Line Chart

The chart below shows the line sizes and colors that are normally stocked here.
The Color of the box approximates the Color of the line. Most lines, however, are not solid colors:
Endura Braid, Finish Line, Spyder Line, and Flight Line all have a contrasting color tracer.
Bzzz alternates White with the indicated Color, while Salsa is White + Yellow + the Color
Sta Set X is White with a tracer of the Color.

Note that Spyder Line is slightly smaller than the standard mm sizes.

All lines are New England Ropes unless otherwise indicated.
Please go to our Line page for current prices, specials, and ordering.
All prices subject to change without notice.

Line	Fibers	2mm 3/32	3mm 1/8	4mm 5/32	5mm 3/16	6mm 1/4	7mm 9/32	8mm 5/16	9.5mm 3/8
Spyder Line	Poly over HMWPE	1.8mm	2.8mm	3.8mm
Braided Polyester	Poly
Finish Line	Poly prestretched
Flight Line	Polypro over HMWPE
Bzzz	Spun Poly- MFP blend
Salsa	Spun Poly- HMWPE blend
Endura 12	HMWPE
Samson Vectran 12	LCP
Endura Braid	Poly over HMWPE
Shock Cord	Nylon over rubber
Marlow Marstron 8-plait	MFP

 

Fibers used in line construction:

Those marked in Bold are in the lines stocked here.

Nylon	High strength, high stretch, good UV resistance, moderate cost. Heavy weight, does not float. Best for mooring lines - docks and anchors - and as woven cover over stretchy shock cord.
Polypro	Polypropylene is very lightweight, has low strength with high stretch and poor UV resistance at a very low cost. It is a very slippery fiber, does not hold knots well. Does not like to stay in cleats unless it is braided over a firm core, usually a very-low-stretch line. It does have one wonderful property for marine use; it floats. Most used as a water ski tow line.
MFP	Multifilament Polypropylene, the same fiber as above but with a different finishing process that gives it a fuzzy cover, so its easier on hands, holds knots, and stays in cleats. The fuzziness, in a braided line, adds a bit to its strength, but can shorten its life. Used for light air sheets, as a cover over low-stretch cores, or blended with other fibers to keep the line lightweight and reduce water absorption. Because it is light and it floats, it makes a great painter/tow line for dinghies and catamarans. Easily blended with other fibers for specialty lines.
Poly	Polyester, the primary fiber used in line construction for over 4 decades, is medium weigh, moderate strength and moderate to low stretch (it can be prestretched at the mill to give it an initial "set" that makes it a low stretch line, but a bit stiff in the hands), moderate cost and good UV resistance. Holds knots and in cleats. Usually easy to splice, except the prestretched versions. The workhorse fiber in sailing, is also the main fiber used in most sails. Does not float, braided lines can absorb considerable water.
Spun Poly	Same fiber as above but a different finishing process gives it a fuzzy look and feel, that make it much softer on the hands, and greatly improves its already good knot-holding ability. Great in cleats. Used alone, absorbs a lot of water, so is best blended or used as a braided cover over a low-stretch, non-absorbing core.
HMWPE	High Molecular Weight Polyethylene. You may sometimes see it as UHMWPE, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene in the higher (more expensive) grades. Dyneema is made in Europe, Spectra in the USA. Many lines are made from one or the other depending on supplies and cost at any one time, so consider them interchangeable. Dyneema is usually available in 3 grades, SK60, SK75, SK100 (the UHMWPE version) while Spectra is most often found as Spectra 1000, which is the same as SK75, the most common version in sailing. Very lightweight, very strong, very low stretch, very high price. Poor UV resistance, must be coated for marine use (all New England Ropes HMWPE lines are coated). Holds knots well, very easy to splice, very hard to cut. HMWPE and UHMWPE are what the bases on high-end racing skis and skiboards are made of. Well on its way to becoming the workhorse fiber on all modern racing sailboats in spite of the price, where it can replace polyester lines two or three times larger. Now replacing wire for trapeze lines in may classes. This fiber has medium 'creep' - stretching under high static load over time - so it is not a good choice for standing rigging, but works great for halyards, especially spinnaker halyards. Other major uses include bridles, tapered sheet ends, cascading systems not under constant load.
Aramid	Aramids are a family of fibers that include Kevlar and Technora. Literally bulletproof, Kevlar is the fiber of choice in modern bulletproof vests and helmets. Also used as a replacement for glass cloth in "fiberglass" composite construction, reducing weight and greatly improving strength and abrasion resistance. As a fiber in a cord, very high strength, low weight, very low stretch except for one feature called "creep" - the fiber does not stretch under initial load but will stretch slowly under load over time, making it a poor choice for static loads. Also shrinks with exposure to UV, a very annoying feature of sails using Kevlar fibers. Does not like sharp corners, so no knots. Because of its excellent abrasion resistance and very high melting point, its best use in lines is as a cover on high-load lines used on winches, where it will not burn when played out over the winch drum.
LCP	Liquid Crystal Polymer, made up into a line called Vectran. Very high strength, very low weight, very low stretch, very high price, fair UV stability. Not as much tensile strength as HMPE, but it has the lowest "creep" of any of the high-tech fibers, which makes it a candidate for replacing stranded stainless steel standing rigging. Makes great main and jib halyards, but needs a poly cover if it is to be cleated rather than terminated in a loop or hook.

© 2006-10 Jim Young