Lines to piles

[rob2]

I have just got a new mooring on the Hamble. Its a pontoon between piles and the Harbour Authority require that the boat be noored with breats and springs to the pontoon and bow and stern lines to the rings on the piles. It has been suggested by a mooring contractor that I should use a length of chain onto the ring to minimise chafe. I'm considering different ways of doing this so as to minimise the numer of shackles , which I think could be the weak points in the line, especially if they are always in the surface layer and prone to corrosion.

I guess ideally, I'd have a large link on the end of the chain, so I can slip the chain through, like a dog's choker, on the ring and then shackle to the line to the boat. Just on cost alone, it's not easy to get such a link fitted whereas I have some lightly used 8mm chain lying around. A section of chain could be just threaded through the ring and the line shackled to both ends of the chain. Of course, the shackle (and eye) should be galvanised and needs to be moused.

Anyone got any good advice or tried and tested wrinkles for this?

Rob.

 

[ianat182]

Friends of mine also have this kind of mooring.
Two dedicated fore and aft mooring lines attached to chain through the ring making a loop and the shackles attached to each of the warps, which are left on the pontoon when departing, with soft eyes at the correct distance fore and aft to suit cleatson the boat.

They use the boat's fore and aft lines on their return, and drop over their pontoon cleats.

Springs also eye-spliced to the pontoon cleats and eyes to their cleats also.

As distances and lengths are already sorted new crew have no knotting problems to work out.
They also leave their tender up on the pontoon,to make it even easier to come alongside.

ianat182

 

[Seajet]

Rob2,

I may not be reading this right, but if in an understandable attempt to cut down on shackles you slip the chain on itself 'like a dog choker' wont that make the chain pull tight and try to choke the bar on the pile if there's wind or tide on the boat, ie make it pretty hard for the boat to pull it up & down ?

 

[Twister_Ken]

Been there done that except no pontoon. Just used fore and aft lines spliced around a galvanised thimble, and then fixed to the riser ring with a BIG galvanised shackle, pin held in place with a cable tie. No problem of shackle corrosion but the thimble would corrode through in a couple of season. Had I stayed there, next time I was going to try a nylon thimble.

I wouldn't worry about shackle corrosion. Any shackle big enough to go over the riser ring is going to have metal to spare.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Rob2,

I may not be reading this right, but if in an understandable attempt to cut down on shackles you slip the chain on itself 'like a dog choker' wont that make the chain pull tight and try to choke the bar on the pile if there's wind or tide on the boat, ie make it pretty hard for the boat to pull it up & down ?

SJ,

The warp doesn't go directly to the riser bar, but to a large iron ring on the riser. With the OP's chain suggestion, it would choke on the ring, not on the riser. The ring would still be free to move on the riser. No problem (except over-complication)

 

[prv]

Instead of putting a chain through the ring, can't you just get a dirty great galvanised shackle and shackle directly to the ring? Force 4 sell them up to 4" or so, but I'm sure the right shipping or lifting supplier could find one the size of your head if you needed it.

Pete

 

[yoda]

I agree with Twister Ken as I used to have just such a mooring on the hamble. The right size bow shackle around the ring with pin going through a thimble in the end of the warp is the way ahead. Keeping it simple will be important as the ring will already be carrying the chains from the pontoon. (don't forget to keep your pontoon deck free of algae both for your own sake but also because the harbour master checks, does it for you and then sends a bill!)

Yoda

 

[rob2]

Thanks for all the replies. I was going to just shackle it onto the ring, but a mooring comtractor suggested using a length of chain as he has seen shackles chewed up by the pontoon chains. I guess I'll just experiment, starting with a shackle - I can always put in a chain and shorten the line to suit if I run into problems.

So, anyone have a suggestion as to the best way to scrub off algae? I was thinking of maybe a solution of Miltons and a yard brush?

Rob.

 

[brians]

How big a bow shackle is needed to connect to the pile ring? I am about to move to a similar mooring on the Hamble and I am not sure of the diameter of the metal of the ring.

 

[rob2]

brians,

Can't help you out yet - it's been too cold for me to relish pumping up the dinghy and having a scout around and no-one willing to come with me to break the ice. If I beat you to it, I'll let you know when I've measured everything up.

Rob.

 

[ianat182]

Jaws of shackle to ring will need 1.5" clearance.

 

[rob2]

Thanks for that, Ian - I'd like to have a couple of shackles with me when I get out there.

Rob.

 

[Twister_Ken]

How big a bow shackle is needed to connect to the pile ring? I am about to move to a similar mooring on the Hamble and I am not sure of the diameter of the metal of the ring.

I've moved on from the Hamble (unfortunately!)so can't measure but I keep a spare shackle on the new boat in case I ever need to send it down the anchor chain on a tripping line. From recollection, about 4-5 inches across the bow, a bit less at the jaws. Within reason, the bigger the better: the thicker the metal, the longer it will take to corrode down to a critical level. I used to buy them at Aladdin's Cave - now Force 4, at Deacons, Burseldon.

Buy the shackles and the thimbles at the same time to make sure that the thimble will go onto the shackle.

 

[rob2]

Well, I spent a wet and grubby day splicing and shackling lines on the mooring. In the end I used 10mm chain wrapped around the ring and shackled to itself with 12mm D-shackles, with 16mm polyester rope tails shackled on for fastening to the deck cleats. In time, when I'm happy that the boats position is correct, I may splice loops for the cleats. The breast and spring lines are shackled to the legs of the pontoon cleats, so the cleats can still be used for temporary lines when arriving and departing. Only dropped one shackle pin in the drink!

Rob.

P.S. I was surprised to find that my neighbours lines were simply rope with an eye splice cow-hitched to the riser ring!

 

[prv]

P.S. I was surprised to find that my neighbours lines were simply rope with an eye splice cow-hitched to the riser ring!

If the cow-hitch is tight so it's not moving much, and the line is huge enough that the remaining chafe takes only a small percentage of it, then it doesn't seem an unreasonable approach. No issues of corrosion or failing joints, dead simple.

If it was just a normal-sized mooring warp, perhaps it's temporary while he sorts out the real thing?

Pete

 

[Elessar]

So, anyone have a suggestion as to the best way to scrub off algae? I was thinking of maybe a solution of Miltons and a yard brush?

Rob.

Petrol jet wash. So handy for other things too, Inc cleaning her bum on a drying grid.