Should I climb on this rope?

[PStuffel]

I was given two brand new bluewater 1/2 inch static ropes. Just wondering if they are good for recreational climbing? These are 120' and never used.

 

[Job Corps Tree]

should i climb on this rope

as long as they have a tensile strength of 5400 lbs or more

 

[ClimbinArbor]

no

those ropes are horrible! pm me and i will give you my address so you can send them to me for proper disposal lol.

ive never used any bluewater rope, but i would recommend googling it to see what the tensile strength is like job corp said.

i wish people would just give me 120' hanks of new rope..........

 

[TreeBot]

No. Static line is good for lifting or pulling, not dynamic loading which means not for climbing.

 

[treemandan]

No. Static line is good for lifting or pulling, not dynamic loading which means not for climbing.

I think climbing line IS static( mainly) compared to rock ropes which have stretch built in for falling as where climbling line isn't really meant to catch like that.
I would have clipped my ascender onto the yellow ply cord from home depot an old guy tried to use as a pull line for a lead of cherry he wanted gone if I could trust the knot the old guy used. It would have been fine to go up the 20 feet to where he had it tied. Thing was that I had to tie my REAL pull line 30 feet higher to make it go the right way... glad he stopped and called me.

 

[treemandan]

No. Static line is good for lifting or pulling, not dynamic loading which means not for climbing.

I think climbing line IS static( mainly) compared to rock ropes which have stretch built in for falling as where climbling line isn't really meant to catch like that.
I would have clipped my ascender onto the yellow ply cord from home depot an old guy tried to use as a pull line for a lead of cherry he wanted gone if I could trust the knot the old guy used. It would have been fine to go up the 20 feet to where he had it tied. Thing was that I had to tie my REAL pull line 30 feet higher to make it go the right way... glad he stopped and called me.
Would you call 3 strand static?

 

[TreeBot]

It might not seem like much stretch compared to mountaineering rope but that bit of stretch will take the edge off a fall in a big way compared to stout 1/2 " static line like that. As in the difference between bumps and bruises and spine snappage.

 

[ropensaddle]

It might not seem like much stretch compared to mountaineering rope but that bit of stretch will take the edge off a fall in a big way compared to stout 1/2 " static line like that. As in the difference between bumps and bruises and spine snappage.

That probably is true but you are definitely doing something
wrong if you fall far enough to snap your spine! I have climbed
on many different ropes from 3 strand to double braid and even
grass rope and manila steel core and it did not stretch but then
I have never fell.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

i could be wrong on this, seeing as how ive never used it. but wasnt static line made for SRT??

 

[TreeBot]

That probably is true but you are definitely doing something
wrong if you fall far enough to snap your spine! I have climbed
on many different ropes from 3 strand to double braid and even
grass rope and manila steel core and it did not stretch but then
I have never fell.

I bet you could take a fall Wayne but we are not all nearly as wide as we are tall and built like a wolverine like you. If I was a giant like John Paul I would be extra careful.

I tend to let a lot of slack build up on easy ladder climbs like the adolescent pin oaks I was doing today, where it would be easier to go up without being tied in at all. If you fall and you are tied to a horizontal limb with some give you have that to cushion your fall, but if you are tied to the trunk the stretch in the rope is all you have and i sure don't want to use something designed to emulate the properties of steel cable.

 

[ropensaddle]

I bet you could take a fall Wayne but we are not all nearly as wide as we are tall and built like a wolverine like you. If I was a giant like John Paul I would be extra careful.

I tend to let a lot of slack build up on easy ladder climbs like the adolescent pin oaks I was doing today, where it would be easier to go up without being tied in at all. If you fall and you are tied to a horizontal limb with some give you have that to cushion your fall, but if you are tied to the trunk the stretch in the rope is all you have and i sure don't want to use something designed to emulate the properties of steel cable.

Agreed, but he was getting free rope new at that and recreational climbing.
I would suggest better climbing line if he were asking what to buy. I am
using new england three strand now and I know it is not the best but
does the job and hitch holds well but sometimes peta on body thrusting!
I don't climb enough anymore and when I get one it is usually a doosey
and have to get over the fear factor again I have got one to
do this week that is going to be fun and will post pics if I can remember
cam. Dying tall 20" pine struck by lightning recently lots of fun!

 

[Ghillie]

I have used 1/2" Bluewater for recreational rapelling (cliffs not trees) and knots and hitches held well in it. I really liked that rope. Wore out two 200' sections.

As far as abrasion resistance it seemed to do well but I am still learning the tree climbing in's and out's.

I've been rapelling for twenty years and involved in high angle rescue for seventeen years but I just started climbing trees last year.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ghillie]

As far as static or dynamic, dynamic is usually high stretch because you are climbing (rock climbing) above your anchor point. Fall factor of 1 or higher.

Any fall hurts but if you keep slack to a minimum and stay under your anchor point the fall should be managable. IMHO.

 

[joesawer]

No. Static line is good for lifting or pulling, not dynamic loading which means not for climbing.

Arborist climbing lines are considered static. They have less than 5% stretch.

 

[PStuffel]

Wow! This is all Great information. Still alittle confused about if I should climb on this stuff. I did aliitle research and I am pretty sure this stuff has a tensile strength of over 7,000 pounds. It was given to me by Aropes course facillitator. This stuff has never seen the light of day. It was kept in the rescue bags. I am thinking that maybe I will just save it for rapelling. It sounds like that is what it was made for.

 

[Ghillie]

I did some quick research and if it is Bluewater II it is rated at 10,000 lb breaking, so no worries there.

Static vs dynamic shouldn't be an issue unless you are rock climbing and then I would definitely say no! Go with a dynamic rope.

My experience with the durability of the rope has been good, so if the friction hitches you use hold well in the rope I would have no qualms in using it.

Sounds like the rope was not abused and that is was stored correctly so after a hands on inch by inch inspection, if you don't find any discolored rope, worn spots or soft spots (indicates damaged core) I would use the rope for tree climbing.

Either way you go (rapelling or tree climbing) you have some great rope at a super great price.

 

[Ghillie]

Was it a high ropes course?

Was it used for take-downs (rescues) if someone can't get back on the course after a fall on to their safety lanyards?

If that is what is was used for, most insurance companies make the facillitators replace the rope after so long wether it has been used or not. And if it was used for that style of rescue it hasn't been shock loaded.

So if all the descriptions are accurate, it should not be a problem using it. Just make sure it works with the hitches and devices you want to use for attaching yourself to the rope.

 

[PStuffel]

It was a high ropes course. But I was told it never left the rescue packs and was never used. It was retired after 3 years of sitting without a single hour logged on it. Will the age of the rope affect its durrability even though it was never used?

 

[Ghillie]

That manufacturer recommends a rope be taken out of service after ten years, so age shouldn't be a factor.

If the rope is NFPA compliant, you can cut a section of the rope off and pull a little plastic ribbon from inside the core. It will have the manufacturer and the date of manufacture on it printed every three feet.

That is just if they meet NFPA standards. If they don't, that just means they shouldn't be used for high angle rescue. Doesn't meen it is a bad rope, NFPA expects a 15:1 safety ratio on all rigging and they consider a one-person load as 300lbs.

They have a pretty good website if you do a search for that particular rope, you should find it easily.

Good luck and be safe.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

i could be wrong on this, seeing as how ive never used it. but wasnt static line made for SRT??

yes