Choosing your strings
Halyard, sheet, control line, mooring line or shock cord: each rope serves a specific purpose. Here are the 6 points to check to choose the right one.
1. The use of the rope
Start by defining its function. A halyard and a control line must have little elongation under load. A sheet must remain comfortable in the hand and run smoothly through pulleys and cleats. A mooring line must absorb shocks. A shock cord is used for elastic returns. A lash or whipping twine is used for binding and finishing.
2. Core material and elongation
Pre-stretched polyester offers moderate elongation for a contained budget, such as the Titanic 16/32F pre-stretched polyester halyard or the Marlow Blue Ocean Doublebraid 8 mm. Dyneema stretches very little and allows for a reduction in diameter at equal strength: Liros Magic Pro 4 mm, Gottifredi Maffioli Olympicstar 78, Marlow Excel D12 SK78 2.5 mm.
Titanic 16/32F pre-stretched polyester halyard
3. The cover and handling
The cover protects the core from abrasion and UV rays and determines the feel. A grip polyester cover, like on the Liros Magic Pro 5 mm, holds well in cleats. A soft-touch sheet, like the Liros Seastar Color 8 mm, facilitates repeated handling. Coverless ropes, like the Liros Dyneema D-Pro 2 mm, are suitable for splices and light adjustments. To locally reinforce a friction zone, the Grip Protect-ETR cover sleeve can be slid over the rope.
Liros Magic Pro 5 mm rope
4. The diameter
The diameter depends on the load, but also on the equipment the rope works with and the handling comfort. Check the range of diameters accepted by your pulleys and cleats. The Liros Magic Pro range is available in 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm and 6 mm to suit every adjustment.
Liros Magic Pro 3 mm rope
5. Mooring, shock cords and small lines
For mooring, a three-strand polyester rope retains a certain elasticity, like the Liros Green Wave 12 mm. For elastic returns, choose the shock cord according to the desired tension: 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm or 6 mm. For bindings, use a Dyneema lash or whipping twine.
Liros 5 mm blue shock cord
6. The brand: what makes the difference
Liros, Marlow, Gottifredi Maffioli and Cousin Trestec work with the same fibers: polyester, Dyneema SK78 or SK99, Technora. For the same fiber, the basic performance levels are therefore similar. The difference lies in the construction: tightness of the braiding, composition of the cover, cohesion between the core and the cover, and finishing treatments.
Gottifredi Maffioli stands out for ropes that are held in the hand. Its blended fiber covers provide grip without being harsh on the hands, and its tight braiding keeps the rope round and firm: it twists little and holds well in cleats and clutches. The Olympicstar 78, with a Dyneema and Cordura cover, is suitable for sheets, halyards, and control lines. The TD78 Light Blue, with a Technora and Dyneema cover, is designed for spinnaker, gennaker, and jib sheets. The Ultragrip, a single braid of Dyneema SK78 and Cordura, is used for hooked halyards and control lines.
Gottifredi Maffioli Olympicstar 78 rope
Marlow is very present in Olympic sailing and renowned for its Dyneema cores, such as the Excel D12 SK78. Liros offers a very wide range, with a very good price-quality ratio on ropes like the Magic Pro. Cousin Trestec, a French manufacturer, is a benchmark in offshore racing and textile rigging.
In practice: for a sheet or control line that you keep in your hand throughout your sailing, the feel and cleat-holding performance of a Gottifredi Maffioli justify the price difference. For a halyard, a bare Dyneema core or a line that is rarely handled, the differences between brands are small: prioritize choosing the right fiber and the right diameter first.
Find all our ropes in our halyards, sheets, Dyneema, and shock cords collection.