The Superwinch mounted on our boom, with the dinghy hoisting line wound on the winch drum. The yellow line looks like polypropylene, but actually it is AmSteel.
A close-up view of the AmSteel hoisting line wound around the Superwinch drum.
Our electric dinghy hoisting winch system is getting closer to being complete. Jim wound the hoisting line onto the winch drum today. The yellow line we’re using came with the Superwinch. It looks like polypropylene, but actually is a product called AmSteel. It is 3/16 inches in diameter with a breaking strength of 5400 pounds…more than strong enough for our 275 pound dinghy and outboard motor!
AmSteel is a product of Sampson Rope. We found the following description of it in the Fisheries Supply catalog: “A high-performance 12-strand single braid of 100% Dyneema SK-75 fiber, AmSteel yields the maximum in strength-to-weight ratio, very low stretch, and is stronger than the same sized wire rope constructions — yet it floats. It’s the highest strength single braid Samson makes. Samthane coating enhances an already high abrasion and cut resistance. Adding a cover is recommended for areas handled by winch or rope clutches.”
This line sounds pretty good to us. It’s also lightweight and easy on the hands.
Cruising With Phoenix 
Hey, this stuff sounds great. I’ve used miles of “aircraft” cable, and AmSteel is stronger? Wow. Hope you’re having fun.
Hey Loren, thanks for the note. Now that we’ve had a chance to launch our dinghy a couple of times and use the AmSteel line, we think it’s great too. Easy on the hands and seems to load and unload on the winch without issues. We’re just back from a fun week in the islands…had no Internet while we were out, so now that we’re back at the dock, we will be adding posts from our cruise as soon as we get a chance. Hope your summer is going well.