fairleads

sarabande

sarabande

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during the gales earlier this month, the pontoon mooring line pulled out a bow fairlead.

fairlead0_zps2pd5cgyd.jpg


I need to replace them with something slightly beefier, as the boat is now on a tidal mooring. Presently the mooring lines are lead through the bow roller, which means the anchor has to be detached and taken below.

It would be ideal to have the new fairleads to P and S, thence back to the big deck cleat(s), so that I can leave the anchor deployed over the roller.


What solutions do people have for "just in case" solution for drying out alongside a tall wall, where the direction of pull may be upwards rather than horizontal/downwards please.

Captive ?
fairlead1_zpswwkh7pmz.jpg
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Bollard/enclosed ?
fairlead2_zpsctgroqob.jpg
[/IMG]

Wrapover arms ?
fairlead3_zpsqmaiywo2.jpg


or other ?

Again, the objective is to have a fairlead that copes with mooring at a pontoon, on a buoy, alongside a wall, and even deploying a second anchor.


EDIT. Yes, backing plates - I'm aware of th eneed. What I am seeking is "best practice" for cruising fairleads.
 
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Surely it's about the backing plates. From your picture it looks like the fairlead came off intact with only screws (or a bolt with a small nut) pulled through. So a tiny bit of wood had to hold the weight. Oversize washers or ideally a plate would be the way I would go if there is something strong underneath to hold it. If not then the fairlead needs to be considered to be sacrificial and only possible for some sideways force.

I have gone off using short warps over the years as they have least give - where I do have to use them then I have a couple of lines made up with dog bone snubbers to remove some of the snatch load.

A couple of years ago I was astonished that the mid boat cleat held when I was silly enough to tie to a solid fuel quay with a length of about a metre in a dead calm. A big ferry then swooshed past dropping the water level half a meter and the boat hanging from the cleat alone for a second before rising the water level by the same amount so the lead was then down to the quay and the boat's mast leant right over it.
 
I would go for wrap-around fairleads (port & starboard) for 'normal' use. However, if your boat is big enough and the expected pull would be substantially vertical I might consider the enclosed bollard. I say "might" because I am not too keen on being unable to cast off in a hurry but would have to unthread the warp through the fitting. Unless, of course, you intend to make fast to the bollard instead of the usual cleats.

Of course, I have the luxury of not having to deal with tides.
 
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From the photograph, I'd say there's no chance of bolting through the teak toe rail onto a backing pad for the fairleads. I would never use a closed fairlead. You might get away with fitting fairleads requiring larger screws and/or re-siting the fairleads . Mine are mid way between the rear if my pulpit and the bow.

The situation for a cleat, however should not be constrained. You need to find a position on the deck, where a substantial backing pad can be used. On Snark my fwd deck cleat is bolted through a 1" thick 8" x 10" piece of Marine Ply, thoroughly epoxied both sides and probably four coats on the edges. The through bolt holes are sealed with silicone before the bolts are put in. I also have the biggest penny washers I can find behind the nuts.

I try never to use "short" warps when tying up. Hope this helps.
 
I think you have the same sort of set up to me. The fairleads have long screws through the capping into the GRP?

They are feeble and in my view only suitable for light loading when alongside a pontoon and never when the mooring line is above the horizontal. Alongside a wall I would lead the line direct to the cleat/bollard.

I think one of the best investments you could make is to fit a double bow roller.
 
I have always really, really fancied the fairleads used on offshore lifeboats; closed but with an opening bridge across the top.

I have never seen such things available for yots, but they ought to be.

As for securing yours, obviously screws down into the capping won't be man enough, but if the fairlead was on an inverted ' L ' shaped plate, the vertical part could be bolted through the toerail - quite possibly incorporating the anti-chafe sections mentioned, so it may end up as a lopsided inverted ' U '.

The heads of the bolts on the outside of the boat could be very discreet if you wished, say countersunk and slightly counterbored with gelcoat filler over the top, though I prefer all fastenings accessible.
 
I think it's a big ask to expect a fairlead to take a big upward pull.
There comes a point where the question is not whether it will rip out, but how much damage it will do.
Unless you are going to get very serious about feeding the loads into the hull.

Some racing boats close the top of the fairlead with a length of line, mostly to keep sheets etc out, but it will also keep a lightly loaded line in.
One of my boats had a metal toe-rail with closed fairleads built in. This worked fine for me, but seemed to cause issues for people mooring alongside.
That would have been a pretty strong arrangement, spreading the load into a good length of the hull/deck joint. But I wouldn't hang the boat from it.
 
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