Who Makes The Best Ropes?

[ski4xtc]

Radar makes a pretty good rope for a very reasonable price. We have used them in our tournaments for the last several years. They have measured dead on and feel pretty good out of the box. They do not have a lot of excess bungee at -15 when new. They have lasted really well too.

[MattP]

I had a problem with Radar ropes being short this summer. I think I had 3 that were a foot short. Possibly switch ropes that were packaged wrong?

[ski4xtc]

@MattP, we had 6 out of 7 that were dead on between our tournament ropes and my personal ones. One rope was about 3-4 inches short but well in tolerance and it was very easy to fix. The first year we bought them, a couple of them were just a little on the short side.

 

Over the years I have seen ropes from every manufacturer that are out of tolerance. The most important things is if the rope can easily fixed and/or if the manufacturer will replace them without a lot of grief. I have found Radar to have unbelievable customer service and that is why I try their products. D3 has the same great customer service too. I hope you were able to get a replacement for that rope.

[Than_Bogan]

Fwiw, about 10 years ago Dave Robbins (inventor of the Robbins trick release) suggested the idea of having the long-line, red, and orange sections made of near-zero-stretch material (e.g. Spectra) so that folks at long through -22 wouldn't feel excessive stretch.

 

Sounded like a great idea to me, but by then I was starting at -28 so I didn't have the motivation to follow up on it. And Dave himself is a trick specialist...

 

Based on what @Horton said earlier in the thread, it sounds like somebody might have finally done that! Perhaps that will eventually be the competition standard?

[thager]

JTH - Two ball!! Don't forget. Every time you see, hear, or read 2, two, to, or too, or go #2 you will be reminded! Only 4 bouys to go and you will drop the handle.

 

On a different note I like Masterline!

 

Obnoxious ain't I?

 

 

[jdarwin]

@ShaneH - when you file the insurance claim, let me know. I'll hook you up w/ a new rope and handle!!

[Horton]

Did I mention that US Gear is a sponsor?

[GAJ0004]

I just bought 4 Performance Pure ropes by FS Braiding sold at Performance Ski and Surf of Orlando. So far so, good.. It is an affordable alternative to the Masterline Pro slalom rope. I don't have a full season on them yet. They feel a little like a bungee cord on the first set, but after that they work well. I like them so far. The true test will be in their durability. One of my four handles is a Masterline Traditional 1'' diameter x 13''. I like it so far too. Has anyone else tried the Performance Pure ropes?

[Dusty]

In my experience, Masterline and In-Tow ropes have been the most consistently accurate. I have measured dozens of ropes- some ropes, I have measured maybe a dozen times. I have found stuff that makes ropes longer like- Braids and knots not 'seated'...; heat; fraying; tension/pull; Stuff that makes them shorter- age; cold temperatures; ozone?; UV; 'solvents'? I am not sure what cumulative effect gas/exhaust vapors have on poly but I am convinced it is not good.

FWIW- Ski ropes need the 'right' amount of stretch (whatever that is)- if you desire a really "sporty" ride, and sore elbows to boot- make one up out of Spectra or one of the other kevlar type fibers. They don't have anywhere near the stretch of poly, so taking a slack 'hit' will give new meaning to the word. Probably don't do this with your hardest pass... YMMV

[ntx]

For many years, we used Taylor Made World Line. They were the best around. Very good quality and the ropes ALWAYS checked right on. We would buy about 12 ropes per year for practice and tournament use. Cost worked out to less than 20.00 per rope. Our TC for record tournaments, never had to adjust a single rope during the 4 or 5 years we used them. My only wish was that they were still around. Like everything else in this sport, costs have gotten beyond out of control. $70.00 plus for a rope is........... FYI the light weight ropes for jr skiers, they would sell for under $9.00 in volume. I guess that's why they aren't around anymore. They priced their product too low.

[RichardDoane]

http://static-cl1.vanilladev.com/ballofspray.vanillaforums.com/uploads/FileUpload/16/f111f2d86e9e0bfd016055c1d9422b.jpg

[RichardDoane]

[thager]

@Horton - TWO !!

[jdarwin]

Richard - in tow used to make their ropes like that (maybe still do) - I had the rope come off the pylon - painful. I prefer the type that you can "break" apart and secure on the pylon.

[RichardDoane]

@MS made a good point about practicing with what you'll get on event day, for us in WA it's usually an In-Tow, @jdarwin - that knob on top of a malibu pylon is pretty large, I doubt it could pop off but you're correct that there is always a chance

[thager]

@Horton 1-2-Opps. : )

[RampDodd]

The New Straight Line Ropes for 2013 are going to be pretty Spot on!

 

[thompjs]

JDarwin - I put clove hitch over the top of the loop. Those masterlines are annoying. Once you get some monsters tightening those loops too hard to break loose.

 

I'll try to post a pic soon

[jdarwin]

@thompjs - I do the same. If you haven't cut to 38/39/41 on a used rope, it can be a chore breaking it loose - agreed.

 

@RampDodd - that would be news!

[MattP]

I agree with @jdarwin

Straight Line Ropes for 2013 are going to be pretty Spot on!

that would be surprising...

[skibug]

All I know is that it doesn't matter what kind of rope it is; a nautique pylon will wear out the loops faster than the MC or Malibu.

 

[Dusty]

It might be nice to see Straightline again making quality ropes. I have gotten t the point over the years to expect them to be out of tolerance. Most started short, we fixed them, and when they were pulled out the following year they were short again, after sitting in a box during off-season. We sometimes got one that was in tolerance, but I was never lucky enough to get two anywhere near the same. Breaking knots after 180-360 rides is a chore... and tends to shorten the life of the rope as well.

[scuppers]

Could someone post a close-up picture of this "knotless design"? I don't think I have ever seen it and can't imagine what it looks like. Thanks!

[Killer]

HO/Accurate has a knotless rope, any idea who makes their ropes?

 

my accurate 8 loop rope looks to be about 1 foot short total from my backyard messurements, but should stretch out a bit when skiing I'd think. has maybe 60 passes on it and looks fine.

[Wish]

Would someone post the tolerances as well as the best/easiest way to measure.

[danbirch]

Tow Lines Dimension Chart in the Appendix, and Rule 10.16©.

1st cut - to a 18.25 meter (59' 10.5")

2nd cut - to a 16 meter (52' 6")

3rd cut - to a 14.25 meter (46' 9")

± 15 cm (5.906”)

 

4th cut - to a 13 meter (42' 7.8", or 511 7/8") ± 7.5 cm (2.953”)

5th cut - to a 12 meter (39' 4.4") 472 1/4"

6th cut - to a 11.25 meter (36' 10.9")

7th cut - to a 10.75 meter (35' 3.3")

8th cut - to a 10.25 meter (33' 7.6")

9th cut - to a 9.75 meter (31' 11.9")

10th cut – to a 9.50 meter (31’ 2”)

11th cut - to a 9.25 meter (30' 4.2")

± 7.5 cm (2.953”)

 

All subsequent cuts shall be made in .25-meter (9.844") increments.

 

I use a digital laser measuring unit. Use a stationary object (like pylon or post/stake), digitally measure from stationary object to solid wall. Then hit (-) to subtract difference to next measurement. Connect rope, pull very tight (using body weight), measure from (59") handle to wall, hit (=) and you have your rope's measurement. I always remeasure, and come up within 1/4" each time.

[scuppers]

Thanks, Kind of a cool idea.

[teammalibu]

I have measured dozens of Masterlines and they are great they grow a little when its 107 + degrees, but. No matter what rope you use dont forget to use a Shock tube Ol JD wrapped about thirty feet of slack around me On Sunday by the time I got unwound I was doing a 90 for the shore. Next set clean shorts and a shock tube

[Dusty]

I have found the best way to measure ropes is to survey marks or set bolts into an area of pavement or retaining wall. The tension required is not very "tight"- the rules say only 44 lbs. tension. I include a spring scale at one end, tighten to 44 lbs. let set 10 minutes or so, readjust tension, let set 5, and then measure. The rule book shows the tolerances. Having a metric tape is nice. Remember that the measurements include a handle section of nominal 1.5 meters.

[danbirch]

Great points, especially using the scale and having the bolts in the wall. The one thing I forgot to mention is I like to wet the rope first. The reason I said "very tight" is that if the rope wasn't recently skied on, you might not be able to stretch it out (especially dry) to where it will be after skier(s) put 500+ lbs on it wet. Once it is thoroughly stretched out (and wet), then the 44 lb scale is ideal. Otherwise, you might find the rope a little longer after the skiers skied on it.

[danbirch]

New Masterline Rope Measurements:

@ 32 off, (511 7/8" would be the perfect length)

I used a handle @ 58 3/4"

1st measurement, Dry/out of package, with several hard tugs to tighten all loops/knots.

w/44 lbs on it: 504 11/16"

2nd measurement, wet rope, with 15-20 hard "ski like" tugs

w/44 lbs on it: 509"

 

After 6 sets, measures at 511 1/4" PERFECT!

[thompjs]

 

Shot of clove hitch on an N-Tow rope.

[Dirt]

I prefer Masterline. They have always been dead on, no breakage issues and great customer service. I just bought a spare handle from Jdarwin. Great price and fast shipping. I highly recommend.

[igkya]

@thompjs what's the purpose of the clove hitch? Concerns of rope coming off pylon?

[thompjs]

igkya, yes. Also if loop breaks you won't have the pile of rope in the boat whipping out and hurting people in the boat.

 

Dirt, I wish you had been with me at Big Dawg at Cypress last year. 9 out of tolerance Masterlines -- they had been used at previous Big Dawg(s), and the Dawgs made those ropes Long. I fidded rope into some of them, but in some cases only certain loops were off so there was no fixing them.

 

First time in a long time I had any trouble with Masterline. Ropes can be a pain sometimes.

[RLogan]

I'm biased because I sell them, but I've always liked Accurate Lines. There was a short "adjustment period" when they first started weaving them in China, but the current "Knotless" is spot on. To answer Scuppers, the loops are spliced. No "separating" of take-up loops necessary. They are the only lines used at our lake.

[Chuck_Dickey]

I just got my new US Gear 50/50 with the self locking loops. Built with Spectra inside the longer line sections. Very cool idea and worked great right out of the box, no bungie effect at all.