆☆☆ | ★ ★ ★☆☆ | ★ ★ ★☆☆ |
