 Ropes of many different types and

sizes have continued to play a major

role in the working of ships throughout
history. Clearly, the era of the sailing
ships, where cordage, in virtually every
form, could be found from anchor
warps to ratlines, was a dominant
period in history for rope
manufacturers.
 All natural fibre rope
is manufactured
from
manilla,sisal,hemp,
coir,cotton or flax
fibres. The process of
manufacture
consists of twisting
the fibres into yarns
and turning the
yarns in an opposite
direction to establish
the strands.
 Manilla is obtained from the abaca (wild
banana) plant, which grows to about 9m
(30ft) in height,largely in the Philippine
Islands,and is exported via the port of
Manila,from which it acquires its name.
 Manila rope is very durable, flexible, and
resistant to salt water damage, allowing its
use in rope, hawsers, ship’s lines, and fishing
nets.
 Unfortunately it swells when wet, but
despite this it is considered by far the
strongest natural rope made. It is very
expensive and its availability will depend
on the political climate.
 For handling purposes, the fibres have a
brittle texture, and continued handling
without gloves could cause the hands to
become sore and uncomfortable.
 Where the rope is expected to be
continually immersed in water, it may be
coated with a water repellent.This is a
chemical coating, usually tar based,
which prevents rotting and mildew
 It is a very rough, coarse and hairy rope,
with only about one quarter the strength
of a hemp rope.However,it is very light
and floats,possessing great elasticity. It is
often used as a towing warp or mooring
spring, because of its buoyant and
elastic properties.
 The coir fibres are short,brittle and
thick.These features produce a stiff non-
flexible rope,difficult to
manage.Consequently they are not
popular with seafarers.When used for
mooring purposes, they often have a
steel wire pennant attached,and the
whole is known as a coir spring. C c
 The advantage of hemp rope is that it is
impervious to water and does not shrink or
swell when wet.For this reason it was
extensively used for the rigging of sailing
vessels,and roping sails. When used for
running rigging,it was preferred to manilla
or sisal because it did not swell up and foul
the blocks.
 However, for vessels navigating in
cold climates,hemp ropes do have a
tendency to freeze up. Not all hemp
ropes are supplied tarred, so that the
weight will vary,together with the
strength.
 Is extracted from the plant of the
linseed/flax plant.
 Usually used in fashion industry.
 Although natural fibre ropes are still
widely used throughout the marine
industry, they have been superseded by
synthetic fibres for a great many
purposes.Not only do the majority of
synthetic ropes have greater strength
than their natural fibre counterparts, but
they are more easily obtainable and at
present considerably cheaper.
 This is the strongest of all the man-made
fibre ropes.It has good elasticity,
stretching up to 30 percent and returning
to its original length
 It is used for such functions as shock-
absorbing when coupled with a mooring
wire:the nylon forms a rope tail which
takes the heavy shocks as a vessel
ranges on her moorings.
 The disadvantages of nylon ropes are
that they do not float,and in cold
climates they tend to stiffen up and
become difficult to handle. They should
not be left exposed to strong sunlight or
be stowed on hot deck surfaces, as their
natural life will be impaired
 MELTING POINT: 250 DEGREES CELCIUS
 A heavy rope compared to the nylon
and not as strong, but nevertheless some
of the polyester’s properties make it a
worthwhile rope to have aboard. It is
considered to be more resistant to acids,
oils and organic solvents than its nylon
counterpart, while its strength remains
the same whether in a dry or wet
condition.
 It is used for mooring tails and mooring
ropes.
 Its disadvantages are very similar to nylon’s.
It will not float.Splices must have four full
tucks and may draw more easily than with
a natural fibre rope when under stress.
 MELTING POINT: 230-250 DEGREES CELCIUS
 This is probably the most popular of the
man-made fibres at sea.The ropes are
cheap,light to handle,have the same
strength whether wet or dry,and they
float
 They are used extensively for mooring
ropes and running rigging
 It is resistant to chemical attack by
acids,alkalis and oils,but solvents and
bleaching agents may cause deterioration.
 MELTING POINT: 165 DEGREES CELCIUS
The term lay refers to the direction
of the twist of the wires in a strand
and to the direction that the
strand are laid in a rope.
The purpose of alternate twisting
of fiber, yarn and strand is to
prevent the rope becoming
unlayed when used.
Most common form of rope at sea is the Hawser laid
rope. Comprising three strands laid up to right of left.
 This type of lay has the advantages that
it does not kink and also,with eight
strands,has increased
flexibility.However,it is difficult to
splice,and the manufacturers’instructions
should be consulted.
 Does not rotate under load and is ideal
for use with windlass and anchor lines
 Square Braid
 High energy absorption
 Another type of lay found at sea is
‘shroud lay’ ,consisting of four
strands,sometimes being laid about a
central heart,right-handed. As the name
implies,it was used for standing rigging
(the shrouds to the mast) until wire ropes
came into use.
 It is less liable to stretch.
 picture
 Often referred to as a long lay,soft-laid is
a strong flexible method of laying up a
rope.The angle of the strand to the axis
through the centre of the rope is
comparatively small.It will absorb water
more easily and will not be as hard-
wearing for example as a hard-laid rope
 Does not easily absorb water and tends
to retain its shape better when under
stress
 Being hard in construction, it is not very
flexible, and its breaking stress and
subsequent safe working load are inferior
to those of soft or standard laid ropes
 Standard lay may be described as a
cross between hard- and soft-laid ropes.
It has been found by experience to be
the best in providing pliability and
strength,and to be sufficiently hard-
wearing and chafe-resistant to suit the
industry for general purpose working.
 Alternatively known as plaited, but not as
in the way as the ‘eight strand
plaited’previously mentioned,an
example of sennet lay is found with the
patent log line,where the yarns are
interwoven,often about a centre heart.
This lay of rope has an effective anti-
twist,non-rotational property
 This lay looks like standard lay, but close
inspection will reveal that the yarns are
twisted the same way as the strands.
 Left-handed in construction, it is usually
ordered for a specific job,e.g.gangway
falls
 The advantage of this lay is that the
tendency for standard lay to kink when
passing through a block is eliminated.