Got a leaky situation last week when my buddy’s boat almost drifted off during that surprise thunderstorm. His anchor rope snapped like a rotten twig. Figured it’s time I actually learned this rope stuff properly instead of winging it.
First Things First
Searched “anchor rope types” online. Holy smokes – so many options: nylon, polyester, chain, mixed ones… felt like drowning in alphabet soup. Remembered that crusty fisherman at the dock always saying “nylon stretches”. Started there.
Testing The Stretch Thing
Grabbed three ropes for testing:
- Cheapo nylon from hardware store
- Fancy polyester rope
- Hybrid rope with chain links
Tied ’em to my truck hitch one by one. Gave slow tugs – nylon actually stretched longer than my old sweatpants waistband! Polyester barely budged. The chain-hybrid? Different story – chain part sunk fast but rope part still floated annoyingly.
Field Testing On Water
Took them out last Tuesday when winds kicked up. Important discovery:
Stretch ain’t always good. That nylon stretched so much in waves it let the anchor drag sideways across the bottom. Polyester held position better but felt jerkier when waves hit. Hybrid rope? Nearly brained myself when that metal chain section whipped past my ear during retrieval.
Noticed something else too – that nylon rope I left in my damp garage smelled worse than week-old bait. Realized some ropes suck up water and rot fast.
The Money Shot
After wasting two weekends testing, here’s my dumbed-down cheat sheet:
- Rocky bottoms? Get hybrid rope with chain – protects against sharp edges
- Sandy/muddy? Stretchy nylon soothes wave jerks
- Leaving rope wet? Polyester won’t stink or weaken fast
- Deep water? Float markers on polyester – doesn’t sag like wet noodles
Ended up buying 150 feet of thick nylon for my little skiff. Tested it last Saturday when winds hit 25 knots – anchor held solid while that stretch absorbed the wave punches. Still ordered polyester rope for the dock lines though. Yeah, I’m that guy carrying multiple rope types now. Judge me.
Biggest lesson? Don’t be like me buying whatever’s cheapest at the gas station. Water finds weak spots like sharks smell blood.