Difficult swinging mooring

[Edwardo]

My boat is on a swinging mooring and at high tide (or even at most tides) it takes the effort of superman to get the mooring rope over the cleat. I am told by my boatyard, who manage the moorings, that it is because of river errosion and that the flow is progressively getting stronger. (It certainly seems more difficult than last year)

Is it safe to put one of my own mooring lines through the loop on my mooring rope, to cleat that and to leave my boat on it. If so what sort of rope is needed.


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[graham]

If it takes that much effort it sounds like the pick up rope or chain is too short.Dont be fobbed off if your paying for the mooring get them to put a longer bit on.

I would be wary of threading a rope thru another rope loop as it could chaffe through .

Have you tried hooking on to the mooring temporarily with a spare bit of rope then motoring uptide to take the weight of it before pulling the loop over your mooring bollard??

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[yoda]

If at high tide when there is no flow you still have a problem with picking up the mooring then something is wrong. Do you lift the mooring buoy out of the water or is the pick up line attached to the bouy which stays in the water. Could the mooring rope just be too short in which case ask the boat yard to fix a new one. If they are still not willing to help invite them to show you how it should be picked up and perhaps they will see to putting things right. From a safety point of view it should be quite easy to pick up. Putting your own tackle on could get dodgy if it failed and your insurers investigate.

Yoda

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[Neal]

Another possibility could be.....

the chain may have got a few tangles in. If you're feeling brave, you might be able to free this by motoring round the mooring at low water springs (whilst moored, of course). If you're not so brave, get the yard to check it.

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[philip_stevens]

Re: Another possibility could be.....

If it's a swinging mooring, there should be a swivel shackled between the ground chain and the riser chain. All River Fal moorings were advised by Truro harbour master office to lay swinging moorings in this manner.

If a swivel is fitted properly, the chain should stay untwisted when the weight of the boat comes on the moorings.

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Philip

 

[DMGibson]

Re: Even with a swivel..could be.....

Swivels can get fouled up. Our's once stopped working because it got tangled up with some old fishing net, probably swept along by the tide. We only found uot because the mooring bouy and rope went round several times after we dropped it, as the twists in the rope and chain came out.

I have also seen other moorings with rope risers where the rope has come completely untwisted - the next thing is the rope parts as the internal friction is much lower in this state.

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[oldharry]

Re: Even with a swivel..could be.....

The simple answer to fouled swivels is to use a riser buoy, with the swivel attached to the buoy end of the pick up chain, where it is out of the water, and visible for checking. Works well down here in Chichester, and means you can use a stainless swivel which is even better.

It sounds as though the original poster has a mooring which uses only one buoy which doubles as a pick up and riser. The problem is simple solved by putting a flotation buoy about 2 metres (to suit the freeboard of the boat) down the chain, which takes the weight and makes pick up a doddle. My riser chains weighs in at some 80kgs altogether - an impossible weight to lift to the foredeck!


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