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!
Couldnt (manually) downhaul formula sail with old (good quality) 3.8mm rope, so bought Marlowe formuline - couldnt believe the difference
^^^ yep buy it by the 100m roll
and go 1/2's 1/3's or whatevever with a few mates
works out at only $2.65/m
Just be careful when you knot the end that goes into the extension, the knots slide undone if its too close to the end because the rope is so slippery and your downhaul comes undone while sailing. works really good for outhauls too..
Also check rope for imperfections, i had my first piece brake 100m out the back at Leno. The rope have an almost perfect cut where it snapped, we inspected it and come to the conclusion it was where they started a new spool in the factory..but this could happen to any rope...
Apart from that is pretty good stuff, way easy to downhaul wave and freeride sails and lasts heaps longer too..
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
Another vote for formuline here. I got some recently and couldn't believe how much easier it made downhauling. Another positive is that it's way more resitant to abrasion to the usual sheathed dyneema ropes so your cleats won't chew it up and because it's not sheathed it makes it much easier to get a clean end.
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
We import Marlow rope into Australia. The Formuline has been very popular. The following shops have purchased this from us recently:
BOARD CRAZY BRISBANE
UNIT 9,58 DESHON ST
WOOLLOONGABBA.QLD
SURF SAIL AUSTRALIA
260 RAILWAY PDE
WEST LEEDERVILLE
WA
WINDSURFING PERTH
1/17 HUME CRT
MYAREE.WA
WINDFORCE
33 STERLING HIGHWAY
NEDLANDS.WA
We sell to the marine (and windsurf) trade only
i got some from Sam at Wind surf snow NSW when he was at sandy point for the speed week last year.
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
best product on the market.... Whatever the cost it is worth is as you will not have to replace it every few months..... We use it on Formula sails with incredible tension and has never broken until it is obvious it is wearing through....
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.
OK here is a list of every retailer who has purchased Formuline from us. If for some reason I have missed anyone please let me know or if you are a legitimate trade customer we can discuss further:
BOARD CRAZY BRISBANE
UNIT 9,58 DESHON ST
WOOLLOONGABBA.QLD
SURF SAIL AUSTRALIA
260 RAILWAY PDE
WEST LEEDERVILLE
WA
WINDSURFING PERTH
1/17 HUME CRT
MYAREE.WA
WINDFORCE
33 STERLING HIGHWAY
NEDLANDS.WA
THE WINDSURFING SHED
www.thewindsurfingshed.com.au
J M MARINE
27 SUMMERHILL DRIVE
WANGI WANGI.
N.S.W.
SECOND WIND SAILBOARDS
526 CANNING HWY
ATTADALE WA
SUNSHINE COAST SAILBOARDS
21 MAYES AVE
CALOUNDRA
QLD
CRACKPOTS
5 MEWS RD
FREEMANTLE
WA
SAILBOARD HEADQUARTERS
81 BEACH RD
SANDRINGHAM, VIC
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.
