Mooring Rope Selection Guide

The Main Factors to consider in selecting your mooring rope

Stretch Factor &#; mooring lines need to absorb snatch loads and maintain the capacity to elongate and recover without suffering premature stress failure. Polyester has the required amount of working stretch for mooring and the ability to absorb surge loads can be enhanced with mooring compensators. Polypropylene stretches a little more than polyester. Nylon is the most elastic of the three materials, approximately 5-10% more elongation than polyester.

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Strength and Durability &#; mooring ropes need to manage the substantial strain experienced in securing a yacht in your chosen configuration (the number of ropes that effectively divide the load) so relative diameter and break load are important factors. Nylon is initially the strongest mooring rope but it is a widely held belief that it loses 10-15% when thoroughly wet which brings it back to relative parity with polyester. Polyester has better UV resistance than nylon which means that it builds a small advantage each season resulting in a longer working life. Polypropylene is not comparable to the other two materials and should not be considered unless stepping up in diameter.

Abrasion Resistance &#; depends on what the rope is made from, how it is manufactured and to a lesser extent, the finished construction. Polyester and Nylon have comparable performance with Polypropylene, again a distant third. LIROS employ heat setting technology and special twisting techniques on the fundamental filaments and yarns to enhance wear performance.

Nylon shrinks when it is wet resulting in a tightening of the rope strands creating a harder, stiffer rope. This can be of benefit for permanent single purpose warps.

Comfort &#; rope construction and diameter make a difference to comfort, especially for more delicate hands. Braided Docklines are commonly regarded as the most flexible, luxurious handling rope for mooring. Octo (Anchor) plaited ropes are also flexible and comfortable to handle. 3 strand rope is generally regarded as less kind to the hands but is probably still the best all-round choice for most mooring applications.

Handling, Coiling and Hanking - rope construction dictates how you should hank a rope into a coil for stowing and throwing/heaving. 3 strand rope needs to be rolled around your thumb to keep the lay in regular form. Braided and Plaited ropes should be allowed to form a figure of eight shape, to ensure that you are not imparting twist into the rope.

UV Resistance &#; Everything degrades in the sun. The speed at which the deterioration occurs depends on what the rope is manufactured from. Polyester is best, with nylon a reasonable second and polypropylene a distant third. UV stabilising techniques help but don&#;t significantly alter the general comparable resistance values of each substance. Counteracting UV deterioration should be a major consideration for yachts in the Mediterranean and the Tropics.

Buoyancy - Polyester and Nylon both sink. Polyester is slightly heavier than nylon. Polypropylene floats. There are some applications where it is important that a line floats on the surface, but otherwise Polyester and Nylon are more durable fibres in terms of strength and resistance to abrasion and UV.

Summary - Polyester is the best all round fibre for mooring applications. Nylon has additional elasticity and can develop a harder finish which is of benefit for certain solutions. Polypropylene isn't really comparable and should only be selected to take advantage of the fact that it floats.

Single Purpose Mooring Lines

Single Purpose Mooring Lines are ropes made up to a specific measurement, spliced and finished to fit your home berth mooring configuration. These lines tend to be for more permanent arrangements, also known as Permanent Warps:

Mooring Strops and Mooring Bridles

Design Considerations and Plus Factors:

• You can select your preferred optimum rope for each purpose: base material (rope type), construction, diameter and exact length.
• Spliced loops to conveniently drop over cleats or bollards, remember to allow just enough extra to pull the loop to the furthest extremity of the horn, before it drops over and sits neatly around the cleat base. Spliced loops can be ordered with anti-chafe webbing fitted.
• Spliced thimble eyes for connecting shackles to rings, or other fixed attachments on the pontoon or harbour wall. Stainless steel connections reduce the chances of abrasion.
• Mooring Compensators threaded onto the lines before splicing, to add extra shock absorption where it&#;s most needed.
• Chafe Protection threaded onto the lines before splicing, to protect the most likely wear points.

Multi-Purpose Mooring Lines

Multi-Purpose Mooring Lines are generally longer lengths that can be deployed for varied tasks and tend to be for more temporary arrangements.

Design Considerations and Plus Factors:

• You can select one rope type suitable for all your mooring requirements. This may help the crew to become more proficient at critical moments.
• Spliced loops on one end can be very helpful when trying to secure your yacht in difficult wind and tide conditions.
• All non-spliced rope ends should be heat sealed and whipped to prevent fraying.
• Bow and Stern lines can be made off and doubled back to make a spring.
• Longer lines can be deployed to attach directly to the pontoon, when your yacht is outside several others on a visitors pontoon.

Rafting Out and Towing Warps

It&#;s generally good practice to have two long lines in your rope inventory for when you&#;re rafted out on a visitor pontoon. It is not advisable or the done thing to rely on your inner neighbours to keep you securely moored to the jetty, by simply tying up to next door&#;s cleats. You will create extra load on their lines and fittings which will not be appreciated and in any case, may expose their lack of strength and suitability.

It&#;s also a good idea to consider a towing line for emergencies. Stowage room and extra cost may lead you to designate an existing mooring or anchoring warp for this purpose. Just bear in mind that the rope ends need to be finished in a versatile manner so that the line is genuinely multi-functional. A towing warp needs to be long and fairly stretchy so is reasonably compatible with doubling up as rafting out, kedge or drogue warps.

Compare the three main choices of Mooring Rope Construction:

3 Strand also known as Twisted Lay 

The most popular all-round choice ~ optimum choice on all counts except for handling where it's not quite as comfortable as braided or plaited lines - and the least expensive of the three options.

Anchorplait, Octoplait 8 Strand

More commonly used for anchoring warp but has all the required properties for mooring, a little more comfortable to handle than 3 strand and on a par with Braided Docklines in terms of cost ~ 12 plait hollowbraid is available at a lower price point.

Braided Dockline

The most comfortable handling with all the benefits of polyester fibre, specially twisted filament yarn for optimum endurance.

Select the most suitable mooring rope to meet your requirements from the comprehensive range below.

Custom Build your rope selection into a finished mooring line, ready to use for your intended purpose

Jimmy Green Marine offer the following LIROS Mooring Warp rope options from stock in Beer, backed up by the premium supply chain uniquely offered to us in the UK by LIROS Yacht Ropes, Germany.

LIROS 3 Strand Polyester Article /

Manufactured to DIN EN ISO standard (previously DIN EN 697, DIN )
The most popular choice for permanent pontoon mooring lines - Dependable strength and durable abrasion resistance combined with >15% working load stretch.

LIROS 3 Strand Polyester   Article /

LIROS Braided Dockline Article (Porto)

From 10mm - 24mm diameter - 20 plait cover and braided core, 100% Polyester, special twisted twine construction:
High elasticity >15% working load stretch - high load capacity - super flexibility - soft handling - balanced braiding, non-kinking - eminently throwable - excellent UV and abrasion resistance. The logical choice for mooring alongside.

LIROS Braided Dockline Article (Porto)

LIROS Superyacht Dockline Article

Available to order in 24mm, 28mm and 32mm diameter - 24 plait special coated cover and braided core, 100% Polyester, special twisted twine construction
High elasticity >15% working load stretch - Highest load capacity - super flexibility - good handling - balanced braiding, non kinking - Superb weather and wear resilience.

LIROS Superyacht Dockline Article

LIROS Moorex12 Article

Hollowbraid 12 plait construction, 100% Polyester > 15% working load stretch and dependable strength - spliceable, super flexible and throwable, excellent constructional shock absorption, ideal for guest lines.

LIROS Moorex12 Article

LIROS Handy Elastic     Article

Special 1:1 Plait cover and braided core, 100% Nylon (Polyamide), the ultimate shock absorbing mooring line >20% working load stretch, super pliable and comfortable in the hand - distinctive colour = navy with yellow markers.

LIROS Handy Elastic Article

LIROS Octoplait Polyester Article

8 Strand, Balanced, Square Braid Construction, 100% Polyester - super pliable, spliceable to chain, Reliable load capacity and abrasion resilience combined with excellent constructional shock absorption >15% working load stretch.

LIROS Octoplait Polyester Article

LIROS 3 Strand Polypropylene Article

Pliable, floating alternative with a finish very similar to 3 strand nylon and polyester mooring lines.

With competitive price and timely delivery, HUAZHONG sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

LIROS 3 Strand Polypropylene Article

LIROS Octoplait Polypropylene     Article

8 Strand, Balanced, Square Braid Construction, 100% Multifilament Polypropylene - floats, very light and flexible, effective floating warp, good shock absorption >15% working load stretch.
However, even after UV stabilisation, polypropylene is susceptible to deterioration in the sun and is not as strong as polyester.

LIROS Octoplait Polypropylene Article

Marlow BLUE OCEAN DOCKLINE

12mm, 14mm, and 16mm Diameter, braided construction, manufactured from 100% recycled plastic bottles, good abrasion resistance, good strength, excellent shock absorption, soft and supple flexibility, zero strength loss or shrinkage when wet.

Marlow BLUE OCEAN DOCKLINE

Going sailing or boating?

Be sure to invest in the correct mooring ropes. Not only do they provide additional safety for you and your passengers, they can also prevent a lot of unnecessary damage (and expense!) &#; and are, arguably, one of the most important pieces of equipment onboard.

Three mooring lines are often used to moor a boat:

• Bow line &#; which secures the bow to the dock
• Stern line &#; which holds the stern of the boat to the dock
• Spring line &#; to prevent any surges backwards and forwards

When buying these mooring lines, there are three main factors to consider. Here we outline each in turn and offer our expert advice on the best products available.

3 factors to consider when buying rope for mooring

1. Length

As a general rule-of-thumb, bow and stern lines should be at least half the length of your boat, and long enough to be accessible from the cockpit. Spring lines should be the full length of your boat or longer. So, first things first, take a look at your vehicle&#;s technical specification or get out the tape measure and establish its exact length.

It&#;s also a good idea to carry one additional mooring line, around five times the size of your boat. Not only will this serve as a good backup, but it could also be a great help in tough conditions.

If in any doubt, your manufacturer, club or boating forum should be able to provide advice.

2. Diameter

If you are choosing conventional mooring ropes*, then as a general rule of thumb, the bigger the boat, the thicker the mooring rope you will require. Below is a list of the most common hull lengths and the recommended rope size for each, using traditional mooring ropes.

If your sailboat falls somewhere in between these categories, it&#;s usually worth opting for the bigger diameter &#; just to be on the safe side. For particularly heavy boats (relative to their length), we also recommend going one size up (e.g. 12mm mooring line for a 26ft hull length).

3. Material

Primarily, mooring ropes need to be strong and sturdy enough to hold the weight of your vessel securely. They also need to be able to stretch and recover from elongation &#; without suffering any damage or breaking. And should demonstrate good resistance to UV and abrasion.

With these desirable traits in mind, the best mooring ropes are typically made from lightweight yet robust synthetic fibres. And the three most common include polyester, polyamide (nylon) and polypropylene.

All three of these materials have their pros and cons, and the right option for you will depend on the size and weight of your boat and whether you wish to moor it on a short or long-term basis.

Polyester mooring ropes

Polyester is regarded as the all-round best option.

It&#;s superior in terms of strength, even when subjected to prolonged or repeated stress. It resists wear and tear from the environment &#; particularly UV and abrasion. Plus, it absorbs very little water and doesn&#;t shrink when wet.

Polyester mooring lines are the least elasticated option out of the three. However, they still typically demonstrate sufficient stretch for most mooring applications. And the ability to absorb surge loads can always be enhanced with mooring compensators.

Polyamide mooring ropes (nylon)

Technically speaking, polyamide is the strongest rope for mooring. But it&#;s important to keep in mind, it loses 10-15% of this strength once submerged in water &#; which means, when used for mooring, it offers approximately the same level of strength as polyester rope.

It also matches polyester in terms of UV and abrasion resistance.

However, as polyamide absorbs water and shrinks when wet, the rope strands tend to tighten &#; leading to a harder and stiffer rope. This can be beneficial for permanent or long-term moorings.

Polypropylene mooring ropes

Polypropylene ropes absorb virtually no water, and as they float, they can be easier to handle. They&#;re also typically cheaper, offering greater value for money for those on a budget.

However, they&#;re not comparable to polyester or polyamide with regard to strength or durability. And therefore, they should only really be selected if you wish to take advantage of the fact they float.

* As an aside, we have supplied 48mm HMPE rope for use as a mooring rope, but we suspect this was for a pretty huge commercial vessel &#; not an everyday mooring rope that the average skipper would need!

Mooring rope at RopesDirect

So, whether you&#;re the new proud owner of a dingy, sailboat, narrowboat, motorboat or high-end yacht, we guarantee &#; here at RopesDirect &#; we have the ideal ropes for mooring.

In most cases, we recommend the Kingfisher Ready-Spliced Docklines. Constructed with a polyester cover and a braided nylon cord, these offer the best of both materials and boast all of the important qualities outlined above. And they come in a broad spectrum of diameters (12-16mm) and colours, with something to suit most boat styles and sizes.

We also stock 3-strand polyester ropes and 3-strand multifilament polypropylene ropes.

Whichever option you choose, all of our mooring ropes for boats and dock lines are available for a competitive price. And with ample stock in our warehouse, they&#;re eligible for next working day delivery.

So, why not take a look today? Select the ideal mooring ropes from our collection, check out our blog on &#;how to moor a boat with the correct ropes&#; and ensure you&#;re fully prepared.

If you have any questions or would like further advice on the best rope to moor your boat, you&#;re welcome to get in touch at any time. Our team have excellent knowledge of the products available and they&#;re always happy to help. Just send an to .

If you want to learn more, please visit our website mooring products.