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January 18, 2022 2 min read

Double Braid vs Dyneema Cruise Rope

If you are looking to upgrade your yacht halyards and sheets this year then you are probably wondering if it is worth upgrading and using dyneema for the ropes.

The large majority of yachts or cruisers use a double braid rope, sometimes also known as braid on braid. Upgrading your ropes to dyneema has a number of advantages which we'll explain below.

First lets look at the options and compare them.....

Double Braid Rope

As we said above you might hear people also call this braid on braid, essentially the rope is two bits of rope braided together which is where it gets its names from.

The double braid rope we sell is heat set and is an ideal rope for cruising, the rope is good on hands and is also easy to splice. The two braids are a low stretch polyester core with an abrasion resistant braided polyester cover.

Dyneema Cruise Rope

Dyneema cruise is made with a polyester braided cover and has a braided dyneema core within the rope. Also included is an intermediate cover which prevents slipping between the cover and core.

Dyneema cruise has been designed as an upgrade to polyester ropes because it is lighter and provides higher strength and less stretch.

Rope Data

In the below table we are showing the key rope data and statistics for double braid and dyneema cruise in diameters from 6mm through to 14mm.

Rope Diameter Min Break Strength (kgs) Stretch at 20% of Min Break Load
Double Braid 6mm 820 3.7%
Double Braid 8mm 1300
3.7%
Double Braid 10mm 2400
3.7%
Double Braid 12mm 3200
3.7%
Double Braid 14mm 4500
3.7%
Dyneema Cruise 6mm 1100 2.8%
Dyneema Cruise 8mm 2100
2.8%
Dyneema Cruise 10mm 3400
2.8%
Dyneema Cruise 12mm 5200
2.8%
Dyneema Cruise 14mm 6700
2.8%

 

Advantages of Using Dyneema Cruise Rope

As you can see from the data dyneema cruise offers over 29% extra in terms of the minimum breaking load of the rope with less stretch. This means you can look at reducing the diameter of your rope which will reduce friction at every turn in your systems.

It is a higher performing rope and also tends to last longer as it has a harder wearing outer cover. The rope is also lighter than double braid which can take essential weight out of your boat, especially if you are looking for that extra knot of speed while racing.

In summary, dyneema cruise rope offers the following benefits over double braid:

  1. It is lighter weight
  2. It has less stretch
  3. You can go down a size on diameter and retain the strength
  4. It has a harder wearing cover

View all of our double braid ropes or cruiser halyards through our website.

Rope Splicing Service

Did you know we also provide a rope splicing service? Whether you would like a soft or hard eye put in the end of your rope, or a shackle added at the end get in touch for a quote.

Rope Questions?

If you have any rope related questions get in touch with our friendly team today who are always happy to help.