Using a bridle on a mooring ball

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by rreid01

In a word, chafe. Often times the pendant you are picking up has growth on it, sometimes sharp. And even if it does not, eventually it will chafe your line anyway.

Learned that one the hard way. Fortunately the only damage was the mooring line.

Why not put a longer piece of water hose, the ones with the stainless steel wire in it, on the mooring bridle line/s. That prevents from chafing through. If there is growth on the pendent eye the waterhose gets stuck and gets hold in place through the growth (and takes the damage but not much) and line runs freely through the hose without chaff.
I done that on the dock and mooring lines on my old mono where the cleats were in very bad locations and lines always chaffed badly and that stopped any chaff and also stopped the awful noises too. Just had one occasion where i had to leave the hose piece on the mooring pendant as it was "welded with the massive growth on the mooring line" otherwise if you release the strain it slides through....

BUT on a catamaran how would you attach the mooring bridle to the pendant eye or if you run your briddle through the pendant eye how do you attach it to the briddle eye on the other hull so you can deattach it easily. Sure on one side bowline but how do you attach it to the other side?
Forget putting a bowline knot, if there gets any strain on the bridle it gets pulled so tight that you massively struggle to open it, not practical and safe either if you need to leave mooring quick due to any incident...
Tried a massive shakle, well that was banging against the hull when strain on line released fail....

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

I've done bridle and two independent loops each returning to their own cleat. I like the two loops best because it's the easiest to disembark from and adjust length on. It also provides redundancies. The bridle is fine, though. The only negative I can think of is in an exceptionally rare circumstance it might be nice to be able to uncleat lines and be away quickly, but a bridle could be rigged that way as well.

And how do you attach your mooring bridle to the pendant eye of the mooring?
And if you run the bridle through the eye how do you attach it on the bridle eye?
Cleats are outside on the hull versus bridle runs inside hulls, so you cannot use them without putting load on the crossmemember or chaff the outside of your hulls...

[smj]

Mount some cleats on deck so they have a clear run towards the mooring ball.
This also helps when tying to a dock, much better to cross tie from the hull farthest from the dock.
We loop the line as shown, pass it through the pendant eye then tie the line back on the same cleat. As someone else noted, easier to adjust lines and easier to quickly dump your mooring if needed.

[CruiseN]

Originally Posted by Nahbrown

We were taught not to use a bridal on a mooring ball but to use two lines run independently to our forward cleats .


Why?

I see other cats using their bridals to no ill effects and it would make my wife happy to just hook the bridal to the painter from the mooring ball.

You don't need bridle at mooring bouy because the bouy is chains end. From bouy to vessel is the give of line.
Although 'a bridle,' the twin line is forward for point control. Twin a spare line, may as well keep spare where it's needed.

Whereas on anchor, your vessel isn't a mooring bouy, your rocker is capable of snapping chain. Bridle is to absorb that energy whilst keeping bow at true point.
Like guiding a bridled horse.

Nice, clean, easy just to line bouy.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by smj

Mount some cleats on deck so they have a clear run towards the mooring ball.Attachment 240489
This also helps when tying to a dock, much better to cross tie from the hull farthest from the dock.
We loop the line as shown, pass it through the pendant eye then tie the line back on the same cleat. As someone else noted, easier to adjust lines and easier to quickly dump your mooring if needed.

Thank you. Well I have a big block for the Parasailor and lightwind genacker mounted at the top of each bow. A cleat would infere with when mounted before and it couldn’t be a big cleat either and behind the block I am already running the line over the crossmember. Then I could use the original cleats...

[CruiseN]

Originally Posted by StuM View Post
Two lines ARE a bridle (not bridal !)
BRIDAL = relating to a bride/wedding
BRIDLE = two lines forming a triangle between attachment points on the vessel and an anchor rode, mooring buoy or tow line.
SNUBBER = single shock absorbing line between boat and anchor rode/mooring.
Feel better?

I'm learning something. Thanks.

I thought the bridle was line because chain (damages hull sides) attached to where wear of ware would be of most consistency or close to. Eg on fast boats, cats in this instance; on the beams.
By bracing their brace there they're offering maximum leverage to drag with loss of yaw.
Pitch yaw complaints are reduced by bracing on high torque of pitch to improve yaw control. Snubber aye.. I thought that was part of bridle and snubber was shock cord designed for windlass laziness with chain to prevent chain damages against hull/s.

I'm just wrong then.

Why not line a long bridle and splice along length a lesser strength line to use as snubber?
(It'd look fancy ..
Sir.. your cat probably out beams a mooring?? If lumpy why not spring from port Starboard fore and beam? Keeping point and loosing bump. I can't imagine any chaffing locations. Now with 3 spares bro. Tie up, underway same ease because of loosing beam lines early.

Idk.. just thinking some fast monos probably bridle moorings regardless because they're racing horses. A bit untamed.

[smj]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

Thank you. Well I have a big block for the Parasailor and lightwind genacker mounted at the top of each bow. A cleat would infere with when mounted before and it couldn’t be a big cleat either and behind the block I am already running the line over the crossmember. Then I could use the original cleats...

I’ve never understood why production boat manufacturers can’t build a boat with thought put into tying to a dock or mooring. Just a pet peeve of mine.