Fairleads: what for?

[Alexis]

Hello there,

I am rebuilding my yacht, and am seriousely thinking of getting rid of the bow mooring fairleads. Instead, I considering installing the mooring cleats right at the edge of the deck, as is done on the Etap yacht, as well as others. The idea is to avoid chafe: whatever the pull from a cleat in this position, as long as you remain within 170° from the side of the hull, there is nowhere on the boat the mooring ropes can rub against.

Now, why are they so little yachts that use this system? Is there something I missed or don't understand in the fairleads ?

Cheers, Alexis

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[steve_cronin]

Bavaria use the system you describe but with a stainless steel rubbing bead just outboard of the cleats (when they remember to fit them. My boat had three missing) for situations where the shore bollards are below deck height. I do find though that the cleat mounting bolts need tightening more often.

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[Talbot]

Quite often the best place for the cleat on the edge of the boat is also the best place for it to get entangled with running rigging. By having the fairlead atthese points will reduce the risk of a snarl up. For me, I have installed extra fairleads, which I can then use to get the best match up with the bollards ashore. There is nothing to stop you having the cleat on the side of the boat, and having additional fairleads forward and aft of it.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Capt_Marlinspike]

I suspect that few boats do it this way as it can be difficult to mount a cleat if there is a GRP toe rail. Etap use a stainless toe rail mounted off the deck which makes deck mounted cleats much simpler.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Rich_F]

My guess would be that a fairlead ensures that the angle from the mooring line to the cleat remains constant, reducing the chance that movment of the mooring line could loosen up the line on the cleat, or chafe against it.

Also, a fairlead can make mooring up easier, again because the tension is always coming from the same direction onto the cleat, or the crew member working the line.

On my boat there are fairleads on the bow, and externally mounted cleats on the stern. Based on this experience, I'd go for fairleads every time. In fact, your post has prompted me to think about whether I could add them to the stern!

Rich

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[extravert]

It's like you suggest as standard on my boat, and doesn't seem to cause any problems. So far I have not had anything snag when it shouldn't either. I have found that my mooring lines don't chafe on fairleads like they used to.

<hr width=100% size=1>One day, I hope to own a real boat.

 

[Evadne]

The cleat has to take a lot of weight, fairleads don't, and you can fit a backing plate to an inboard cleat. I fitted quarter cleats mounted on mahogany blocks backed by s/s plates, but if I tried that at the bows, they would be so close together they would not be an improvement over a single central cleat, mounted over the king plank, and I'd still need fairleads to get over the toerail anyway. Mount them further aft and the genoa sheets would forever be catching on them.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Gordonmc]

It depends, surely, on the structural integrity of the area you are mounting the cleat. On my boat the fairleads are atop the toerail with the cleats inboard and bolted onto cross beams.
As the fairleads only get fore-aft tension from the warps this is fine, but cleats in the same position would be ripped off. On a GRP boat the deck/hull bond is probably the strongest part of the structure so your idea would be sound.
BTW, I always cross mooring lines so the port one goes onto the st'bd cleat and vice verse... just to reduce the angle at the fairlead.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[qsiv]

Cleats are only designed to take pull in line with the mounting bolts (just think of mast mounted cleats, they are always in line with the halyard). Many cleats only have two bolts, in line with the horns of the cleat. Any pull at an angle will put an extreme load on the mountings and is likely to do damage. With a fairlead the strain should always be in line with the bolts.

<hr width=100% size=1>