How do you stow your tow ropes?

[TahoeQ4Pilot]

The number of ropes are piling up, wakeboard, ski rope and kneeboard, not including towables. I had been throwing them under a seat, but as I look at the strap that comes with the ropes there is a brass grommet on each one. So is anyone using the grommets to maybe hang them for a day of water sports? If so, where (tower?) and what are you using to hold them up?

You can see the grommet at the top of the handle:

 

[oldjeep]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

I just use the strap to strap the rope to a grab handle by the rear seats

 

[Subliminal]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

I've always wondered...is there really a difference in the ropes? I use a waterskiing rope to wakeboard...never really had a problem with it.

 

[YeboGogo]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

i added those climbing clips to to them and i can attach them to my under deck section on my boat. Makes it easy to find them etc.

Also nice for clipping them onto the tower to dry.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

I have a half-dozen of these:
http://www.iboats.com/Kwik-Tek-Airh...4449073--**********.745808949--view_id.696724

Wind them up and throw them under a seat or wherever they fit. Quick and neat and tightly wrapped. We let the boat idle away while someone holds the center handle and drops the rope handle out behind the boat...then the full rope length spins off the holder cleanly with never a knot or tangle. To reel it back in you just use both handles and spin it in quickly. Plastic handle does break off sometimes, so I have a spare or two handy.

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

My ski and wakeboard ropes have 3 velco straps on them each and I store them under my rear seat storage. Towable ropes are in the ski compartment in the floor. I'm not going to put my $85 wakeboard rope in a crappy place, lol.

 

[TahoeQ4Pilot]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

I have a half-dozen of these:
http://www.iboats.com/Kwik-Tek-Airh...4449073--**********.745808949--view_id.696724

Wind them up and throw them under a seat or wherever they fit. Quick and neat and tightly wrapped. We let the boat idle away while someone holds the center handle and drops the rope handle out behind the boat...then the full rope length spins off the holder cleanly with never a knot or tangle. To reel it back in you just use both handles and spin it in quickly. Plastic handle does break off sometimes, so I have a spare or two handy.

Pretty cool, havent seen those before. I am thinking of a way to just hang them from the tower on a clip of some sort?

 

[TahoeQ4Pilot]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

My ski and wakeboard ropes have 3 velco straps on them each and I store them under my rear seat storage. Towable ropes are in the ski compartment in the floor. I'm not going to put my $85 wakeboard rope in a crappy place, lol.

My first rope became my universal rope....I used it for mostly everything because it was "cheep!" It came with 3 velcro straps, but hell, who knows where they are at anymore? I didnt wind it and just balled it up and mashed it in to a storage.

This boating year I have been upgrading and hope to be more organized, plus plan to use the proper gear for each activity.

I hope good handles will make a difference from having 5 pairs of gloves, too.

 

[theMAdfisherman]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

I use the "s-clip" type caribeener to hook up my four ropes and then clip the free end onto another caribeener attached to the handles on the front of my bowrider. It keeps them all organized and usually the wind dries them out before Im ready to take the boat out of the water.

Also i coated the caribeeners in heat shrink wrap from my work but electrical tape works too. it just cuts down on the noise and prevents any marks or scratches on your boat

 

[kyle f]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

I've always wondered...is there really a difference in the ropes? I use a waterskiing rope to wakeboard...never really had a problem with it.

Yup, wakeboard ropes are non stretch, and ski ropes are. This is so you don't get the elatic pull back from the rope when you leave the wake.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

Yup, wakeboard ropes are non stretch, and ski ropes are. This is so you don't get the elatic pull back from the rope when you leave the wake.

Tournament waterski ropes arn't supposed to stretch either.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: How do you stow your tow ropes?

Tournament waterski ropes arn't supposed to stretch either.

Yes they are...

Even the sanctioning bodies address the stretch issue, and have written very specific allowable maximum stretch guidelines (generally 2.6% max allowable elongation at 250 lbs of tension), and they have specific method of measuring the stretch, for ropes used in tournament slalom skiing.
http://www.usawaterski.org/pages/TournKit/AKA/Technical/T.C. guidelines.pdf

The perfect amount of stretch for slalom is dictated by personal preference (within the rules). But I will doubt you'd find any tournament slalom skiier that would be happy with a non-stretch wakeboard style rope. Non-stretch rope would make it much more difficult to accellerate when exiting a turn, and likely would cause injuries. Stretch benefits slalomers.

The best wakeboarders generally want no stretch at all. Stretch can screw you up pretty bad. Imagine loading the rope heavy to get big air and then the rubber-band effect snaps your arms and body toward the boat about a foot and a half as soon as you leave the wake. Not good.

And all wakeboard tournament rules I've seen will specifically state that all ropes and handles must be made of a "non-stretch material". Spectra is often stated as a preferred material.

All that said, recreational skiiers won't notice much of a difference between ropes if you're not doing big air wakeboard tricks or running slalom courses at tournament speeds. Most just prefer the bigger handle of the Wakeboard rope because it's easier to grab behind the back and such...