Luminous heaving line

I start talking about lighted dock lines last year up at Yellowstone. I didn't think they would happen that quick. :D
 
Apparently this was first announced in Dec. 2016, but I don't see any place where it is for sale even now. (Amazon says "currently unavailable". 10x stronger than steel--is that for comparable size (3/8")--where steel has a nominal strength of 16,600 lbs, or Safe load of 3,300 lbs? 3/8 nylon: 3,240, SWL of 270#...Even Amsteel or Dymeema in 3/8" is nominal strength of 19,600 lbs...So it is 6 to 8 x stronger than those?

Sounds like a great invention.
 
Might seem like a good idea at first. However, this line just flows in the dark from stored solar energy. My guess is that at 4 am when you really need it, it won't be glowing at all. Especially if it is a couple of years old.
 
Searched hard for this. No sign of it for sale.

One issue with fluorescent (aka luminescent) materials is that they typically degrade on extensive exposure to sunlight, especially when the chromophores are bound to a polymeric material such as rope or line. All of us have purchased visibility materials such as the vests roadway flaggers wear, only to discover, two years out, that they no longer "glow in the dark" as well as they did when new.

I suspect this rope was pulled from the market when its performance in the hands of average users did not match up to the hype associated with its release.
 
AstoriaDave":12jjh0q6 said:
pulled from the market when its performance did not match up to the hype
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Dave, wouldn't it be awesome if all companies did that!! :P :P

Another thing I find funny is that on the Canadian Yachting website they say they will only review items that are readily available for sale. :|

They do say it is UV protected although I do imagine its luminous ability will degrade over time. The bits woven into the rope are reflective so in a searchlight they would show up if the stored luminous energy had wore off.

They still have it listed on the companies website. I am tempted to email them.
 
localboy":50kjrlcl said:
...especially when the chromophores are bound to a polymeric material...
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Sometimes I come to this site...and I feel like a moron. :lol:
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Guilty. Busted on overuse of jargon. :oops:

Chromophore is geekspeak for a feature in a molecule that responds to incoming light by releasing light of lesser energy. In practical terms, UV light, being of higher energy than visible light, is a good candidate for use in stuff you want to be luminescent, like that rope. If you hit that rope with a black light, it would luminesce like a mofo. Hit it with light from an ordinary light bulb, and not much happens.

Sunlight has both UV and visible components, but it is the UV that activates the rope's chromophores to luminesce.

Enough of that!
 
Dave, you are being kind. I expected some "other" responses to my posting. There is a brain trust of immense talents/knowledge on this site.
 
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