Chafe protection?

[Capt. Clueless]

Do any of you guys know of a simple, cheap but effective DIY chafe protection for my mooring strops please? I use a couple of strops (belts & braces), but when we visit in a couple of weeks for sailing & routine maintenance, I'd like to just protect them somehow from the risk of chafing in the future.

 

[johnalison]

I used to use a length of the ordinary reinforced tubing people use for other boat jobs, like cockpit drains. Anything is better than nothing.

 

[rogerthebodger]

You need to indicate where the mooring strops are chafing.

Deck cleat, dock cleat, deck edge, etc.

I also use plastic tube for my dock cleat but I have polished deck cleats and deck edging to protect for chafe in those locations.

 

[Len Ingalls]

Get some used firehose from local FD. Remove inner rubberised hose & use outer shell.

 

[clyst]

I use condemned fire hose .....cheap and hard wearing.

 

[Ian_Edwards]

I use layflat hose as used by gardeners on the outlets of irrigation pumps, most recently bought from:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191067886801

I use 1\1/4" hose, it has a smooth inner surface and seems to work because the outer surface of the hose grips the cleat or whatever, and the rope slides on the inner surface of the hose as it stretches and moves under the mooring loads. It's also a lot more flexible and lighter than conventional hoses I'd use onboard.

 

[thinwater]

Tubular webbing from rock climbing store.Very durable and easy to handle.

 

[VicS]

Lakesailor use to warn about plastic tubing becoming hardened with age or exposure to UV and actually chafing the ropes it was intended to protect. IIRC he also had a photo he posted from time to time to back this up. So, if using plastic tubing be prepared to replace it from time to time when it becomes hardened.

 

[Leisure 27]

tubular webbing from rock climbing store.very durable and easy to handle.

i can not find anywhere in the uk that sell 50mm / 2 inch rock climbing tubular webbing

 

[Kelpie]

I've used layflat in the past but found that reinforced pvc hose lasts much longer. Yes it does eventually harden through UV but it takes a couple of years, by which point it's time to replace the strop anyway.
Btw to keep the hose in the right place, I just tuck a piece of light line into the layup of the strop, along the hose, and then again make it off to the strop by tucking it into the layup. I've seen people need around with other methods and they generally allow the hose to move around too much.

Adding chafe protection massively increases the lifespan of your strops and is well worth doing.

 

[ThrilloPads]

I had a bit of pipe lagging (the cheap stuff from homebase) left over and used that. Works a treat and stops any irritating squeaking noises

 

[Capt. Clueless]

Just to update my old thread....I had a phone call last autumn from the Lake wardens, who had been going round checking boats prior to one of the named storms. They told me my strop was looking chafed and that as a matter of some urgency would be best addressed reasonably quickly if I didn't want my boat going "walkies". I contacted Maiden marine who went out that day and fitted 2 new strops. The anti chafe (which I didn't have before) looks like that clear reinforced tubing that you can use as fuel lines on cars (only wider of course).

 

[wrr]

I have found Jimmy Green's tubular webbing effective and hard wearing. It comes in a range of sizes up to 60mm: https://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/item/29/anti-chafe-tubular-polyester-webbing