The Short and Skinny on Rope and Webbing

There are many different rope manufactures and two basic types of rope. There is static rope which is low stretch and dynamic which has more stretch. Each manufacture has its own tolerances for stretch to be considered static or dynamic. For rafting safety applications, boat perimeter lines, bow and stern lines, and prussic cords static rope is the most appropriate rope because of the lower stretch. There are also ropes that are designed to float and are usually high visibility colors; such as 3/8" Waterline™ Rescue Rope , which are often used in safety applications such as throw ropes.

Webbing is made in two forms, flat webbing and tubular webbing. They both come in a variety of widths, material, and construction styles for different strengths and applications. The flat webbing tends to be stiffer and not as strong as tubular and both are very low stretch materials. In the boating realm flat webbing is used for such things as cam straps. A couple of great applications for the tubular webbing is as a boat perimeter line (in the 1") as well as anchor systems in Z-drag and other boat retrieval systems. A good point of reference in terms of strength for 1" tubular webbing is a tensile strength in the 4000+lbs range.

Other Rope and Webbing Tips:

Learn how to tie many knots for boating(and a couple non-boating knots) in the interactive Whitewater Rescue Knots section of the web site.

Prolonged UV light exposure has a big effect on strength of rope and webbing. When storing rope and webbing keep it covered and out of the sun as well as away from chemicals.

After getting ropes wet on the river loosely hang them out to dry and if possible out of prolonged direct sunlight.

If and or when your ropes get dirty they can be hand washed in the river or when you get home in water with mild soap; being sure to rinse out the soap completely. The rope can then be loosely hung to dry. There are commercially produced rope washing devices as well as instructions on the internet on how to make them. A little research and you can figure out which way you want to go to wash your rope.