Krisiz1 said...

Bought some new downhaul ropes on the weekend and it was suggested I try the new product from Marlow ropes. $6.00 per mtr but I did anyway. It LOOKS like the cheap stuff you would buy in a hardware store, but it is SOO soft you can crank the downhaul down with far less effort!! It is amazing how the stiffness of downhaul rope causes so must extra resistance. Worth a try!

We have been using Marlow Rope for ages now. Neilpryde was so happy with it that included it on their high end x6 extensions. Also sells it in a pre-measure packaging.

Another vote for formuline.

Where did you buy it from ?

Yeah, cheap price to save you the extra strain on the back, just need to gently release it when undoing, as its so slippery!

Wouldn't go back to spectra for downhaul

we're hardpressed to get rope here in our place unless we buy the whole roll so we switched to 'coralon rope' white in colour with a bit stretch and sold at fishing supplies inexpensively..i know if you google it it's being used for saddelery but no problems so far..comes in increments of 2mm upwards to 10mm

Anyone in Vic?

You can contact Marine Plus in Sandringham (03) 9521 6789 who are our agents in Victoria. They will be able to advise who has put it into stock. Speak to George Fissher

yeah sorry, I should have listed all shops who have bought it. I only listed some recent sales. The following retailer also has stock of Formuline:

The Windsurfing Shed
www.thewindsurfingshed.com.au

I will confirm all retailers later today

Hi, Old Salty,

SHQ sells Formuline. Like others have found, it substantially reduces the downhaul force, but can be tricky when you are letting it off. I leave about 35 cm between the cleat and my shod foot. I wind the rope twice around my shod foot (to gain purchase because its so slippery), uncleat the rope, then GENTLY allow the downhaul off, unwinding from my foot if needed.

Hope this helps.

O.K. I have been working with the modern material lines and find that some are better than others. Most recently, Sailworks sent me some Sampson's Amsteel, a 3 mm single braid spectra line in their adjustable outhaul. I don't like it because it slips through both the boom cleat and the rigging tool I use, a Chinook tug cleat. I've replaced it with more ordinary 3/16" line obtained from West Marine. I'm using 2008 booms so it's not a question of having outdated cleats. They are just too large for the line Sailworks provides. So far, for downhaul, I like Chinook 5/32 Spectra which sells for US$1.00 a foot at OceanAirSports.com or Windance.com. It's stiff, but I can't see how that is a drawback. I have a hard time thinking that both lines I use are made out of Spectra as the thinner one is much more slippery. Of course it must be the way they are braided. As to formuline dynamee, I think I'm using it somewhere, but have to check my receipts.