Med. mooring lines

[JohnR]

Suggestions welcome for mooring lines for 68ft loa 50 tons for Med. use. I am thinking of 16mm braid line for immediate mooring and similar 20mm for overnight. I obviously need some heavy nylon for winter, say 24mm. and what weight for long lines for stern mooring in a bay - is 20mm nylon too heavy to swim ashore with, maybe 16mm would do but then it is too light to double as a tow line. Whatever, it looks like a total of 400 metres of lines and even at wholesale prices that hurts.

 

[tcm]

Don't they supply all this with the boat? Think you should get *some* lines, no?

If the "braid " line means it's the same stuff as on saily boats then it's no good- the braid is all specially designed not to give too much and the sails all twang - so it creaks and groans all night, then scuffs, then falls apart.

You need the nylon low-tech-looking heavy stuff. 20mm I wd say. Not a bad idea to have short lines in different colours so you can tell what's what. I'd buy (or get given as part of the boat) a fairly monster reel 100m or 200m of the stuff, make lines to suit and then have the rest as monster tow line if ever needed. Also not a bad idea to buy one of those little electric 240v line cutter devices to make decent ends, and to remake other shorter lines, and to vaguley bodge up crap splicing around an eyelet ahem.

 

[JohnR]

I was looking at the stuff they call anchorbraid; I've used it in the past because it gives like nylon and is soft to handle. Making up lines? Mending? err. what's the chap down in the cabin at the back for?

It comes with some lines, I just thought that I would order some full drums

3 weeks 1 day 3 hours 10 mins.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by JohnR on Wed Mar 13 15:15:34 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[tcm]

Hmm you have got it really very bad indeed. You'll need less line in the med. In the uk they tie the front on, then the back, the middle, then the forcleat rearwards, the stern forwards, and loopy spring line from the middle cleat aft and forwd. Perhaps some other lines too, because only when all the cleats on the boat and on the quay are full of rope is it permissible to leave the boat for 1 hour at the folly inn.

 

[Guest]

Don't forget some short lengths of chain. Very handy when against a stone quay. Why knacker your lines when the chain will take any amount of chafe and come back for more.

Suggest lengths of 3 - 4 foot or so to fit round the bollards and rings. This coulped with hard eye splices (in three strand its easy once you have the knack) and shock absorbers will guarentee restful nights when stern to.

 

[ccscott49]

20 mm, three strand polyester rope, easy to splice loops in, when you splice the loops in, put them through plastic hose first, so you have a loop of plastic covered rope for going over bollards etc. Anchor plait is really nice stuff, but very expensive, I've seen 20mm three starnd in spain for £1.20 a meter! Some short pieces of 5/16 chain, for the ends when they go over a concrete pontoon. 2x80', 4x40' and 100m on a drum. That should see you for every eventuallity. I use 14mm warps for a quick tie up then my 20mm when I'm staying. The 14 are adequate and easy to handle. My boat is 48 tons. In the med. I also have 3 short lengths of plastic pipe on each warp, to position where required, thwey have little cords in the ends to tie them to the warps where required.

 

[tcm]

Stern winches ccscott49?

do you have these on your boat? Do they work well, and are they quick to use or not recommended?

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Stern winches ccscott49?

I do have one big capstan on the aft deck, I use it for stern anchors and mooring, I find it invaluable, especially when I'm on my own. I have one up forward aswell, not part of the anchor winch and use it for the slime line, to tension and position, also invaluable. I also use it to haul the mainsail, no point in struggling, again when I'm alone. When in a cala, using anchor and stern line, the stern winch really comes into its own, I can leave the boat at anchor, go ahore, tie it off, come back then haul the boat around easy peasy!

 

[ChrisP]

Why do you swim ashore?

 

[ccscott49]

By the way, 20 or 16mm nylon is too heavy to swim ahore, it sinks and so will you! I suggest if you are going to swim it in, you use a thin polyprop (floating) messenger line and then swimback with it, then pull the big line round and back to the boat, alternatively, launch the dinghy!

 

[tcm]

So, the Warp Drives are operable, Mr Scott!

Teehee. I've been waiting for *ages* to gettim on about lines and winches! Have a nice trip, ccscott49. I mean, erm, we wish you well as you rejoin your voyage of discovery across the known world and beyond, to bodly go where no man (called ccscott49) has gone before. Perhaps you wil try not to always attempt to ridiculously spilt too many infinitives, unlike that star trek lot.

 

[ccscott49]

Re: So, the Warp Drives are operable, Mr Scott!

Warp 12??!!!? Oh God! The engines'll never tak' it capn!!!!! the dilithium crystals are overheatin' and crackin' up! oo arrr! An' there's klingons on the starboard bow! Shilelds up scotty!

 

[tcm]

Think ccscott may have gone. In some anchorages, the shore is just some rocks, not a marina quay. So, you plop the anchor down, but since yoiu don't really know what's underneath you have to take the (very long) rear line ashore (in a dinghy) or swim, and tie it on, then the boat is always facing out to sea.

 

[tcm]

Departure in 22 minutes Mr Scott.

Yah, scottie, always wingeing that it cannae tek it. The fire extinguisher will sort it out as usuall - and all the lectric will work perfectly! Er I've hijacked the thread again. Bye

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Departure in 22 minutes Mr Scott.

Not 22 minutes, but not much longer! I can taste the Dao, 1996 reserva now!! with a plate of oysters with a dribble of red wine vinegar! Aft deck here I come! Trouble is I don't get there until 2300 on friday night, still I'll be awake and the wine doesn't go off, sounds like a late night developin'

 

[JohnR]

I was swimming with 16mm nylon last year in Greece, maybe the water is more bouyant there. The bit I didn't like was the loop of old sacraficial polyprop. it scratched my sunburn!

 

[JohnR]

Re: Stern winches ccscott49?

I have had two winches put on but I have visions of SWMBO losing her fingers (or the bloody expensive nails).

 

[ccscott49]

Tut Tut John! can't have that happening! OK, I would not like to swim with a bunch of 16mm rope dragging behind me, gets a little heavy when theres 50 meters of it dragging behind you, but there you go, go for it! You're obviously a stronger swimmer than me.

 

[paulineb]

Rope scratches

It makes nasty scratches on the bedpost too ;-)

Pxx

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Stern winches ccscott49?

You know you should never let women near machinery!