Prevent snubber bridle rubbing?

[sailabroad]

Hi a search did not turn up anything but I'm sure you guys must deal with this daily!

Is there a way to prevent the anchor bridle-snubber (tied forward across the bow cleats with the center point hooked into the chain).. from rubbing off the antifouling under the bow when the boat rides over it in variable winds - My boat see saws a lot and one arm of the bridle often ends up under the boat .

On my beneteau the bow cleats are quite far back..but a short bridle snubber (short enough not get below the bow) will not be very load absorbing.

To prevent rubbing I have been running a single nylon snubber over the bow roller but that's bad practice anchored in a blow..the roller is not built for aggressive loads.

Thanks for any input!

[zeehag]

generally , when wind blows and one is anchored, the boat will head into wind, and stretch out the rode. it goes away from the underside of your boat.
the only time you will know rode under your boat is when tide and winds oppose each other. this can be avoided by use of all chain rode.
the snubber bridle will not chafe under your boats hull.
the best way to learn this is to go out and do it. frequently

[jackdale]

I would continue to use the single line over the bow roller, with lots of slack in the chain.

If you are concerned about chafe use a piece of garden hose over the snubbing line.

[sailabroad]

Thanks for the input guys. Jackdale: I'm not worried about chafe so much as yes we use climbing rope protected in a thick plastic hose over the roller as a snubber, but the anchor roller is a significant weak link and not designed on a beneteau to tske heavy loads. Especially compared to using the fore cleats which are laminated in and strong enough to take significant anchor loads. We are in hurricane areas and I'm just trying to sort out a better daily working system so don't have any surprises.

[noelex 77]

You can try rigging a snubber from the stern cleats along the deck and a couple of feet over the bow. This provides a reasonable length of nylon, so there is plenty of stretch, but the snubber only overhangs the bow a short distance.

It is not practical on every boat, but it can be a good system.

[zeehag]

sailabad, in cane zones, befriend locals and learn where the safer spots are. go there and follow instructions. in a cane you donot want to be anchored in an open bay, not even a protected one. you want to be where the locals say is safe. listen to other boaters.
the answer to your question is no the line will not chafe off your paint. rope rode may chafe off about 5 ft from the splice to chain. chain will chafe the topsides of your boat.
see write ups about la paz after odile. see write ups about damage and wreckages in caribbean post canes. learn from the losses of others. do not try to reinvent the wheel without the experience of living on board thru ts. remember the action and logarithmically it rises as intensity rises.. whooopdeedoo. canes are incredibly impressive.

[a64pilot]

I think you and I both need an anchor riding sail, to cure the moving about at anchor, if nothing else it annoys me.

Forget it during a Hurricane of course, but then I think maybe you can handle a little bottom paint chafe to keep the boat safe.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by sailabroad

Thanks for the input guys. Jackdale: I'm not worried about chafe so much as yes we use climbing rope protected in a thick plastic hose over the roller as a snubber, but the anchor roller is a significant weak link and not designed on a beneteau to tske heavy loads. Especially compared to using the fore cleats which are laminated in and strong enough to take significant anchor loads. We are in hurricane areas and I'm just trying to sort out a better daily working system so don't have any surprises.

If the water is deep enough --over 25 feet--that you can be at short scope, the catenary absorbs the shock and you don't need a long snubber.

If you are in shallower water, you will need more scope and a longer snubber. However, at long scope (7:1) only about 1/7 of the rode load is a vertical component. That means at 2000 pounds anchor load (the most you should see with a long snubber), the vertical part is only ~ 300 pounds, no more than you generate breaking an anchor out.

Simply make certain you use a long snubber when at short scope. It can be over the roller. Make certain you do NOT grind the chain across it under load when retrieving; critical internal rope damage will result.

---

Hurricanes are different. Run multiple snubbers (bridle and maybe one over the roller also, a little longer) as the wind begins to rise. It will stay straight out.

[sailabroad]

Ahh the hick locals know nothing! I'm the expert! 'm looking forward to the next hurricane! I'm all geared up..I've watched all the YouTube videos and ready to roll, but if I could only stop that dam snubber from rubbing off my brand new beautiful antifouling!

[tinkrman69]

videos and books can give you a lot of food for thought. But you'll still know nothing till you put it into action. If you think locals know nothing you must have something in your ears....maybe EGO. But then again you might be asking the wrong questions.

I've seen many book learned people, put whole crews lives in jeopardy, because thay had no experience. as mentioned by Z, adverse current and wind is making you ride up on the rode. if you have all chain rode it must be pretty light. with all chain rode I have never had the rode contact under the boat. If your not getting enough shock absorption in your snubber then maybe it's too thin or a low stretch line. use three strand nylon, of a significant size. if your chain is too light use a dead man, which will increase the shock absorption....till the winds get honkin'.

I use 3/4 inch line about 8 feet long, counting whats on deck to the cleat, my bow is about 5.5 feet off the water. that leaves the hook just at the water line when slack. I don't make it from old anchor line as it's been stretched out and is hard and stiff. If it's playable it will stretch and absorb the tension. I just sat through 40 knot sustained winds with gust to 78, in a bay with about a mile of fetch. rode pretty smooth, no jerking. The only problem I had was the other boaters dragging with too short a rode of too light tackle. After the storm I had to dive one of my anchors to retrieve it when I let it go, because one of those boaters hooked it whilst dragging by. it was he kept dragging or myself an other boat and him clustering together and going ashore. I and the other boat held fast, I tried to help him get off the hill with barrels filled with air....i had access to everything needed....but he didn't want to listen and ripped his rudder clean out of the boat. Another one of those people that think the locals know nothing. Don't scoff at those that weather the storms, Take your own knowledge and theirs and fit it to your own needs. that's how progress is made. No man is an island unto himself. The only stupid person is the one that won't consider what others say. anyone can learn, but an openminded person will learn faster and better.

Grow with experience
Lance

[sailabroad]

Obvious troll is obvious? This got way off topic and no anchors mentioned yet��?!!

But the question was about rubbing off antifouling which my beneteau definately does as it dances a lot at anchor..flat bottom

The only real solution seems to be a short bridle. Thanks everyone for the input topical or not!

Obtw im a liveaboard, so I anchor everyday, every week, year in year out, storm or not, different anchorages, different countries, different neighbors.

Oh and my 20kg Manson.....just joking

[deblen]

Sounds like your boat may be "sailing" at anchor.

If so : try these :

1. Lock rudder hard over
2. anchor riding sail set @ angle across centerline
3. Fishing Monthly Magazines : AVOID YAWING – HOW TO BRIDLE YOUR BOAT

[sailabroad]

Thanks deblen, good suggestions!

I do lock the rudder but that makes no noticable difference..I do it more to stop the rudder quadrant hitting the ends hard.

We considered a riding sail, we even have a suitable trisail and a smaller storm jib, but the hassle, noise, windage, practicability turns me off I see them up on very rare occasions mostly ketch rigs but rarely enough to wonder if it is a solution.. A mate with a big 50 beneteau suffers the same yaw problem as me he's tried everything without improvement, is considering the riding sail, not convinced.

The yaw doesn't worry me so much when using a snubber over the bow roller as its stretch stops any snatch..its poor practice thou.

I know, from rigging, the bridle should not be more than 30 deg between both arms or the load is not shared, its multiplied so the short bridle-snubber isn't doing me any favors..I might try a variation on noelex 77's suggestion hmm.

We have used an anchor bridle taken to the aft cleats, mostly to sleep - to stop roll = yaw, with wind off the swell, it's a hassle and if the boat circles with catabatic winds there's the risk it wraps the keel and pulls up the anchor, but we still use it on occasions.

[tstano]

Originally Posted by sailabroad

Hi a search did not turn up anything but I'm sure you guys must deal with this daily!

Is there a way to prevent the anchor bridle-snubber (tied forward across the bow cleats with the center point hooked into the chain).. from rubbing off the antifouling under the bow when the boat rides over it in variable winds - My boat see saws a lot and one arm of the bridle often ends up under the boat .


Thanks for any input!

There are times when the tide and opposing winds will act on a boat to make it sail ahead of the anchor. Ours will and in clear water you can see the chain follow the side of the boat as the anchor is behind the stern. I try to lock the rudder to the side and pull the boom to side so the boat will resist the swaying back and forth. But the forces of nature always win out when I fall asleep. I had scrapes on both sides of the bow anti-fowling paint this year.

All U Get

[Jetx]

My boat has a similar setup. I tried several different things, but what I evolved to is using a 3-leg bridle/snubber. The two bridle legs, connected to the bow cleats, are kept short, so they can't slide underneath the bow. But instead of the bridle legs connecting directly to the chain, they're joined to another (single) nylon line, which in turn is tied to the chain. This line can then be as long as you like for good shock absorption.

This way the loads are on the (stronger) bow cleats, there's no chafe or load on the anchor roller, and the short bridle actually seems to work better for reducing sailing at anchor.

This might or might not work well for your boat or not, but it's easy to try out. Just use take three old dock lines and hitch all three eyes together like this...
Island Mooring Supplies / RI / Mooring Pendants

You can then play with the length of the short/bridle legs until you get it to "fit".