Rope and rigging safety

Last updated October 3, 2026

Rope and rigging hold sails, spars and people under load. When rigging fails it can cause serious injury, death and damage to the boat. Please read this before you fit or use anything you buy from us.

Breaking load is not working load

• Breaking loads we show for Lion Sailing rope are the maker's figures for new rope, tested in a laboratory. They are not safe working loads.
• Rope is weaker in use. Knots, splices, tight bends around small sheaves and pins, chafe, heat, sunlight, age and repeated loading all reduce its strength, sometimes by half or more.
• Size every line so its working load stays well below the breaking load. A common rule for running rigging is a working load of no more than one fifth of the breaking load; your rigger, class or boat builder may ask for more margin.
• Harken hardware has its own published working and breaking loads. Use Harken's figures and fitting instructions for each part, and keep the whole system within the weakest part's rating.

Not for lifting people

Nothing we sell is rated for life safety. Do not use our rope, halyards or hardware for going aloft, climbing, fall protection, lifting people or overhead lifting unless the maker rates that exact product for it. Use a proper bosun's chair setup with a separate, rated safety line.

Choosing the right line is your decision

• The halyard builder, class line lists, rope suggestions, size ranges and the "What can I help you find?" assistant are guidance only. They can be wrong or out of date for your boat.
• Check diameters and lengths against your class rules, your mast and sheave sizes, your clutches and winches, and your boat builder's or rigger's advice before you order.
• A rope listed for one job, such as a main halyard, may not suit another. Ask us at ask@odrigging.com if you are unsure.

Strips, covers and splices

• A stripped section (core exposed) is lighter but has no cover to protect it from chafe, sunlight and clutch wear. Keep stripped sections out of clutches, jammers and self-tailers, and inspect them often.
• A Dyneema or Kevlar cover adds grip and chafe protection over the length you choose; it does not make a line stronger.
• Splices are made by the Lion Sailing loft. Do not cut, re-tie or shorten a spliced line without re-splicing it properly; a knot in place of a splice weakens the line.

Fitting and inspection

• Rigging should be fitted and checked by a competent person, following each maker's instructions.
• Check shackles are closed and pins are secured before every sail. Seize or tape snap shackles where your class allows.
• Inspect rope before each use and replace it if you find cuts, chafe through the cover, a cover that slides or bunches, glazed or melted fibres, a flattened or stiff section, a damaged splice, or heavy fading from sunlight.
• Inspect hardware for cracks, bent parts, corrosion, worn sheaves and bearings, and loose fasteners. Retire anything that has been shock-loaded or damaged.
• Rope and hardware wear out. How long they last depends on use, loads and exposure, not on the calendar.

Pictures and colours

Drawings in the halyard builder, including the to-scale line and the end close-ups, show how a line will be made. They are not engineering drawings. Rope colours can differ slightly from the picture, depending on diameter and dye lot.

Our responsibility

We sell rope made by Lion Sailing and hardware made by Harken, and each carries its maker's warranty. Our responsibility is set out in the terms of sale: as far as the law allows, we are not responsible for losses beyond the price you paid for the part in question, including losses caused by choosing, fitting, loading, maintaining or using rigging in a way this page or the maker advises against.

Questions

If you are not sure a line or part is right for the job, ask before you sail. Email ask@odrigging.com.