Fixed mooring line layout

[Leighb]

I am new to being a marina berth holder. Most of my neighbours use fixed lines on the pontoon which they leave behind.

I have a couple of questions.
1. Which is best for springs?
Either from bow and stern to the pontoon cleat amidships, or to the furthest pontoon cleats.

2. How best to attach those lines to the pontoon cleats? I have seen:-
Eye splices with large shackles on the cleat.
Direct figure eight attachment to the cleat. (although it is possible these are not left behind?)
A separate line attached to the cleat which runs through an eye splice on the mooring line.

 

[MoodySabre]

Fixed lines that you leave behind are preferable as you just hook them on and job done.

Hard eyes and shackles are best once you have the line length just right.

In addition to bow ropes I have a spring from the end of the finger to the mid-cleat - crew put that on first and then I can't hit the pontoon! I then have a stern line that runs to end of the pontoon finger (which are longer than the boat). I don't have a spring running backwards - the bow ropes form that function.

 

[Skyva_2]

Try to get some stretch in the fixed lines - some use nylon lines, though I find they go very hard. Or use rubber snubbers, or other kind of mooring compensator.

Shackles/eyes are very robust for your purpose.

 

[mormargh]

Depends whether you are exposed to wind and tide really. Strictly speaking, springs should be attached to the bow and stern cleats on board as attaching them to the centre cleat only stops surging fore and aft and you can still get a fair bit of snatching on the breast ropes. In a sheltered marina, there is nothing wrong with attaching to the midship cleat in my view. As MoodySabre implies, a spring left ashore which the crew can simply drop over the midships cleat on the way in is a boon - once stopped, helmsman simply engages forward gear in tickover and steers the stern on to the pontoon. Boat stays put.

Whether you leave the lines on the pontoon or not also depends where you are. We had ours nicked (entirely coincidentally, from MoodySabres marina!!!), so just leave the spring ashore now.

 

[Dyflin]

We always take our lines onboard with us. You never know when your berth will be ocupied by another boat upon return or when weather or breakdown will mean you have to deviate to another harbour or marina. Always useful to have the means to tie up at any time and at any place.

With shackles and marina cleats, just be careful, I've seen shackles eat into the metal on the cleat and sooner or later (and it's guaranteed to be a dark stormy winters night) the cleat may give way and may lead to your boat being damaged.

All worst case scenarios I know, but I'd err on the side of caution me. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[ebbtide]

"once you have the line length just right".

I often berth 'the other way round' when wind/rain dictate and some work (or relaxation!) is on the agenda; different lengths will then be needed.

 

[MoodySabre]

You're right about tide and wind surge - I speak from the perspective of a sheltered marina where this is not an issue.

Lines - stolen from Bradwell /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif You obviously don't use old bits of ropey rope like me /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Now when's that boat jumble?

 

[mormargh]

I always wondered why there was so much orange bailing twine around there. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jonjo]

The problem with fixed lines that are spliced and shackled is that following the initial investment people seem reluctant to retire the lines after 4 to 5 years when they deteriorate.

Here is a plan for you:

Year 1 - Get to know how your boat behaves in the new marina berth in bad weather while using conventional mooring lines.

Year 2 - Add a second set of fixed lines but don’t splice anything just yet. These lines should be 15% oversized. Let the lines stretch for a season and fix them with short bowlines looped back over the pontoon cleat horns.

Year 3 - Cut off any chaffed ends and then splice and shackle up everything permanently.


Whatever you do don’t use old sheets, they put nasty snatch loads on everything.

All systems benefit from rubber sausage dampers.

 

[Leighb]

I was intending to have the shore lines an addition to my normal complement of mooring ropes.

I am interested in your comment about shackles as the berthmaster here has also expressed the same concern, and some have apparently managed to come undone, but this should not happen if they are moused correctly. However many local users have them.

The advantage is that it is less likely that they might disappear, although I have not heard of anyone losing their lines.

 

[Leighb]

I don't have a centre cleat on the boat, there is a centre cleat on the pontoon, and it is to this that a number of yachts seem to have their springs fixed. There are also yachts doing the reverse using the yachts own centre cleat.

We are quite exposed to wind and to a lesser degree tide, so need to be securely moored.