*What type of rope should I use? Nylon, Polyester, or ...?
For most boaters, the best type of rope to use when anchoring is nylon.
Nylon has many advantages for anchoring including:
* It's elastic therefore offering good shock absorption
* Light and flexible
* Good strength
* The most common anchor rope found in marine stores
Nylon anchor rope is light, flexible, strong, and provides elasticity, which mitigates peak loads on your anchor and boat.
The most of important that you want a strong rope that will absorb the shock from waves and sink, not float.
Nylon fits the bill of all of these things.* What's the difference between braided and twisted rope?
In our experience, for most recreational boaters, the difference between using twisted anchor rope or braided anchor rope comes down to preference and taste.
Both make excellent choices for an anchor rope but there are some subtle differences between these two styles
of rope.
*How much anchor rope do I need and what size?
One of the questions we get asked most often is, "How much anchor rope and/or chain do I need?" When selecting how much rope and chain you need there are a couple of rules of thumb to use.
1. You should have 8 feet of rope for every 1 foot of water you will be anchoring in.
2. Your rope should have 1/8" of rope diameter for every 9' of boat.
So this means a 28' boat would want at least a 3/8" or 1/2" diameter rope.Rope is one of those things, like anchors, where bigger normally is better.
As for a rope choice, Nylon is the clear favorite due to the fact it is elastic and relatively strong.