How to Make Your Own Coconut Rope

Learning how to make a coconut rope from scratch means having a backup plan should anything happen to your store-bought survival ropes.

Learn with us how to make one in five simple steps

Making a Coconut Rope from Scratch in Five Simple Steps

Things You’ll Need

Dry and mature coconuts

Tools You’ll Need

A flat stone or a pocket knife

Step 1. Draw a Line

Firstly, gather several dry and mature coconuts. Keep in that the longer you need your rope, the more fiber you will have to extract from the husk.

Next, make deep cuts along with the coconuts, that is, from top to bottom, using your survival pocket knife or a sharp flat stone. The deeper your cuts, the easier it is to break open the coconut husks.

Step 2. Break Open

Now, insert your thumbs into either side of the cut wound you have made and apply some elbow grease to break open the husks. To ensure you get all the husk from each coconut, make your cuts deep enough that they go all the way to the coconut shells.

Step 3. Prepare the Coconut Fibers

Now, start extracting the coconut fiber you will be using from the skin. You can pull out the ones on the skin, but you can also pull the ones on the shells if there is any left as they are also strong.

Note: If your husk is the fluffy kind, rub it in your hands to eliminate the dried portions. Next, divide it into relatively small balls and pull up a given edge of the ball while twisting it. This way, you will turn the fluffy husk into fibers you can easily work with.

Step 4. Group the Fibers into Three Bundles

How you divide the fibers will depend on how thick you want your coconut rope to be. Therefore, group the fibers into three bundles. Next, twist the fiber bundles until you get to your desired length.

Tip: Here, the goal is to twine the needed fibers to make the thickness you require for your coconut rope.

Step 5. Make a Three-String Braid or a Twisted Rope

Braided Coconut Rope:

Take three of your fiber strands and twine them into one thick braid. Make it as tight as you can, and you can also choose between a hollow, solid, or double braided rope.

Pros:

More flexible
Smoother texture
Stronger than twisted

Cons:

Stretches less
Challenging to splice

Twisted Coconut Rope:

Pair two fiber strands and twine them into a twisted coconut rope. To make sure the rope doesn’t come undone, twist each strand individually before twinning it over the other until you reach your desired length.

Pros:

Easy to splice
Stretches better
Best suited for the outdoors

Cons:

Less flexible
Easily kinks
Strands can easily separate

Pro Tips

Consider tying knots at the beginning and end of your twisted coconut rope to ensure it doesn’t come undone.
You can go for a clockwise or counter-clockwise twist for your twisted rope
If you are making a coconut rope to add to your survival kit, consider making it two to eight weeks prior. This way, you will have enough time to soak the husks in saltwater which makes the rope more pliable