Thursday, June 01, 2017

Just a quick note...

Today in journalism, some needful history, and a little good advice from EBM...

In the real world, rope is just that, rope. I mention this because I just had a lot of folks telling me that I'm making a horrible mistake and I will rue the day I decided to use anything less than proper marine sailing specific rope on a boat.

Back when I was designing mountaineering gear I studied quite a lot about how rope is made, how it works for various purposes, and how it holds up to the rigors of use. Something else I sussed out is that some rope is much better than others for some things and you really have to weigh the pros and cons of various factors when you choose.

The current rope I'm testing passes all of the duck tests (as in if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck it is more than likely a duck). Fact is, if you saw a reel of this in a marine store you would have no reason to doubt what it was which is low stretch rope of a certain strength, which has a nice feel, and finish. The only question still in the mix is its longevity in a tropical marine environment.

Which is why I'm testing it and not mentioning what it actually is until I'm satisfied it will hold up for the long haul.

So, more about this rope in a year or so...

Listening to PAWS

So it goes...