Dock Line Life Span

A forum for discussing boat or trailer repairs or modifications that you have made or are considering.
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Interim
First Officer
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Joined: Thu May 08, 2014 7:31 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26S
Location: Great Plains

Dock Line Life Span

Post by Interim »

I've just completed the annual ritual of cleaning halyards, sheets, and docklines. My docklines, three strand of course, get pretty stiff after a couple years of exposure, marinating in the lake, etc.

Are there any methods for restoring their original softness and flexibility? Or am I a victim of my cheapness (buying low price dock lines) and it is time to buy new ones?

--john
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kurz
Admiral
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Re: Dock Line Life Span

Post by kurz »

Washing maschine treatment?
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dlandersson
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Re: Dock Line Life Span

Post by dlandersson »

My right rear dock line has been in place for 9 years, all of them - it's never been taken down. What is the life expectancy of a dock line?
Interim wrote: Mon Nov 04, 2019 5:43 am I've just completed the annual ritual of cleaning halyards, sheets, and docklines. My docklines, three strand of course, get pretty stiff after a couple years of exposure, marinating in the lake, etc.

Are there any methods for restoring their original softness and flexibility? Or am I a victim of my cheapness (buying low price dock lines) and it is time to buy new ones?

--john
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kurz
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Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 9:07 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
Location: Zürich, Switzerland, Europe

Re: Dock Line Life Span

Post by kurz »

some are still the first when I importet the :macm: new in 2011.

I use them as long as it makes sense/possible.

But I already have new ones on board. If they have to be really strong (bad weater, stormy conditions etc.) I will use the new ones, becouse I guess the old ones are not as strong anymore becouse the fell ashamed and of course becouse of detoriation of UV - exposition...
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ris
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Re: Dock Line Life Span

Post by ris »

WE tie our dock lines up as we would when hanging them on the boat's rails, then put a couple lines in the washer with soap and an overdose of fabric softener and add small dose of bleach. This will clean and remove some of the stiffness. If they become very chaffed then we take them off the boat and use them around the property.
Richard
OverEasy
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: NH & SC

Re: Dock Line Life Span

Post by OverEasy »

Hi All!

This article might be of interest:
https://www.ropeforboats.com/blogs/rope ... -dock-line

Basic rule I was brought up and trained with was:
When in doubt, Throw it out

Line length is also important.
The two schools of thought here depending on where you use your boat.

The first is for where there are tidal concerns which recommends that boat dock lines should be at least 1-1/2 times the length of the boat.
That way you should have sufficient line to allow your vessel to float with the tide.
(Who wants to be ‘that guy’ who didn’t have enough line and ended up with a sideways hanging boat at low tide?)
Of course if you are someplace with more extreme tidal variations like the Bay of Fundy yer gonna need much longer lines! :o :? :|

The second is minimal for lakes and rivers where there are stable water levels which recommends that dock lines are at least the length of the boat.
That way you should have sufficient length to handle the lines from anywhere on the boat.

We’ve tried the minimal line length as there was some concern about a fwd line falling over and dragging back to foul the prop given the awkward nature of scrambling up onto the upper deck from the cockpit. While it’s generally worked for us as we’ve split our boat use time on both lakes and the mild tidal (~6 foot) flows of SC estuaries we are going to longer lines for our Mac26X and relegate these existing 26 foot lines over to our 15 foot runabout. We are also adding mid section cleats to our boat as there have been several times we have found that having only the existing fwd and aft cleats have been less than desirable.

Hope this helps some.

Best Regards
Over Easy 😎😎🐩🐈
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dlandersson
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Re: Dock Line Life Span

Post by dlandersson »

Five years if outside 24/7 8)
dlandersson wrote: Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:17 am My right rear dock line has been in place for 9 years, all of them - it's never been taken down. What is the life expectancy of a dock line?
Interim wrote: Mon Nov 04, 2019 5:43 am I've just completed the annual ritual of cleaning halyards, sheets, and docklines. My docklines, three strand of course, get pretty stiff after a couple years of exposure, marinating in the lake, etc.

Are there any methods for restoring their original softness and flexibility? Or am I a victim of my cheapness (buying low price dock lines) and it is time to buy new ones?

--john
Ammiraglio
Just Enlisted
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Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 11:08 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Mayo, MD

Re: Dock Line Life Span

Post by Ammiraglio »

I had a few docking lines that were very dry and stiff from years of being outside and being used very little. I was about to simply throw them away when I read about the soaking in warm water and mild soap trick, maybe in this very forum. I tried and it worked wonders. I didn't have the 55-gallon drum recommended by the article in the link above :D but the bathtub in the guest bathroom worked very well. They didn't come out as new, but they were in very good shape, very usable. I plan to use them normally, or at least as a backup to my newer lines. Most of them had no visible sign of damage or of wear and tear. One did, so I cut the bad part, and since the rest is still pretty long, I use it for low stress, short-term situations, like tying up a kayak.
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Be Free
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Re: Dock Line Life Span

Post by Be Free »

Every line that can be easily removed on Simple Interest gets a long, warm, soapy soak in the jacuzzi tub annually (or sooner if they feel stiff). They even get a short time with the jets on. It makes a noticeable difference in them and it's surprising how much dirt comes out of them.
Bill
2001 26X Simple Interest
Honda BF40D
"If I were in a hurry I would not have bought a sailboat." Me
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