Advice on becomeing a swinger

[bobgosling]

I am about to move from the safe, but expensive, confines of Haslar Marina to a mooring buoy in the middle of Portsmouth harbour.

I picked up a mooring ( once ) as part of my Dazed Kipper practical but it was on a particularly still and quiet day with little wind. All my experience to date has been with mooring alongside or anchoring. I will have an agile 18 year-old crew member to wield the boat hook so I'm fairly confident that I will be able to pick up the mooring but what really concerns me is the actual method of safely connecting boat to buoy for several weeks at a time.

My plan is for a couple of 14mm nylon three-ply ropes with galvanised hard-eyes and a big shackle, connecting both hard-eyes to the shackle and thence to the ring on the buoy. The tail ends would go through the bow farleads with some chafe protection then onto the bow cleats. I also have a couple of rubber shock absorbers which I could add into the equation. Shackle would be moused, obviously. I can only really get to the boat at week-ends so I need something that can be left unattended with some confidence all week.

Does this sound like a safe mooring technique ? What do others do ?

 

[TiggerToo]

sounds good to me. Make sure the chafe protection on the warps stays put, and inspect the arrangement whenever you go on board. In some respects a swinger is teh best way to keep a boat: more gentle on the vessel and goddam easy to get onto.

 

[Lakesailor]

Don't connect both strops to the same part of the mooring. I have one strop attached to the ring below the buoy (not the one on top, don't use that for mooring) and the other strop, a little bit longer, attached to the riser chain below the swivel on the buoy. I have a swivel at the bottom of the riser as well. OK there can be a bit of twisting of warps, but it means that the shorter strop takes most of the strain, yet should it fail there is a virtually unused one left to take over. Also having two attachment points gives you two chances if the first should let go.
I'm not convinced with hard eyes as they seem to turn in the rope loop and could contribute to chafe. That's your choice.
As well as wiring the shackle pin also slightly peen the end of the thread so it cannot unwind through the shackle jaws.

I wouldn't use poly-pipe to protect the strops as it can harden with UV and crack and actually cut the strop. Also it hides the condition of the strop from casual inspection. If there is a big blow forecast it can be comforting to rig and extra loose warp from the buoy to the boat and perhaps lead it aft from the foredeck cleat (or better still, bollard) and secure to a sheet winch, just in case.

That's my advice.

 

[Blueboatman]

The weak link is the chafe protection on the bow fairleads,sometimes the fairleads are too small,too sharply edged and/ or too 'open' in design to securely hold the rodes once they are encased in anti chaff stuff..By completely enveloping the whole length of each rode in pvc hose you do at least ensure that the chaff protection is always in place and,unlike short pieces, cannot slip down the ropes...
In addition you may like to consider attaching a relatively longer length of 'superior' anchor chain through the bow roller(pinned across the top of course so it cannot jump off),in case both (!) nylon rodes were to fail in bad weather and you were unable to get out to the boat...And use at least two big cleats on deck..The chain looped around a samson post would be ideal too.Pompey can develop quite a swell occasionally.

 

[LadyInBed]

With a blow going on, I only ever slept well at home when the boat was connected to the mooring by a chunk of chain.
(Mooring was Portland Harbour, I also note that the moorings in Poole Harbour also have a chain pick up)

 

[gandy]

14mm sounds a little small. Our mooring strop must be around 20mm. We take it over the bow roller and it has a soft eye which goes onto a central. We use plastic hose as chafe protection, and that's lashed into position on the strop so it can't slide out of place.

When leaving the boat unattended I put a lashing to hold the strop down onto the bow roller, as well as the drop-nose pin, after once finding the pin had carried away.

I don't have a backup strop, mainly because our boat swings around with the tide, so the backup would have to be connected to the same place on the mooring. I worry that putting two connections and shackles would cause them to chafe each other.

 

[FullCircle]

We have 3 strops on our mooring. 2 soft eye to the mooring eye ring which come thru the bow roller and go off to either side cleats, and a central 'spare' which comes over the bow roller and to the windlass drum (or posh samson post this year) which is attached to the mooring under side riser.

In 5 years, this has never shown excessive wear , but the moorings are professionally maintained.

 

[bobgosling]

Many thanks for all the advice !

 

[johnalison]

We used to go round in circles on our mooring so I was in the habit of leaving one (of 2) lines slack so that they didn't get tightly twisted.

 

[Piddy]

Hi

I moved a few years ago from Haslar to a Gosport Boat Yard mooring with some trepidation. With just SWMBO and the kids I did wonder whether it would be a struggle to pick up the mooring, and to be honest, sometimes it is!
If the pick up buoy twists round the riser it can a devil of a job to clear. As the strop (note only one) has a short piece of chain before changing to a large (what I think is) Nylon rope it can droop in the water making it hard to retrieve. An additional pick up buoy tied to the first helps as it tends to float free-er.

Also don't underestimate the gunge that comes up on deck from the strop after a 2 week holiday. Oh, and the mobo's that rush past, well under the speed limit making a huge wash - I'm not against Mobo's and do understand how slow it feels, it's just a fact of life.

Having said all that, it's great - I don't miss the marina anywhere near as much as I expected.

For us it was easy to choose. Mooring or no boat!

 

[fireball]

Just down the water in Sunny Chichester Harbour ... we use 2 strops ... 1 rope - 3 strand - the biggest you can get from the chandlery ... I think it is ~1.5-2" ... and the other is anchor chain.
We do connect to the point ABOVE the mooring buoy - because in our case it is the riser chain - as the chain passes right through the mooring buoy to terminate with a shackle and swivel.

We cover both strops with clear tube (takes some sweating to get the rope through it!) and have the hard eye at the mooring buoy end - The rope strop holds all the weight and the chain is taken to the other cleat as a backup. We go OTT and put a light line over the cleats as well - but - as said, that is probably OTT!

When we depart the mooring I tie the tender up to the buoy reasonably tightly - so I can lay the mooring strop and chain in the tender, this keeps the strops dry (as dry as they would be otherwise) and tangle free. The added benefit is when you come to pickup the person on the bow can see the strops they are picking up and get the hook underneath with no effort required. I've done this single handed too...

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
Many thanks for all the advice

[/ QUOTE ] I agree with those who have said 14mm is too small. I would not sleep easy with my 19footer on rope that size. But our morrings are all chain, one length from a lengtth of 1" stuff on the sinker all the way to a welded large link with a loop that drops over the bits (3/8" I think) no buoy other than the pickup on a long rope.

The eyes on the top of mooring buoys are not necessarily suitable for mooring to. OK where it is the chain that passes through the buoy but those I have looked at the specs for with a rod through them are not. I can't expain why not, it seems daft.

 

[seaesta]

I have used moorings for several seasons in England, Scotland and Wales. As I live a long way from the coast I have tried to make my mooring as problem free as possible and have tried several different ways of hooking up to the mooring buoy. Best experience has been with one very strong connection to one very strong cleat on the foredeck. I use type 316 stainless steel chain which is shackled to the mooring. I then shackle the chain in a loose loop round the cleat I then use a line to secure the chain firmly round the cleat to prevent chafe at this point. The chain can be run through some vacuum pipe (as in the thick stuff use on sea toilet connections) if you are concerned about chafe on the bow roller. I use a 5 litre plastic bottle as a float at about 400mm from the end of the chain to make it easy to pick up. In my experience it is much easier to pick up a mooring buoy than to come alongside a pontoon but you will have to have a lot of tolerance about people who get very nervous about getting in and out of the tender. When with SWMBO and relatives I usually paddle out alone, start the engine and pick up these windier crew from an unguarded pontoon (fueling pontoon or grokel trip boat station).
Some people have told me that stainless chain is brittle but I personally do not believe 'em.
good luck
Martin

 

[poter]

Whats on the bottom of your mooring is as important as what you have at water level.

Befor leaving your pride & joy get it checked.

poter.

 

[SteveA]

A lot of good advice here - one other point I would like to make is to use a multiplait rope instead of 3 strand. I don't understand how it happens but I have seen 3 strand completely unravel itself and wouldn't use it myself
I've kept a Moody Halberdier on a Fairly exposed swinging mooring for the best part of ten years without any problem and think the most important thing is to ensure the ground takckle and riser are man enough; after that the hook up lines consisted of a 24mm octoplait and a slightly longer 1/2" chain but connected to different strong points on the foredeck - both of these were connected to a swivel on to the riser chain which had passed through the mooring bouy.
In all the time we had this boat the only weather damage we sustained were when she was on a pontoon in a marina. - worst place possible in strong winds IMHO!

 

[kengill]

Methinks 14mm too small.

Most moorings round our way have at least 20mm and some larger still

 

[PaulR]

hi bob - suspect we met at hsc - our mooring also in portsmouth harbour and provided by gosport boat yard and single nylon strop (i think nylon) with rubber protection pipe on it - they provide and maintain and so far never a problem - suggest you have a look at what is provided on gby moorings if unsure - look forward to seeing you in harbour and at hsc - good luck Paul

 

[Richard10002]

I sailed out of Abersoch between about 1975 and 1990 or so, and there were lots of boats on moorings which were supplied and laid by the harbour.

ISTR there was a concrete pad at the bottom of the chain, and 3 anchors. At the top of the chain there was the buoy, which merely kept the chain at the surface. Also attached to the chain were 2 steel strops possibly plastic sheathed, along with a pick up buoy attached to the strops.

In some fairly regular roughish seas, the baots survived and there were few, or no, worries, as it was the norm.

I think the moorings were generally laid around early April, and lifted in late September.

 

[William_H]

One of the problems of swing moorings is that inevitably someone elses boat will come adrift. They seem to be very adept at getting tangled in your ropes, bouy to bow. A good reason to have a backup mooring rope. Another boat can chafe your rope quite quickly.
We have some thousands of swing moorings around Swan River and I don't think I have seen one use chain up to the sampson post they are all rope for extra spring.

If the swivel (s) are not in place or free to turn then you can get a large twisting force on 3 strand rope and recently I saw a 3 strand splice virtually undone and let go from the rope being untwisted. So swivels must be free. Suspect the swivel if you get any twisting of the rope or chain.

Some years back our mooring authority (government) required and supplied large yello plastic bouys for all moorings. This contained a stainless steel rod with swivel built in. It looks so elegant with mooring chain attached to the bottom ring and mooring ropes to the top ring. That was fine until the centre rod started failing at the swivel. A few boats got loose so now the new bouys don't have top ring. You have to suply an iron swivel and shackle on at the bottom of the bouy. Currently I have one strop from the top and one from the bottom. It is easier to pick up a rope that is held up out of the water.

I always tie the dinghy to the mooring strop on a long painter so that dinghy floats tethered behind the boat. This gives me a large target for picking up the rope with boathook and pulling the middle on board for intiial tie up.

Sailing onto and off the mooring is always done with a jib up and working. Back the jib to take the bow away from the mooring and dinghy on departure. Keep the jib on when arriving so that in the event of a stuff up you can use the jib to steer the bow away for a go around. A tide flow contrary to the wind really causes problems.
Yes swing moorings are fine I have been on mine for 22years olewill

 

[graham]

Hi Bob I think you will soon get used to it.If it gets choppy on your mooring one problem that can occur is that as the boat pitches sometimes the mooring rope will lift out of the fairlead,you wouldnt think it possible but it does, A piece of bungy cord stretched between two stantions over the top of the rope will keep it down. As others have mentioned its chaffe rather than the actual load that causes probs.If your on your boat regullarilly you will be fine.

I love being on our mooring.We can sit in the cockpit watching the world go by or sleep below with no stamping feet on the pontoon at 3 am etc etc.

Having a decent well fendered dinghy is vital.(or a good size inflatable.)

its not like this too often,thankfully.

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