Any Boaters or water-skiiers know which line...?

Question

Would a 3/8" nylon braided rope be OK to use as a water ski or tube towing line? If not... what is normally used & why please?

Also... what is a regularly used length?

Answer 1

Ski ropes need 3 things

1 Needs to float

2 must be strong

3 needs a handle

3/8 " is a little small ( I only use 3/8 for my fenders)

Spend $20.00 and get the right equipment

Answer 2

Buy a specialty, low-stretch rope for the tube. This is different than a standard ski line. Try a wakeboard line, without the 5 ft. lead attached. Also, stay away from something with a handle, this just becomes a safety hazard.

Answer 3

The 3/8-inch, 16-strand, UV-treated mainline pro

seems standard.. go to waterskirope.net for more options.

Answer 4

No its not good because it strecthes and can whip back and hurt someone. It also does not float if the skier goes down and could be run over. 3/8 poly line is what is normally used. It floats, it does not stretch and is available in bright colors to be seen easily. It does need to be kept out of the sun when not in use as the sun will degrade the line. 60 ft

Answer 5

No, a nylon braided line will not be Ok to use as a water ski/tubing tow rope. There is too much whip and stretch in a nylon line, especially a braided line, to be towing skiers/tubes. Ski tow ropes are there for a reason...they don't stretch, they don't whip and slack-out (unless you're doing some heavy-duty slalom skiing and get ahead of the boat's pace) and they're built with a handle. You can pick up a cheap tow rope at Wal-Mart or any marine store for 20 bucks or so, and it's well worth it. Depending on the size of the boat and the degree of experience the skier has, your typical tow rope length can vary between 55 and 70 feet. Typical ski length is in the 55 to 60 range, and tubing should be at least 65 feet out. You can usually find tubing ropes that you can remove or add sections to lengthen/shorten the rope, as well as the same thing for skiing, but those can get into the 40 dollar-plus range. Either way, don't use nylon line, it's dangerous.

Answer 6

That's kinda thin.. we just use like 1/2 inch dock line. we keep a 100' length in the boat. but only use a portion of it for wake surfing, or towing, or tying up to other boats with. If you have long enough dock lines, you can use them too.just tie one end to the cleat at the stern or transom cleat.

Answer 7

Use a ski rope! It comes with a handle, it floats, and it has detachable sections to adjust the length to preference.