Good day everybody,
Interesting to understand that tug drivers have many different preferences with regard to their (harbor) towing lines.
One will prefer very low elongation, the other moderate etc
Of course is much depending on the local conditions for example whether it is a relative open port or not.
Q: What is the key personal criteria the line must have ?
Q: What would be an interesting (new) feature the global rope manufacturers should develop?
Any feedback would be very much appreciated.
Kind regards,
One that will never part!
Something equal to Samson, Yale, Puget sound yet cheap enough to replace quarterly.
Thanks guys for the reply:
@coldduck It is ofcourse also depending on the level of maintenance of the towing object. Do you have experience(s) of parting ropes not related to chafing against poorly maintained deck equipment?
In general, towing ropes often HMPE are protected by all kinds of chafing gear (fire hoses, sleeves etc), or jacketed versions. In my opinion, the more you ‘add’ to the rope in order to protect it, the more it will be contraproductive to its purpose.
What are the advantages of those options?
Thanks for the replies 
Much is depending on the state of maintenance of the deckequipment of the towing object.
There are many different products available in the market with regard protection of the towing line, for example sleeves and jacketed ropes.
Jackets are made from material that is different then the core of the rope, Polyester(PES) has a higher abrasion resistance compared to a jacket that is made from HMPE fibre as well. PES has a higher melting point but the elongation is higher on yarn level compared to HMPE.
That way jackets will rupture from the core and dust particles can easily enter the rope. Lifetime of your expensive HMPE rope is dramatically reduced.
What are your experiences with protective gear and jacketed ropes?
Looking forward to receiving your replies
Kind regards,
Ralf Aerns