Swonder 3/8 Inch x 100FT Marine-Grade Anchor Rope with 2200 lb Load Capacity, Stainless Steel Thimble & Shackle

The first factor to note is this anchor line is made of polypropylene rather than nylon, which comes with mostly disadvantages when employed as an anchor rode or tow line. Polypropylene is low density (hence lightweight) and the rope doesn’t absorb water; consequently it floats. Floating could be advantageous when used as a dinghy tow line since the line is less likely to be drawn into the prop when backing down. However when used as an anchor rode which isn’t under load be aware that it could foul your outboard prop or a passing vessel. Polypropylene has poor UV resistance so in applications which involve long exposure to the sun some other fiber is preferable. The fiber isn’t as elastic as nylon, which is desirable characteristic for anchor rodes and tow lines for shock absorption. The fiber tends to hold knots less well than other fibers (e.g. nylon or polyester). For these and other reasons nylon is generally superior to polypropylene as anchor rode or tow line.Both the listing and spool indicate that this line is either double braid, which it is not, or solid braid. However you cannot form a spliced eye in solid braid, such as the thimbled eye in this product. The splice suggests that this line is in fact hollow core, which is very easily spliced. However note, hollow core line can perfectly serviceable in many applications including anchor and tow lines. Due to the number of strands and braid this line has a good feel and is flexible. The splice is serviceable and the thimble well retained. The included stainless steel shackle and thimble exhibit slight magnetism which is consistent with marine grade 304 stainless steel.The listing indicates a 2,200 lb breaking strength. When employing rope you should always base use on the working load limit, likely about 1/3 breaking strength, rather than breaking strength.I’m removing one star due to construction material for all the reasons noted but I would also note that the listing is misleading in numerous regards.I’ll be using this line as both an anchor rode (pictured) and tow line for my dinghy (Toopah, pictured) the very lightweight nesting Tow Paw 9 pram design I built using the stitch and glue technique. Despite shortcomings of polypropylene I believe the line should serve Toopah well (it won’t be in the sun much).