Making a lasso or hoop for mooring?

[nigelmercier]

Our preferred method of entering our berth is for the crew to step off and make fast on the first or second cleat on the finger, from the midships cleat. Trying to lasso it with a loop in the line is a bit hit and miss, as the loop often collapses in mid-air.

It occurred to me that a semi-rigid hoop, or indeed a lasso, would be easier to use. First thought was to make a loop with PVC tube around it, but this could bounce and may be too thick.

What is really needed is a way to keep the hoop open, but with the braid of the line as the outer surface. Perhaps box strapping slid into the braid cover? Any other suggestions?

 

[seadog30]

Hi

We are not as agile as we might have been a few years ago so jumping off quickly as the pontoon is aproached is not an option. We have therefore experimented with a number of ideas.

The best so far has been -

Using 12mm braid, make a noose on the end with approx 2 ft diam, thread about 2 ft of flexible hose pipe alone the braid up to the noose to hold the loop open, cut approx 4ft of PVC water pipe (approx £2.50 in B&Q for 2 Mtr length), thread braid thro' the PVC pipe and join the PVC to the hose, cut the braid to approx half a boat length and tie a bowline loop in that end.
The bowline loop fits over the mid cleat and the PVC pipe makes a very good handle to reach over the side of the boat and catch the shore side cleat or bollard.

Works well for us, usually I have SWMBO ready to shorten up the braid on our mid cleat and I then motor against the braid rope until it springs us against quay / pontoon.

Hope this helps

 

[LadyInBed]

Use stiffer line, lay it over pontoon cleat with a boathook.

 

[cliff]

Bosco boat hook plus wire loop
http://www.boscoboathook.co.uk/wireloop/
Works well for me and SHMO and the offspring

 

[sailorman]

Our preferred method of entering our berth is for the crew to step off and make fast on the first or second cleat on the finger, from the midships cleat. Trying to lasso it with a loop in the line is a bit hit and miss, as the loop often collapses in mid-air.

It occurred to me that a semi-rigid hoop, or indeed a lasso, would be easier to use. First thought was to make a loop with PVC tube around it, but this could bounce and may be too thick.

What is really needed is a way to keep the hoop open, but with the braid of the line as the outer surface. Perhaps box strapping slid into the braid cover? Any other suggestions?

In Dutch locks we have a braid on braid line with a wire coat hanger worked into a large eye splice. the hanger holds the eye open & when placed over a cleat/ bollard & pulled it collapses around the cleat

 

[lw395]

A spliced loop, and a couple of turns of shock cord around the splice, so you can attach it to the prong of the boat hook.
semi-stiff hose on the loop might help?

 

[ditchcrawler]

I used the same thing as Seadog30 but with the line threaded through a light aluminium pole (a cut down painting pole).I could use the pole to hook on to the cleat.The drianpipe is a better idea actually.

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

Here is my method. It works just as well for singlehanders :
Put a spliced,(or bowline) loop over a coachtop winch, pull a large bight out under the guardwires, leaving the remainder of the warp in the cockpit. Then, when approaching the berth, take up the bight in your two hands and throw it over the relevant cleat. You can then grab the part of the warp that comes into the cockpit and surge it to prevent a dead stop. A little practice alongside a pontoon hones the skill, and there is no need to make up any special equipment to clutter up your locker.

 

[DownWest]

I made up a big SS snap hook that fits to a slide in my boat hook. While in the slide; the closing bit is held open, but closes as soon as the hook slides off. Works on rings and cleats with a centre hole. Only prob, I lent it to some friends who are a bit doddery and they neglected to make the rope tail fast , then dropped it in the river. So, making two more for this season...

 

[niccapotamus]

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...r-marina-berth-best-way-of-securing-the-cleat

there is a good photo posted as a reply to my question on this thread

 

[xeitosaphil]

I do something similar to sailorman, I have a fixed length of three strand rope with two eye splices in the ends. In one end eye splice I have threaded a straight length of 1 x19 which I had left over from my Guard rail replacement into the lay of the rope. Its enough to keep the top section of the 1 metre length eye splice open with the boat hook to slip over the cleat when arriving. The eye splice then resembles a horizontal " D " shape so able to catch the cleat quite easily.
The other eye splice is slipped over the midship cleat

Philip

 

[superheat6k]

I made a semi rigid loop in a recovery line as follows ...

Piece of stainless rigging wire twice the length of the circumference reqd. Single core with say 6 outers (7x1)
Remove half the outer strands, cut the inner strand to the circumference of the circle, centrally within the remaining outer strands.

Form in a circle and then lay the central strand end to end, then lay the loose outers back around the gap left by the removed strands, away from the joint in each direction, this forms the semi rigid loop, as one piece of wire.

Then tape wrap the whole thing with soft tape, e.g self amalgamating.

I then used polypropylene messenger rope which I bound around in tight loops, then on top of this I tied in an endless series of cow hitches to form a cocks combing right aorund the ring, bringing the standing part out where convenient.

The buoyancy of the rope makes the thing float quite well, but for a mooring bridal you could use nylon, but why not make it dual purpose for use as a recovery line as well.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Lassoing is a valuable skill and one we learnt on the. Competent crew course many years ago.
You don't have to be like Buffalo Bill, just with two hands, throw the bight well behind the cleat then draw it toward you.

 

[VO5]

Lassoing is a valuable skill and one we learnt on the. Competent crew course many years ago.
You don't have to be like Buffalo Bill, just with two hands, throw the bight well behind the cleat then draw it toward you.

No, you have to be like Desperate Dan as featured in the Beano.
First consume a Cow Pie....
Then....your mooring rope is made into a loop say twice the distance from your cleat to the shore bollard...
Then coil it..
Then split the coil in two and hold on to both ends.
Then throw in the direction of the bollard.
Then it will loop the bollard.
Then draw towards you and make fast.
Then consume another Cow Pie to celebrate your achievement.:encouragement:

 

[cryan]

Our preferred method of entering our berth is for the crew to step off and make fast on the first or second cleat on the finger, from the midships cleat. Trying to lasso it with a loop in the line is a bit hit and miss, as the loop often collapses in mid-air.

It occurred to me that a semi-rigid hoop, or indeed a lasso, would be easier to use. First thought was to make a loop with PVC tube around it, but this could bounce and may be too thick.

What is really needed is a way to keep the hoop open, but with the braid of the line as the outer surface. Perhaps box strapping slid into the braid cover? Any other suggestions?

Before you throw your eye fold the side of the eye closest to you back up against the splice and hold both parts in your right hand, then holding the standing part and the side of the eye closest to you in your left hand make one small loop out of both pieces and pass it to your right hand (in the same way you would coil a heaving line). Hold the standing part in your left hand and throw with your right. The little loop will unfold and thus open up the eye so that it is fully open as it lands over the cleat/bollard. It's how we did it on the tugs when coming alongside barges and pontoons. When you master it you look proper cool and all the other kids will admire you!