Buoy damage

EASLOOP

EASLOOP

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The Medway, Kent, UK
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When on my mooring on a very choppy day the buoy bangs against the bow of my wooden sloop. This causes considrable paint damage even thought the buoy is made of a flexible rubber compound. I have tried shortening the mooring strop but to no avail. I know that a clear plastic film is availabe for protecting the wheel arches of cars against stone damage, but has anyone used this to protect their paintwork against buoy damage? if so any idea where I can get large sheets of the stuff?
Looking forward to your replies as always.
Thanks
 
Shouldn't you just keep the buoy on the boat when moored, tied off to something like the rail or lifeline (if you have them)?
It will stay a lot cleaner that way too.
 
I have to haul my buoy up by hand as I have yet to re-install my manual windlass. even so it is bl**dy heavy and beyond my ability to haul her in by hand and tie off. Perhaps it will be better when I can winch the buoy up using the anchor chain or something. Hiowever the buoy will still bash against the stem even if hauled in. Angles and all that.
Thanks for you reply.
 
Awkward one, this, without seeing the situation at hand. I'd be tempted to secure a longer mooring strop to the ring underneath the bouy and use that to moor to. This minimises the bouy damage with a head wind, but not in a wind over tide situation. the only other alternative is a light pick-up bouy with a long rope attached to the chain, which lies on the seabed. Easier to haul up (what's the scope of the chain, and what size chain?) but a lot of messy muddy rope to haul onto the deck.

Can you use the genny winch to haul the chain up? Gets your deck messy but avoids having to put a capstan back.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Shouldn't you just keep the buoy on the boat when moored, tied off to something like the rail or lifeline

[/ QUOTE ]

Many moorings (including all those rented out by Chichester Harbour Conservancy) have very heavy riser chains supported by a large buoy to which a lighter chain pennant is attached to secure the boat. It would be impossible to raise the main flotation buoy onto the deck as they are around .65m diameter, and may be supporting as much as 100kgs or more of chain at HW.

The problem with this arrangement is in a wind over tide condition, the pennant chain can abrade the hull. One solution is to fit a plastic tube over the pennant chain, while others fit a slightly shorter mooring rope which takes the load, and secure the chain as a safety back up should the rope chafe and part.
 
Even worse with a plastic boat, the dam thing has to be re-sprayed every few years, at great expense. I bring the buoy up very tight under the stem in order to reduce its range of destruction; whilst incorporating a heavy snubber to lend some "give" in choppy conditions. This is 12mm rope (4ton disp boat), but backed up with a loosely attached chain run in a plastic sheath. There will still be conditions when the bow comes into contact with the buoy so I have protected it with a acrylic canvas cover which is held in position by four ropes, two at the bow and two further back. You must be sure that any shackle to the top of the buoy is protected, a road warning cone, cut to size, works well.
 
Looks like I am not alone. Some ideas to think over.
Thanks for your comments/input.

Looks like I too will have top paint the stem several times per season.

Good 'ere innit. I like this forum

Regards
 
Many Porsches here wear a 'car-bra' to protect their paintwork on the front from stone chips. I'm just wondering about rigging up something in canvas, tied to your pulpit and stanchions if you have them. Perhaps backed by some carpet underlay as a cushioning material?
Peter.
 
Just thought of something. If you had a bowsprit... no silly and dangerous.
Next thought: Sounds daft, but probably the easiest long term solution...

Presuming that its your own bouy, not rented, you could try making a "bouy-bra" (oh! The images that come! Thanks Peterduck) out of strips of old carpeting, laced together with stout cordage, much like an old-fashioned drum lacing. I'll post a sketch shortly...

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
I was out on the river today and saw a yacht that had tied off 2 buckets on short lengths of rope ( about 6ft lengths) from cleats just forward of his transom that were acting as sea anchors and using the tide to keep the nose away from the mooring buoy.
Having read this post I thought I'd pass the idea on.
 
Now that looks a bl**dy good idea. Why didn't I think of that - don't answer that. Not aginst the wit of man to make up such a blanket with locally obtained bits. This I am going to try.
Thanks for that
 
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