Tow Rope - Long

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A tow rope is an essential piece of sea kayaking equipment.  Not just any piece of string will do. A tow rope needs to be at least 15 metres long to provide sufficient clearance in sea swell and strong enough for the vessel to be towed in any condition.  Other design features I consider important are that the entire tow rope system should float, be easily swappable from one boat to another, able to be conveniently stowed and readily accessible.

Home Made Kayaking Tow Rope


My preference for long distance towing is to use a thinner style rope.  After some initial  experimentation I found that 3 mm polyester rope has more than enough strength for towing a sea kayak.  An extra advantage is that 15 metres of this rope, along with all the attachments will easily and neatly fit  into a one litre dry bag, which serves as its carry case.




 The rope runs through a small hole in the bottom of  the bag, and a few stitches are sewn around the hole to create a tight fit.  A figure of eight knot on the inside of the bag stops the bag sliding along the rope.  The other end of the rope is wrapped around and tied to a doubled up length of 6 mm shock chord.  The shock chord  allows for a predetermined amount of stretch in the system to help eliminate shock loading.  High density foam floats on each end of the rope, stop the stainless steel shackles from sinking the rope, if the rope should be accidentally dropped.





When coiling the rope it is essential to coil it in a "Figure of Eight" pattern to prevent the rope kinking or becoming tangled on release.  Coiling the rope in this fashion is easily achieved by stretching out and wrapping around the thumb and small finger in a constant criss-cross pattern.


Once the rope is coiled it is slid into the bag along with the shock chord, float and shackle. The open end of the bag is folded over several times and the buckle snapped shut. The outer shackle and float fold over the bag and clips onto a loop near the buckle.  The tow rope can now be stowed and is ready for deployment as required.

 

Specifications
  • 15 metres of 3mm 16 plait UV stabilised  polyester rope
  • High density foam floats attached at both ends.
  • Stainless steel shackles attached at both ends.
  • Elastic Shock Chord to alleviate shock loading.
  • Fits inside a one litre dry bag.

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