Mooring rope is used to tie boats to fixed anchor points such as jetties, piers and mooring buoys. The rope prevents the vessel from slipping away from the shoreline and it normally attaches to deck fittings on a vessel and secure points on land such as fixed rings, bollards, cleats and any other immovable object.

Parts of a boat to fix mooring rope

On larger vessels there might be a number of mooring points on the boat to attach the mooring rope to the craft.  This can include the bowline to stop the craft moving backwards, the forward breast line to keep the vessel close to the land, and the after bow spring line to stop the boat from moving forwards. Other support lines can be used such as a forward quarter spring line to aid the bow line, a quarter breast line to assist the forward breast line and a stern line to give support to the after bow spring line.

What are the important features of mooring rope?

When choosing a mooring rope quality, flexibility, elasticity, UV resistance and price are some of the points to consider. Let’s break them down in further detail.

• Quality: Pick a strong rope made from polyester, nylon, hemp or polypropylene that has good strength and a high resistance to abrasion. Mooring rope lives a punishing life so it has to be tough enough to cope with the daily demands, a good quality product should be able to stand the test of time.
• Flexibility: Mooring rope needs to be flexible enough to attach to a variety of anchoring points. Again the type of material you choose will help in this area so pick a decent nylon option that’s got plenty of give.
• Elasticity: Another important feature of mooring rope. It needs to be able to stretch enough without breaking otherwise you’ll have a runaway boat on your hands. Look for something that is capable of handling high shock loads and you shouldn’t have to worry about your boat breaking free from the dock.
• UV resistance: Good UV resistance can be crucial to prevent the rope from wearing due to excess exposure to the sun. Pick a material that is impervious to UV rays and you’ll be fine.  
• Price: Don’t pay any more than you have to for mooring rope. Our products are competitively priced at Ropes Direct and we like to think our ropes are some of the best mooring products you can buy!