Lion Grand Prix rope
Three lines for race boats. Rio for main halyards, Palma for downwind halyards and sheets that work hard, Garda for sheets, spinnaker halyards and control lines. Cut, whipped or spliced to length before it ships.
The range
Pick by what the line does on the boat, then by diameter. Every line is sold by the foot and can be finished in the loft.
Ultra high loads, zero stretch: the main halyard rope. An LS ApexCore™ 99 core with UV treatment under a Technora® and Kevlar® blend cover. Minimised cover milking, no stretch, no creep, excellent abrasion resistance and great clutch strength.
High-load, flexible double braid for downwind halyards, sheets and controls. An LS ApexCore™ 99 core with UV treatment under a Technora® and HT Poly cover. Excellent abrasion resistance, good flexibility, heat resistant for coffee grinders, and spliceable with the core exposed.
Low-stretch rope for race boats with a treated Ralon™ core and a high-tenacity polyester cover.
Which rope for which job
Pick the job. We show the line we would rig, the one we would use instead, and breaking load by diameter.
A main halyard holds the full mainsail load for the whole race. Rio is built for it: no creep, so the luff tension you set at the start is the tension you finish with, and the cover holds in the clutch.
| Diameter | Breaking load | Per foot |
|---|---|---|
| 6 mm | 3,400 kg | $2.78 |
| 8 mm | 4,700 kg | $2.96 |
| 10 mm | 6,300 kg | $4.58 |
| 11 mm | 8,100 kg | $6.95 |
| 12 mm | 9,800 kg | $7.78 |
Or LS Palma, if the halyard also needs to run fast or bend around a tight sheave.
Headsail halyards are static and highly loaded, the same job as the main halyard. Rio keeps the luff from sagging off in a breeze.
| Diameter | Breaking load | Per foot |
|---|---|---|
| 6 mm | 3,400 kg | $2.78 |
| 8 mm | 4,700 kg | $2.96 |
| 10 mm | 6,300 kg | $4.58 |
| 11 mm | 8,100 kg | $6.95 |
| 12 mm | 9,800 kg | $7.78 |
Or LS Palma, for a lighter boat or a halyard that is eased and re-tensioned often.
A spinnaker halyard runs out fast on the drop and takes shock load on the hoist. Palma is flexible and its cover handles the heat.
| Diameter | Breaking load | Per foot |
|---|---|---|
| 6 mm | 3,000 kg | $2.31 |
| 8 mm | 4,100 kg | $2.86 |
| 10 mm | 5,800 kg | $4.04 |
| 11 mm | 6,900 kg | $6.25 |
| 12 mm | 8,000 kg | $7.61 |
| 14 mm | 10,300 kg | $8.86 |
Or LS Garda, for one-designs and smaller boats where loads are lower.
Sheets live on winches and coffee grinders. Palma's Technora® cover grips the drum, resists heat and stays flexible in the hand.
| Diameter | Breaking load | Per foot |
|---|---|---|
| 6 mm | 3,000 kg | $2.31 |
| 8 mm | 4,100 kg | $2.86 |
| 10 mm | 5,800 kg | $4.04 |
| 11 mm | 6,900 kg | $6.25 |
| 12 mm | 8,000 kg | $7.61 |
| 14 mm | 10,300 kg | $8.86 |
Or LS Garda, for a lighter, lower-cost sheet on smaller boats where loads are lower.
Spinnaker sheets and guys are trimmed by hand all the way downwind. Garda is light, soft and low stretch, in colours that tell port from starboard.
| Diameter | Breaking load | Per foot |
|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | Ask the loft | $0.59 |
| 6 mm | Ask the loft | $1.39 |
| 8 mm | Ask the loft | $2.19 |
| 10 mm | Ask the loft | $3.00 |
| 12 mm | Ask the loft | $3.80 |
Or LS Palma, on bigger boats where the sheet goes to a grinder.
Vang, cunningham and outhaul tails need grip in cam cleats and a fair price per foot. Garda does both.
| Diameter | Breaking load | Per foot |
|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | Ask the loft | $0.59 |
| 6 mm | Ask the loft | $1.39 |
| 8 mm | Ask the loft | $2.19 |
| 10 mm | Ask the loft | $3.00 |
| 12 mm | Ask the loft | $3.80 |
Or LS Palma, for high-load purchases such as a big-boat backstay tail.
Side by side
Figures from the Lion catalogue. Breaking loads are for new rope.
| Spec | LS Rio | LS Palma | LS Garda |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best use | Main halyards and other high-load static lines | Dynamic sheets and halyards, downwind halyards, control lines | Sheets, spinnaker halyards, control lines |
| Construction | Double braid | Double braid | Ask the loft |
| Core | 100% LS ApexCore™ 99, UV treated | 100% LS ApexCore™ 99, UV treated | Treated Ralon™ |
| Cover | 50% Technora® and Kevlar® blend, 50% HT Poly | 60% Technora®, 40% HT Poly | High-tenacity polyester |
| Breaking load | 3,400 kg (6 mm) to 9,800 kg (12 mm) | 3,000 kg (6 mm) to 10,300 kg (14 mm) | Ask the loft |
| Diameters | 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 mm | 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 mm | 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 mm |
| Colours | Black, Grey, Light Grey, Green, Tan, Orange, Red, Blue | Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Black, Orange | Yellow, Red, Blue, Green |
| Price per foot | $2.78 to $7.78 | $2.31 to $8.86 | $0.59 to $3.80 |
| Diameter | Rio | Palma | Garda |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | n/a | n/a | Ask |
| 6 mm | 3,400 | 3,000 | Ask |
| 8 mm | 4,700 | 4,100 | Ask |
| 10 mm | 6,300 | 5,800 | Ask |
| 11 mm | 8,100 | 6,900 | n/a |
| 12 mm | 9,800 | 8,000 | Ask |
| 14 mm | n/a | 10,300 | n/a |
| Diameter | Rio | Palma | Garda |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | n/a | n/a | $0.59 |
| 6 mm | $2.78 | $2.31 | $1.39 |
| 8 mm | $2.96 | $2.86 | $2.19 |
| 10 mm | $4.58 | $4.04 | $3.00 |
| 11 mm | $6.95 | $6.25 | n/a |
| 12 mm | $7.78 | $7.61 | $3.80 |
| 14 mm | n/a | $8.86 | n/a |
n/a: not made in that diameter. Ask: the loft will give you the figure.
Finishing
Every Grand Prix line can be finished in the loft. Choose the ends on the product page.
Cut, whipped, or a whipped eye.
Strip the cover to bare core, add a Dyneema® or Kevlar® cover where it runs through clutches, or leave the core exposed.
Priced on each product pagePlain, eye splice, eye with spliced shackle, luggage tag, or eye with pigtail.
Tapered halyards and full-spool pricing: write the loft.