swing mooring

For all those DF800 issues which do not fit into any of the categories below.
Post Reply
allanmcdougall
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu 11 Nov 10, 22:16
Your Country: new zealand, whakatane, bay of plenty

swing mooring

Post by allanmcdougall »

I am about to put my boat on a swing mooring in a tidal river area. I would appreciate advice about how to secure the boat to the mooring without chafing, and without pressuring too much the base mounting for my prod, which is right on the front of the bow/foredeck join.
I think the mooring loop will be too thick to put round the cleat on each side of the foredeck. So I was thinking of a bridle or two equal lengths of rope from the cleats somehow attached to the mooring loop. Would 20mm be strong enough ? Is nylon best?
Thanks for your thoughts Allan McDougall Kihitara
dragonfly88
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun 20 Apr 08, 16:51
Your Country: USA Portsmouth NH

Post by dragonfly88 »

Hi Allan,

I have my 25 on a single line on a mooring and its not great. The boat really slews back and forth when the wind is up. Very exciting to get on board in those conditions. Other posts I've red suggest a bridle is best with three lengths of line: one to each aka or the bow of the amas and one to the bow cleat which is long enough that it hangs loose as a backup.
Double Horizon
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed 09 May 07, 0:18
Your Country: USA

Post by Double Horizon »

If you have steel eyes on the ends of your forward crossbeams, you can use stainless shackles spliced into nylon bridle lines. If not, you should install stainless U-Bolts on the forward face of the outer crossbeams where the fiberglass is solid core. This attachment point will keep the boat from "hunting" or sailing from side to side at the mooring, and your third (center line) can be backup. It will also give you chafe-free connections, as all contact points will be metal-metal.

Bridle finished lengths should (each) be about two-thirds to three-quarters of the width between attachment points. Your center mooring line will secure to your center hull's bow cleat, and it should be adjusted so it is slightly slack. It will not chafe because it won't have any strain except when tying or preparing to depart the mooring, or if one of the outer legs fails. (In 13 years doing this I have never had a bridle leg fail). My bridle uses 5/8" nylon and that is sufficient for the 1200, so your 20mm line should be more than adequate. I splice my own lines and replace bridle lines every two-three years or if it shows wear.

On the mooring I use a galvanized steel "bridle plate" from Colligo Marine that handles the three lines. hhttp://www.colligomarine.com/products/colligo- ... ing-system All bridle lines should be spliced to thimbles and shackles used to secure them. (Make sure you secure the shackles with stainless or monel wire or black wire ties.)

It is VERY important to have floats on all your lines, otherwise when they go slack they will sink and wrap around the chain below your mooring ball, and that will be a source of chafe. I use closed cell split pipe insulation secured with plastic tape because it's cheap and available at any retailer that sells plumbing supplies.

Image
Last edited by Double Horizon on Fri 10 Oct 14, 18:13, edited 1 time in total.
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
penryj
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu 12 Jun 08, 7:19
Your Country: New York, NY

Swing Mooring

Post by penryj »

Hi Larry,
Looks like I will be on a mooring this year, rather than a slip so I had a couple of questions on your set up.
Is the colligo plate directly attached to the mooring chain below the mooring ball?
Presume your mooring ball is big enough not to get dragged under by the weight of the bridle plate?
do you use the U-bolts on the akas that take the safety wires, or did you add additional ones?
Do you ever have situations where the mooring ball bangs against the main hull?
Regards
Penry
P.S. Your mooring spot looks idyllic. Are there any spaces?
Penry

DF35-25
Gwas Y Neidr
Double Horizon
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed 09 May 07, 0:18
Your Country: USA

Re: Swing Mooring

Post by Double Horizon »

penryj wrote:Hi Larry,
Looks like I will be on a mooring this year, rather than a slip so I had a couple of questions on your set up.
Is the colligo plate directly attached to the mooring chain below the mooring ball?
Presume your mooring ball is big enough not to get dragged under by the weight of the bridle plate?
do you use the U-bolts on the akas that take the safety wires, or did you add additional ones?
Do you ever have situations where the mooring ball bangs against the main hull?
Regards
Penry
P.S. Your mooring spot looks idyllic. Are there any spaces?
1) Bridle plate is attached above the mooring ball, where I can see it at any time and there are no growth problems. I believe strongly that an attachment below the ball is a bad design.
2) The mooring ball is a large size (would estimate 30"), and would not be dragged underwater. Large waves wash over it in a storm (I have seen 7-foot waves there in a strong easterly).
3) Yes I use the U-bolts on the akas that take the safety wires. They are strong and mounted in solid fiberglass backed by a plate.
4) Yes I do have situations where the mooring ball bangs against the main hull. I leave the boat with centerboard and rudder lifted, so the boat tends to swing with the wind when it's strong but sometimes when the wind is light the boat can go sideways in wind-against-current. Nothing you can do about that but wrap your bridle plate in padding such as carpet or foam.
Also it's IMPORTANT to have floats along the bridle lines so they don't sink and go under the ball then wrap the chain. That will chafe the lines. My ball is cylindrical (like the ones they use at Dodson's in Stonington CT) but if you use a round ball you should size it small enough that the waterline is at or above the middle -- so the floating line will slip over (not under) the ball. Also I advise against the type of ball that uses a steel rod through the center. The rod tends to rust inside where you can't see it and I know someone who lost the boat because of that. It is better to get the type that uses a tube for the mooring chain to run through to the top where it is secured by a through-bolt.

My spot requires a town resident permit. Shoot me an email or call if you're looking for other ideas in the local area.
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
gminkovsky
Posts: 210
Joined: Wed 01 Nov 06, 19:58
Your Country: USA, Long Island Sound

Post by gminkovsky »

An easy solution to prevent the mooring ball from rubbing on the main hull is to put a piece of shock cord from the end of the bow sprit to the top of the mooring. I attach a 5/16 inch shock cord. One small bronze snapchackle attached to the colligo setup (as Larry described). The other end also has a small snapshackle and is attached to the bow sprit. I actually attached very small block at the end of the sprit and run a line. This way I can loosen the line, attach the snapshackle, then tighten the line. However, it is not necessary - you can attach a small shackle at the end of sprit and snap the cord onto it. The length of the cord is such that the cord is not stretched when the bow sprit end is over the mooring ball.

The effect is that in normal windy conditions the cord is stretched. When there is no wind, the cord contracts and pulls the bow sprit closer to the mooring. This way as soon as the boat wants to ride over the ball, the cord contracts and pulls it back.
Double Horizon
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed 09 May 07, 0:18
Your Country: USA

Post by Double Horizon »

Thanks for the tip, George.
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
gminkovsky
Posts: 210
Joined: Wed 01 Nov 06, 19:58
Your Country: USA, Long Island Sound

mooring location possibilities for Penry

Post by gminkovsky »

Penry,

directly south of Larry's location is Hempstead Harbor on Long Island side of the sound. There are 2 inexpensive yacht clubs in Glen Clove. The anchorage is one of the last free federal mooring fields. Bring your own mooring, set it for ~$150, become a member of Glen Cove Yacht Club for ~$800 and enjoy (including launch service)! (I was a member for 7 years.)

The other club is Hemstead Harbour Club with a few more amenities and a bit more expensive.

Better yet, get a house in any of the villages around Cold Spring Harbor or Oyster Bay and keep your boat for free on your own mooring, but... have to use your own dinghy to get to and from.

(Cold Spring Harbor is SSE from Larry's idyllic anchorage.)

Also, there are quite a few full service yacht clubs in Western Long Island that accept members without ridiculous procedures. Full service clubs are significantly more expensive though... There are also really nice clubs in CT. Some are racing oriented, others are all-purpose clubs. Some accept new members, others require boarding passes from the Mayfair... I really liked Cedar Point in Westport. (I visit a lot of clubs around Long Island Sound during my son's summer racing season.)
penryj
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu 12 Jun 08, 7:19
Your Country: New York, NY

Post by penryj »

Gary,
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, there would be the small matter of the Throgs Neck Bridge to negotiate!
So my preference is to stay on the north side of the sound. I'm currently looking at a few spots on City Island, which is only about 20mins from the house, without traffic.
Penry

DF35-25
Gwas Y Neidr
Double Horizon
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed 09 May 07, 0:18
Your Country: USA

Post by Double Horizon »

Been thinking about George's shock cord tip, and it does add some issues/complications.

The sprit stay (when lowered) would interfere with the dinghy line when attaching it to the mooring pennant (line)... The sprit is normally raised approaching the mooring and the dingy painter (line) is brought over the top of the sprit stay, so that the dingy painter isn't trapped when you leave the mooring.

1) If you use a launch service to get on and off the boat -- I wouldn't want a launch operator to pull up that close upwind of the boat, especially in strong winds.

2) Using your own dinghy to attach/detach the shock cord -- It would require lowering and raising the sprit every time you leave or return to the mooring. I normally just leave it raised when not using it for a sail.
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
gminkovsky
Posts: 210
Joined: Wed 01 Nov 06, 19:58
Your Country: USA, Long Island Sound

Post by gminkovsky »

Larry,

yes, you are right. I used to pop the sprit up/down every time I went sailing. I would connect/disconnect the shock cord by loosening the line that I described above with the sprit in up position, then tighten the line when the sprit is down.

Now I come with a dinghy or kayak and connect/disconnect the shock cord with the sprit down. I keep the sprit down all the time.

Either way, the hustle is worth it. Otherwise, the ball just rubbed off the paint, but with collico set-up scratches are inevitable.

Also, with the shock cord the lines NEVER wrap around the mooring.

BTW, considering how little I use my screecher, the only reason for the sprit is to keep the boat away from the mooring ball. I find that coming to the mooring and dealing with a dinghy is a lot easier without sprit and the 2 side stays.
gminkovsky
Posts: 210
Joined: Wed 01 Nov 06, 19:58
Your Country: USA, Long Island Sound

@ Penry

Post by gminkovsky »

Penry,

City Island may be convenient to get to by car, but it is extremely inconvenient for (trimaran) sailing. You have to go through the narrow channel between Sands Point and Execution Light, and the island in between to get to the Sound. Heavy commercial traffic, lots of fishing boats just outside the channel, frequent localized fog in the early season, etc. etc. You will get a lot more sailing done if you use one of the clubs or marinas in CT or Westchester East of Execution Rocks.

George

PS There are some positives for City Island, including the fact that you can purchase a condominium dock for a reasonable price...
Double Horizon
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed 09 May 07, 0:18
Your Country: USA

Post by Double Horizon »

I think City Island is OK. He will just have to tack more often. :)

On the plus side, Eastchester Bay is usually windy even when LIS is quiet.

Penry -- you might also check Norwalk Yach Club (the prior owner of my boat kept his there and I still know the Commodore, who owns an F-boat) and also check Sprite Island Yacht Club in Norwalk (very low key and casual).
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
Post Reply