8-Plait vs. 3 Strand rope for windlass

[TyBoo]

I'm needing to replace my anchor rode and I see this fancy 8-plait rope available. I have always used the Lewmar branded 3-strand before with good luck, but am wondering if the 8-plait is worth the extra hundred bucks or so. If it resists coiling, is gripped better by the old gypsy, and lays in the locker better it sounds good.

Thanks!

[matt_unique]

My concern is how it will lie and coil in the anchor locker off the windlass...3 strand has always worked well for me and coils nicely.

[Foggy]

I've always used 3 strand w/o problems but never had a windlass till now.
So, I've decided to switch to 8 plait, do the splice to the chain.
Now in the box, it feels much more supple, softer and easier to handle than 3 strand. Plus, I have 225' of it in the same size box I can get only about 175' of 3 strand.
I think I'm going to like the 8 plait rode.

Aye.

[thataway]

I have used some 8 plait in larger boats and the advantage was that it load better (less space in the anchor locker). If the 3 strand is working for you (good grip for the windlass, and you can put all that you want in the anchor locker) stick with it.

If you want to go from 300 feet to 600 feet of rode, then you will be better served by the 8 plait. (My fist experience with this was when the Avon Dealer on the West Coast was going out of business, and they had an approximately 1000 foot spool of 5/8" plait line--for a very low price. I bought the 1000 feet, and walked around until I found someone who wanted to split it with me--and we both walked off with about 500 feet. It fit were 300 feet were before.

[Don and Brenda]

A few years ago we installed a verticle windlass on the CD-22 and decided to go with 200' of 8 plait and 50' of chain. really liked the feel of the rode and it did coil well and was very easy to tie off on the front cleat, would certainly do it again. Now that we have the tug and 3 strand, it is much harder for the wife to tie onto the cleat.

Don

[Sea Wolf]

For those of you who have used both types:

How does the difficulty of splicing 8-plait vs. 3-strand to the chain compare?

How well does each splice pass through the windlass?

Which rope absorbs shock better?

Absorption of salt and stiffening?

Difficulty in cleaning?

Anything else?

Joe.

[Don and Brenda]

Joe

Some good questions

In my case I bought it from Defender marine and it was professionally spliced, it passed throught the windlass very easily, better than the slice I currently have on the 3 strand but I need to cut the splice out on the 3 strand and redo it, it is also on a horizonal vs vertical so not apples to apples. Shock, I think the 3 strand does a bit better, if your pulling by hand the 8 plait would be easier on the hands.

[Sunbeam]

I have always used (and spliced) three-strand nylon in the past for dock and anchor lines (other boats), but for my C-Dory I decided to try 8-plait (specifically, 1/2" Yale Brait). I had heard and read good things, and to me, one of the "fun" things about a smaller boat is that I can experiment (smaller size, lower cost, and manageable physics as compared to big boats) with new things when I want to. While I read that Brait had good/better stretch, etc., the main property that attracted me was that it falls into a much smaller "pile" in the locker as compared to three-strand (and doesn't hockle, not that I had a lot of problem with that in the past).

I did slightly worry that the strands might "pick" (like a sweater), and for that reason I might not choose at as a dock line, but so far so good as an anchor rode. I've anchored around 40 times on it so far, plus dragged it over sandy beaches (dragged as in carried, not as in losing grip). It has a nice soft hand, and indeed does not hockle. It falls/packs down beautifully in the locker. It was reasonably easy to clean after Powell.

Splicing: I spliced it myself (rope to chain splice) and while the instructions were slightly confusing to me, the actual splice was logical and not that difficult.

I would absolutely buy it again for the C-Dory (and perhaps for other boats). I have recently purchased a windlass, but have not installed it yet, so can't comment on that aspect of it.

[thataway]

My answers to Joe's excellent questions:

Splicing: different, but using colored Sharpee markers it became fairly easy. I did over sew all of the splice with dacron thread.

Splice goes thru the windless fine--tapered the tails of the splice

3 strand does better with shock

About the same with salt--wash, and wrinse

I favor the plait--but have 3 stand because it came on the boat.

[Sunbeam]

[UncleRichie]

Make sure u use nylon , nylon will absorb shock loads better. It keeps from lifting the anchor out all the time and also does not put so much load on cleats and such.
Richard

[TyBoo]

Thanks for the help! I think I will get the 8-plait stuff.

One thing I learned early on with the windlass was to not get the cheap rope. The Lewmar rode (Simpson-Lawrence, then) was twice as much as most others but worth it. The cheaper rope seemed too soft and would coil up in small loops and fill the center of the locker to the top causing problems. The stiffer rope would force itself to the sides of the locker and fill more evenly allowing it to hold more.

I will likely buy from Defender marine, but the link to their product page had some weird symbols in it and would not embed properly in the message. Defender's price is a little higher, but at least I have heard of them and had good luck with them in the past. They also have the best price on the windlass I will be buying when I replace mine.

I always buy the rope/chain already spliced because I suck at such things. I usually have 300' rope and 15' chain but think I'll go with the 200'/10' this time because I never use it all and often have trouble getting it all stowed in the locker. I got tired of the jams so I put a video camera in the locker that feeds to my Garmin display so I can keep an eye on any pileups coming in or kinks going out.

Thanks again for your thoughts here.

[Sunbeam]

[Sea Wolf]

[Barry Rietz]

Depending on seabed conditions (large rocks, coral heads, depth variations, unknown obstructions, dragging, snags, etc) the "three strand" format resists "abrasion" like no other variety!