Avoid abrasion and unnecessary wear. Outer fibers as well as inner fibers contribute to a rope's strength. When outer fibers are worn by chafing or dragging over splintered, rough or gritty surfaces, the rope is worn and weakened. When rope is used on cleats, winchheads, etc. make sure they are smooth and use chafing gear if necessary.

Avoid sharp angles and bends. Sharp angles greatly affect the strength of a rope. Any sharp angle or bend is a weak spot. Use thimbles or chafing gear or padding where possible. Knots are also weak spots. They can reduce strength by as much as 50% or more. Use splices instead. Splice rope correctly. When a small section of a rope has been worn or damaged, cut out the section and splice it together. Splice in extra tucks for synthetic fiber ropes. Use proper splicing procedures as outlined by the Cordage Institute. Do not resplice rope that broke due to being overloaded - discard it instead. Its remaining strength will only be a fraction of the Working Load Limit when new. Prevent unraveling of rope - whip or tape cut ends.

Avoid sustained loads. Fiber ropes subjected to heavy loads for long periods of time can break well below catalog Breaking Strength. Natural fiber ropes such as Manila and Sisal have less ability to take sustained loads than synthetic fiber ropes such as nylon or polypropylene. Never exceed the Working Load Limit and do not subject fiber rope to sustained loads for more than two days.

Avoid rust. All ropes, synthetic or natural, should be kept away from rusting iron or steel. Rust can cause rapid loss of strength, sometimes in as short a time as one to two weeks. If ropes become rust stained, inspect the extent of the stain. If it is halfway through the rope, then rope strength may be reduced by as much as 50%.

Keep rope away from chemicals. Even though synthetic rope is generally considered to be resistant to damage from oils, gasoline, paint and most chemicals, exposure to any of these may cause some damage. Avoid contact with such things as storage battery solution, washing compounds or solutions, and animal wastes. Strong acids, alkalis and solvents can damage any rope. Natural fiber rope is extremely vulnerable to all chemicals and solvents.

Avoid the use of swivels in ropes under load - a loss of turn will cause permanent damage to the rope.

Never use a nylon line which has a high stretch factor in combination with another rope of low stretch. The nylon line will stretch and not carry its proportionate share of the load, thus putting extra strain on the other lines.

Reverse ends of the rope periodically. Especially in tackles and winches, reverse the rope end-for-end periodically so that all sections will be worn equally. Also, using a line in one direction over a winch many times can also damage the rope by twisting it too tight or untwisting it so that hockles occur. Kinks pulled through a restricted space such as a tackle block, can seriously damage rope fibers. The initial use should be in a clockwise direction, then reverse the rope periodically.

Slack off guys in wet weather. When ropes are used as guy lines or other supports exposed to weather, they should be slacked off in wet weather, or damage to the rope, as well as what it is supporting, may result.

Store rope properly. Rope is best stored in a dry, unheated place where air circulates freely, off the floor, and away from direct sunlight and other contact with the elements. Keep in mind that synthetic ropes will deteriorate in direct sunlight due to exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Light colored polypropylene especially is severely affected, smaller diameters more so than larger sizes. Natural fiber ropes (Manila and Sisal) will deteriorate in storage even under ideal conditions.

Dry rope properly. Whenever natural fiber ropes become wet they should always be thoroughly dried before they are stored or they will rot in a very short time. Do NOT dry synthetic fiber rope in direct sunlight.

Keep rope clean. Dirt on the surface of rope can become embedded inside and act as an abrasive on fibers. When rope gets dirty, wash it thoroughly with clean fresh water. Remember to dry natural fiber rope before storing.

Remove rope from coils and reels properly. Regular right hand laid rope should be uncoiled in a counter clockwise direction.

Coiled rope: Lay the coil on the floor with the inside end at the bottom, then reach down through the center and pull the inside up through the coil.

Reeled rope: Remove the rope from a reel by pulling it off the top while the reel is free to rotate. Rope should never be taken from a reel lying on its end because it is more likely to kink or hockle or pull yarns on the wooden flange.

When substituting natural fiber rope with synthetic fiber ropes (or substituting one synthetic rope for another) substitution should not be made on a straight breaking strength-for-breaking strength basis only. Other important factors must be considered.

Consult the Cordage Institute or other sources listed on page 73 for additional information.