hum interesting one there bahamut. I dont know if this is what you tried but y not do it like how a rope is actually made. try taking 2 or 3 vertical standard cylinders with a lot of subdivsions in them. then combine them into one poly and use a twist deformer on that. havent tried it to see if it works but just an idea. As far as animating I would either use a bend deformer so you can easily swing it here or there. or you could use multiple joints attached with an IK from the end to the starting joint. thats how I useally do it but doesnt always give me the best results.