This may be obvious to more experienced sailors but it will help you to use different colors for different functions, rather than buying a role of line all one color. It's a lot easier to tell which one is the main halyard and which one is the outhaul etc etc if they are distinctive colors. Also easier when you want someone else to pull on a line to tell them to pull in a foot or so of the red line.
Posts by rbarkas
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One other thing - there are several kinds of 'rope' you can get. In most cases you will want what is known as Double braid. This means that there is an inner core and an outer jacket - it is the colorful stuff you'll see in a Chandlery / Boat supply place. Within the world of double braid there is standard old line and there is the stuff that has a stronger less stretchy core, usually called Spectra or Dyneema. It may be a good idea to consider using this Spectra / Dyneema line for the halyards (the lines that pull the sails up) even if you don't plan to do any racing. Even on a pleasure sailing boat it's nice to be able to tension the halyards and have them stay more or less tensioned rather than slowly getting loose as the line stretches.
Spectra for some of the other lines, while common on race boats or large cruisers, may be overkill for you.
There is a more detailed discussion about ropes at this place
Also samson ropes, yale cordage and New England rope have some good info about rope selection on their web sites.
Spectra for some of the other lines, while common on race boats or large cruisers, may be overkill for you.
There is a more detailed discussion about ropes at this place
Also samson ropes, yale cordage and New England rope have some good info about rope selection on their web sites.
I don't disagree SD, my opinion is influenced by the thought of our tireless racing team trying to sort out which of the tangled together white lines is connected to the vang while the the spin is flogging after a gybe gone bad in 25 knots of breeze off Tasman Island at night. Admittedly this is a situation that a 23 foot family fun boat is unlikely to experience.
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(we're the boat on the left. Yes, the mainsheet hand did manage to ease the sheet and no, we didn't hit them. Their eyes, however, were the size of small saucers)
(we're the boat on the left. Yes, the mainsheet hand did manage to ease the sheet and no, we didn't hit them. Their eyes, however, were the size of small saucers)
Thanks Jason, There are a few more here if you're interested
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