Mooring Gear vs Henri

[kenbo]

I used a different approach to address the problem of chafe. I installed a long 3/4" SS u-bolt with rolled threads through the stem about a foot above the waterline and backed it up with shaped ipe and G10. I used a single 1.25" braided nylon line with spliced thimbles at each end. Used that successfully for over 30 years.

[j.g.evans]

I had boats on a mooring in an exposed area, especially exposed to NE storms. At first I had new mooring lines lasted about 2 weeks. Any lines going through a chock to a cleat will stretch back and forth in the chocks and chafe through. Chafe gear helps a little. The solution taught to me by the locals is to use chain through the chocks to the cleat. Attach the chain to the chain on the bottom of the mooring ball, NOT TO THE TOP OF THE MOORING BALL. I also used a line through the opposite chock so the boat would ride better, but, I had to replace this line often. Below the ball I had 3/8" and 1/2"chain and a swivel going to a 500 lb mushroom anchor. This worked well for over 20 years.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by deblen

IMHO don't moor or anchor thru your bow roller.Use your chocks instead-especially if rough wx is possible.
Read these 2 links. https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ng-254175.html


https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-a-252412.html

Cheers/Len

Hi Len,

I don’t use my bow roller. The question was about getting snagged BY the bow roller. As shown in the pictures, I use the bow chocks.

I’ve decided to cut off my bent and disfigured bow roller assembly this winter and replace it with a bolt on roller assembly that I’ll remove for major storms along with the anchor itself.

[deblen]

Originally Posted by chris95040

Hi Len,

I don’t use my bow roller. The question was about getting snagged BY the bow roller. As shown in the pictures, I use the bow chocks.

I’ve decided to cut off my bent and disfigured bow roller assembly this winter and replace it with a bolt on roller assembly that I’ll remove for major storms along with the anchor itself.

Sorry-my bad. I missed that point.
So what happened was that the bow dove low enough for the anchor launcher to get under a pendant? Nasty seas!
Perhaps you should consider installing an eye or u-bolt thru the stem close to water line as someone else suggested?
Cheers/Len

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by deblen

IMHO don't moor or anchor thru your bow roller.Use your chocks instead-especially if rough wx is possible.
Read these 2 links. https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ng-254175.html


https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-a-252412.html

Cheers/Len

Finally! Somebody noticed the elephant in the room.

Most bow anchor pulpits are not designed for this kind of abuse. OK to use in settled weather but not in a storm, especially if you are moored on a short pennant. The vertical and side loads get big as evidenced by the damage.

We use 1” dynema with Kevlar fire hose jacket stitched over the correct place where the bridle passes through the thwart fair leads. The extreme low stretch greatly reduces the chafe at the fair leads because there is almost no movement. Before you all jump on this because ‘one needs stretch’ consider that you won’t find any stretchy junk on a ship. If you want softer action at the end of your swing then let out more chain. (We weigh 40 tons)

We sat out a tropical storm at anchor in ten feet of water with 180 feet of chain out. We also learned that the wind driven surface water speed was sufficient to steer the boat and reduce the swing to +/- 15 degrees. Autopilot couldn’t work without forward speed so we took shifts hand steering.


FYI the side ears are to guide your anchor rode onto the roller, otherwise the line/chain would roll off the side any time it is not sufficiently in line.

We had to remove our anchor pulpit & roller entirely to have it straightened in a weld shop with a hydraulic press, heat and a forge. PO made a mess of it in hurricane IVAN

[Wallaby]

Originally Posted by Wallaby

First, thank you very much for posting this, and the photos. My take is the boat was likely fairly close to a mooring ball, and bouncing up and down enough to catch the bow roller. Is this correct? If so, it was really bouncing given the exit position of the line. I also assume the mooring ball was at the length of its travel. The load of the vessel on the line in that position must've been enormous. Would it have happened had the vessel been able to lay back from the mooring ball?

Yes, I am quoting myself, because maybe it was not clear. To repeat, "Would it have happened had the vessel been able to lay back from the mooring ball?"


My suggestion, for what it is worth, because I would NEVER use a mooring ball in a hurricane, is get a much longer mooring line, as stretchy as possible.



FYI, my hurricane anchoring system uses a 50ft bridle (100% chaffed with firehose segments to allow water entry). Attached to it is 3/8 chain and rocna, and 3/4" 8-braid nylon to 20ft of 3/8" stainless cable and a fortress. Low tide scope is at least 20:1.

[Manateeman]

There are three positions to attach the boat to the mooring ball. A bridal which splits and attaches through chocks or hawser holes with the stem of the boat between the two legs. #2 is a single or dual pendant using the anchor roller or rollers plural. #3 is what I’ve seen used in Alaska which is a snubber or a pendant attatched to a strong point at the stem just above the waterline.
The main pendant can be attached any way you wish. The main advantage is simple. As a wave comes to the vessel, the bow rides over not into it. You don’t see the bow dive into the waves and there is much less hobby horse action.
If you substitute a very string block at the waterline, you can let out more snubber as needed. When at anchor, Alaskan fishermen use a few large buoys tied to the anchor chain which then hangs in a loop up to the boat. The snubber attaches near the buoys...leads to a block low on the stem..up and over the stem to the strong point. The snubber is now parallel to the water. The boat meets the seas on her natural waterlines not nose down.
This is the system I use. I’ve been considering the Hazlett snubber for my mooring. Highly thought of by a number of harbormasters.
My pendant is dyneema covered by liquid 2 part polymer anti chafe from Industrial Polymers. This is now the chafe of choice on tugs and ships.
I’ve tried rubber inline snubbers on a bridal with eyes but you can’t add more snubber. There is a lot of info on snubber diameters and length in prior posts.
There is a lot of information in Professional Mariner and from line manufacturing companies like Sampson on the subject of treatments for chafe. The two part polymer goes a long way so you can do more than one pendant. My pendant was spliced by Captain Frank Lasky in Westfield MA. Huge swivels from New Bedford used in scalloping. I like commercial fishing supplies. Anyway...
Happy trails to you.
Captain Mark and his manatee crew

[Rucksta]

Originally Posted by chris95040

Anyone else have a novel solution for mooring lines getting snagged on the bow roller?

Run a bridle through fairleads outside of the anchor roller.
No tension on the rode inboard of bridle attachment to the rode = no chafe on the rode.

I attach chafe gear to the bridle with string sewn to the chafe sleeve and threaded through the strands of the bridle.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by deblen

Sorry-my bad. I missed that point.
So what happened was that the bow dove low enough for the anchor launcher to get under a pendant? Nasty seas!
Perhaps you should consider installing an eye or u-bolt thru the stem close to water line as someone else suggested?
Cheers/Len

No worries - yes, nasty, nasty seas! Agree that the u-bolt at the stem is intriguing.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Finally! Somebody noticed the elephant in the room.

Most bow anchor pulpits are not designed for this kind of abuse. OK to use in settled weather but not in a storm, especially if you are moored on a short pennant. The vertical and side loads get big as evidenced by the damage.

Wow this is like talking to Siri. I know my post includes the word "bow roller" but if you read the actual text and pictures you'll see that I do not use the bow roller, it just happened to scoop my chocked mooring lines when the bow dove in nasty weather.

Good advice otherwise though, thanks!

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by Rucksta

Run a bridle through fairleads outside of the anchor roller.
No tension on the rode inboard of bridle attachment to the rode = no chafe on the rode.

I attach chafe gear to the bridle with string sewn to the chafe sleeve and threaded through the strands of the bridle.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by Wallaby

Yes, I am quoting myself, because maybe it was not clear. To repeat, "Would it have happened had the vessel been able to lay back from the mooring ball?"


My suggestion, for what it is worth, because I would NEVER use a mooring ball in a hurricane, is get a much longer mooring line, as stretchy as possible.



FYI, my hurricane anchoring system uses a 50ft bridle (100% chaffed with firehose segments to allow water entry). Attached to it is 3/8 chain and rocna, and 3/4" 8-braid nylon to 20ft of 3/8" stainless cable and a fortress. Low tide scope is at least 20:1.

I have a 20 foot mooring line. I think I'm layed back quite far from the mooring ball, but more length certainly isn't a bad idea.

In this particular situation I'm not sure that would have helped, however. While its certainly true that the longer line would contribute more stretch and less downward angle at the chock, the additional line and the shallower angle would make it even _more_ likely that the (unused, empty!) bow rolller would snag the line when the bow dips in the rough seas.

[Wallaby]

Originally Posted by chris95040

I have a 20 foot mooring line. I think I'm layed back quite far from the mooring ball, but more length certainly isn't a bad idea.

In this particular situation I'm not sure that would have helped, however. While its certainly true that the longer line would contribute more stretch and less downward angle at the chock, the additional line and the shallower angle would make it even _more_ likely that the (unused, empty!) bow rolller would snag the line when the bow dips in the rough seas.

It might be a tradeoff of shallow angle vs. more stretch. The mooring lines are nylon, right? No stretch in polyester.



Am I wrong in thinking that the wave motion created a hobby-horse action--that is, would your boat sync with the waves and become more violent (resonance) in the classic engineering bridge-failure of Tacoma Narrows?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXyG68_caV4

If so, maybe a dampener on the mooring lines? What if each mooring line is two part bridle with a shackle in the middle holding a kellet?

[bluepearl54]

My first suggestion is that you use port and starboard bow lines to the mooring ball pennant. Bring each line back to the bow cleat it started at. Much reduced chafing. Make them long enough so they are unlikely to get caught.

[Shaneesprit]

My boat sits out several storms a year in fairly sheltered waters, I always use blue water pipe the kind that supplies water to your house underground. cut down the length. Then opened up and pushed on the line sewn and taped in place, also now put a pin or something to stop the mooring line jumping out of the roller. And I always have a second line on the mooring that’s never under any load unless the first line fails.