Can you still buy good rope?

When buying line at a marine hardware store, be aware that there are two main types: nylon and dacron (aka polyester). You probably want nylon; dacron is a low stretch fiber normally used for halyards and other boat rigging.

The yellow stuff you're talking about is polypropylene. It's only virtue is that it floats; you don't want to use it for any other purpose as it is quite weak.

This stretchiness can go to extremes, as two small towns in Germany found a few years ago in their annual tug-of-war across the adjoining river. Seems at the climax of the contest the yellow rope snapped, whipped back and decapitated two people. Many lawsuits ensued.

Back to the yellow rope: its only marine use is for towing dinghies. Because it doesn't sink and is relatively stiff when wet, it holds the little boat away from the mother ship when at anchor, greatly reducing those annoying bumps in the night.

There's a rope guy who comes to local flea markets and sells hanks of marine-style braided line at good prices. I can usually get 60' of usable line (1/2"??) for about $8.00 CDN. Sometimes the colours are outlandish, but it's great for lashing things onto a trailer and cheap enough to cut.

Again, pretty pricey for "utility" use but good stuff, and less than life safety / rescue rope.

Biggest difference between Rescue and Recreational is for a their rated capacity, Rescue achieves it without stretching (called Static Kermantle), while Recreational stretches which lets it hold more weight with less rope. The stretchiness is good for absorbing impacts of a short fall...but could cause problems in a rescue situation if it stretches where you don't want it to go.

I carried a short length of rope bought at a hiking store as my "utility" line in my bunker pants.