http://www.nookie.co.uk
By Phil Carr
www.unsponsored.co.uk
A throwline is a must have piece of equipment for all kayakers and canoeists. We have had a Nookie Hornet 18m Rescue Throwline 8mm (9kN) in for review at Unsponsored for quite a few months. We are pretty familiar with Nookie’s throwlines having owned and used quite a few over the last 30+ years of paddling.
Nookie Hornet 18m rescue throwline
At 18 metres, the Nookie Hornet’s 8mm floating line is the sweet spot length for most applications. Long enough to get across most UK rivers yet short enough and light enough, to actually throw.
The images of the Nookie Hornet don’t really do the brightness of the hi-vis justice. This thing is super bright (in a good way). A piece of foam inside of the hi-vis area gives additional floatation to the bag as well as making the rope easier to deploy and repack.
Clear labelling is in place on the Hornet, and indeed on Nookie’s full range of throwlines. This is a must on any bag. So much so that I would avoid buying a throw bag that didn’t have details of what it actually contained. Nookie have also included a simple three-cartoon set of throwing instructions, which is a nice touch.
Made in the UK, the Hornet is constructed with a 500D Cordura base and back panel (red) which is super tough. A small loop of rope is created so it is big enough to clip into but not big enough to put a hand through.
The back area also has belt loops so the bag can be mounted on a rescue belt. I have used HF and Palm Equipment belts without issue.
The top of the bag has nice wide opening with red braid that helps keep it open. The braid is also used to create a set of handles for use whilst throwing.
The bag is closed with a length of black tape and is fastened using both a brass press stud and Velcro. I wouldn’t mind this piece of tape being a touch longer.
The rope feels substantial and has been tied into the bag using a figure 8 knot. Plenty of tail has been left to ensure that it cannot pull through.
The free end of the rope has been wrapped in tape. When this particular length was cut the melted end was quite rough/sharp. A few seconds with a lit match sorted this out.
Whenever I get a new bag (even before I buy it) I like to unpack the rope and then repack. Some manufacturers employ special rope packing ninjas that are able to pack throwlines so tight that the rope always fits. But when I try it’s tough work getting the bag packed enough so it is easy to fasten. This is thankfully not the case at Nookie as the rope repacks easily and the bag fastens up without fuss.
The RRP of the Nookie Hornet is just under £40.
