Bargain rope, Homebase

[Mikefule]

Our local Homebase has 30 metre lengths of 9mm braided polypropylene rope for £3, which is 10 pence a metre. It has a breaking strain of 250kg and is flexible and easy to handle - it's not that horrible blue twisted polyprop that is often available cheaply. It's not the best rope in the world, but it's ideal for mooring a small boat, tying things onto the roof rack, and various other general and boating purposes. In a marina, similar rope would be either side of £1 a metre.

[ShinyShoe]

Thats a cheap price for that - but not as cheap as you might think. Sure I've bought some from Lidl in the past for £5, would need to check length.

But its cr@p. Break strain 250kg is what you'd get on 3mm from a chandler. 8mm should be close to 1000kg with working load 750kg and 10mm 1250 and 1500kg.

So only of use on light loading activities.

I wouldn't use it for mooring on a RIB - although I don't know what the load is on a RIB mooring rope...

[Lee1]

I've used it before I think. . . . if it's white and feels very very plastic and slippery, it will not lock on itsself, avoid it as despite using various marine knots it doesn't hold a tight knot and it unites its self despite how tight you tie the knot, it's excellent for knot practice! (I think it's has the wrong/excess plastic content) and I guess that's why it's on clearance lol don't rely on it to hold anything tied down or secure. If it's a blue one with red flecks on a blue hand spindle it's ok and a good rope with certain light but it's not a marine rope.

Any pics???

[ShinyShoe]

Nah not the horrific 3 ply white stuff... I think it will be like this:

https://www.buysend.com/Product/9016...ne-fibres-30m/

Its just slightly odd and cheap feeling "main sheet" type rope you'd have on a sailing dinghy...

[Mikefule]

It's braided, coloured, with a bit of a pattern. It isn't beautiful rope, but it feels like it will hold a knot. I'll happily use it for mooring on the river, and for general tying things together. I wouldn't use it for a dinghy mainsheet or halyard and I wouldn't use it to anchor in a current, swell or strong wind or if I was leaving the boat unattended. But for £3 for 30 metres for a reasonably good general purpose rope I thought it was worth sharing.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Mikefule

It's braided, coloured, with a bit of a pattern. It isn't beautiful rope, but it feels like it will hold a knot. I'll happily use it for mooring on the river, and for general tying things together. I wouldn't use it for a dinghy mainsheet or halyard and I wouldn't use it to anchor in a current, swell or strong wind or if I was leaving the boat unattended. But for £3 for 30 metres for a reasonably good general purpose rope I thought it was worth sharing.

I bought some of the same from B&Q years ago. Used it for allsorts of stuff including a diving deco station, still going strong bargain[emoji106] I wouldn't use it for any high load application anchoring etc. But it's fine for the painter on the tender.

[Lee1]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Nah not the horrific 3 ply white stuff... I think it will be like this:

https://www.buysend.com/Product/9016...ne-fibres-30m/

Its just slightly odd and cheap feeling "main sheet" type rope you'd have on a sailing dinghy...

That's not to bad I've used it for years for camping and bushcraft and mored up sibs with it

[treerat]

I carry a length of the stuff, picked it up some where along the way. Used it for back up ropes, spare springs, towing toys and dinghies.

Always handy to have as packs small and ok for what it is.

[simonafloat]

It's not bad stuff, I bought a load of it from a B&M home bargains store, use it on the boat for mooring lines and the rest gradually gets used to lash down loads in my van. But I wouldn't use it for rigging or anchoring. I'd even trust blue polyprop over it for any critical uses