Polyester vs. Nylon Rode

Madness, you say. Every U.S. authority recommends nylon over polyester for anchor rode and docklines. But there are a few experienced U.S. sailors that have sung the praises of polyester and it is quite popular among U.K. and French sailors. How can this be?

Drew Frye

September 2, 2024

We like going one size over what is often recommended for smaller boats. The advantages are a.Less stretch. Nylon can be too stretchy, but polyester not stretchy enough. One size over can be a Goldilocks answer. b.Better wear resistance. Because we like using short chain when hand-hauling, we cover the first 10 feet with a webbing chafe guard. This is very cut resistant, because unlike the rope inside, it is floating and not under tension. c. Better grip. ⅜-in. is pretty hard to grab with the wind is up. ½-in. fits our hands better. (Photo/ Drew Frye) — We like going one size over what is often recommended for smaller boats. The advantages are a. Less stretch. Nylon can be too stretchy, but polyester not stretchy enough. One size over can be a Goldilocks answer. b. Better wear resistance. Because we like using short chain when hand-hauling, we cover the first 10 feet with a webbing chafe guard. This is very cut resistant, because unlike the rope inside, it is floating and not under tension. c. Better grip. ⅜-in. is pretty hard to grab with the wind is up. ½-in. fits our hands better. (Photo/ Drew Frye)

In order to minimize the strain on our anchor, we expect the rode to absorb impact forces imposed by waves, yawing and gusts. These can be as much as five times the average load based on Practical Sailor and ABYC testing. Chain does this through the effect of catenary and resistance to being dragged side to side across the bottom, if the water is deep enough that the mass of chain deployed is enough. Nylon does this by stretching as much as 3 to 4% in length at 10 to 12% of breaking strength, which is the practical working load limit (WLL) if you want a long life. This amounts to 3 to 4 feet if 100 feet are deployed. If less than 100 feet there may not be enough stretch. The polyester single braid recommended for anchoring stretches just less than half as much, about 1 to 2% at 10% of breaking strength. But before we summarily dismiss it as unsuitable, there are several things to consider.