Obviously towing with a dedicated heavy-duty truck is preferred, but what if you just needed a swift, temporary tow from a friend to get unstuck or to a shop?

These lines are far more sophisticated than simple lengths of rope, as one would expect. As the British Tugowners Association describes it, "tow ropes have developed to become more than simply a ...

For the first few decades ­after Ralph Samuelson invented ­water-skiing in summer 1922, skiers used a lifting ring near the stern of an ­inboard-powered boat to attach a tow rope. Since the late 1950s ...