Line thickness

[phillip1]

I know this is going to sound really dumb, but I will ask it anyway...
Do you use thicker ie #36 line in high flow caves as opposed to no flow caves were you would normally use #24. Does it really make a difference in terms of lines breaking etc.. with the flow, abrasion etc?
Is the difference really worth filling reels with way less #36 to explore as opposed to more #24?
I am assuming the mainline in FL high flow caves are #36 but I may be completely wrong.

[rjack]

I am assuming the mainline in FL high flow caves are #36 but I may be completely wrong.

Kernmantle "gold" mainlines are different construction than braided #18, #24 or #36. They are roughly equal in thickness to a #48 braided though.

[DA Aquamaster]

#48 braided nylon line is .098" diameter with a 405 lb breaking strength

Most of the kernmantle goldline I have seen looks closer to 550 paracord and is significantly larger than #48.
In general 24 (or even 18 ) is more common on cave diving than 36 or 48.

If properly tied off, abrasion is not as serious a consideration as it is in a wreck, and #24 still provides a 230 pound breaking strength.

[Doppler]

Not dumb at all. There's no reason to switch to #36 in caves with high flow... one assumes you are talking about personal line rather than permanent line in branches off the main "gold" line.

However, most of my reels and a spool or two are loaded with #36 (and one with braided equipment line, which is somewhat thicker) because I dive in wrecks and in a wreck the situation is different and slightly thicker seems to be more appropriate. I am too lazy to change things around for my occasional cave dives and too cheap to have dedicated reels; one set for wrecks, and one for caves.

[phillip1]

I was under the impression that 36 would hold up better to abrasion than 24.
For exploration in high flow I guess more 24 is better than less 36 per reel then.

[DogDiver]

I changed all my reels to Dacron hi-vis line recently. 200# test line for my primary reels and 130# test for my gap/jump reels. I used to use 36# line for Great Lakes wrecks, 24# for cave primary and 18# for my gap reels.

With the smaller diameter Dacron line that is stronger, I can get more line on my reels.

[whodunit68]

I changed all my reels to Dacron hi-vis line recently. 200# test line for my primary reels and 130# test for my gap/jump reels. I used to use 36# line for Great Lakes wrecks, 24# for cave primary and 18# for my gap reels.

With the smaller diameter Dacron line that is stronger, I can get more line on my reels.

there was some discussion on another thread (http://www.cavediver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12055) about Dacron. I know FW is working on some specialty Dacron...is that the same stuff you use or are you willing to share what you're using (and/or where it comes from)? I can ask ...

[phillip1]

ActuLy I just ordered some of the Dacron Line from rainbownet.
They claim that it has twice the strength of nylon 24 for the same diameter

[whodunit68]

ActuLy I just ordered some of the Dacron Line from rainbownet.
They claim that it has twice the strength of nylon 24 for the same diameter

I would (and I'm sure many others) be interested in hearing about your thoughts on it after you use it. I probably would have given it a go because it's so inexpensive but the shipping from Canada is killer (I'm in the states).
Thanks for sharing...and good luck with it.

[phillip1]

Yeah it was kind of expensive to ship.
I will be using it in the next few weeks and I will post a review.
It seems like a good alternative to 36 as you can load up a 800ft reel
with...huh 800ft of 24.
With thicker line it's way less