Mooring aid

Yellow Ballad said:
I see you've sorted with your B&Q purchase (I'm pretty sure the pipe clips are 20mm as that's what sizr the boat hook was).

Sundance has had a year on the hard, treated her (me) to a Sea Feather windvane which should be with me shortly... hopefully. Had a full rewire which has taken more time and effort that I want to admit to but it'll be worth it. As always when you need your fix you'll always be welcome for a sail.
View attachment 98970


How's the new boat going?

PRV, I've made one up mainly for my other half who isn't a sailor, much easier for her to get it on a cleat.
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Tom that is a thing of beauty! It was long on my wish list of things to do to Triola before she sailed away. When is she due back in the water? Next spring?

I was 'worried' with the Bavaria, being a 'new' boat (20 years old as opposed to 50!) I would have no jobs to do. Quite the reverse! I am having a whale of a time taking all sorts of things apart I don't understand.... :) . The windage is a thing to behold though - even my fathers old gaff cutter (35 foot) had nothing like Mirages windage. It makes mooring a different kind of game - no chance of holding her on against the wind, or man handling her around like I could with Triola, it's all a delightful dance of physics. Hence my interest in many, many mooring aid options :).
 
MagicalArmchair said:
Tom that is a thing of beauty! It was long on my wish list of things to do to Triola before she sailed away. When is she due back in the water? Next spring?

I was 'worried' with the Bavaria, being a 'new' boat (20 years old as opposed to 50!) I would have no jobs to do. Quite the reverse! I am having a whale of a time taking all sorts of things apart I don't understand.... :) . The windage is a thing to behold though - even my fathers old gaff cutter (35 foot) had nothing like Mirages windage. It makes mooring a different kind of game - no chance of holding her on against the wind, or man handling her around like I could with Triola, it's all a delightful dance of physics. Hence my interest in many, many mooring aid options :).
Click to expand...

Not sure a thing of beauty but a lot better than it was, still not finished. Fingers crossed for next season though, rewire, tillerpilot and windvane with the new furler a couple of years ago and she's starting to feel a bit more sorted, still a long list as always.

Stick up a picture of the finished item, I'm sure whem you just need a rope on a cleat you'll be glad for it.
 
Meanwhile, £4 of raw materials from B and Q and an hour of amusement with the boy in the Bat Cave later...

Old scrubbing brush handle was drilled:

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As per Toms design, bolted right through:

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And Presto!

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I'll let you know once I've tried the little sucker out.
 
Could the mooring line loop just be hooked on to the pipe clip without the line passing through the conduit.

The clips need to be pointing upwards to hold the line and once the loop is over thejetty cleat you just twist the pole so the clips point downwards and the line loop falls over the cleat.

If the loop is a running bowline the loop will tighten onto the jetty cleat.
 
Rogershaw said:
Yes they would do nicely
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It would stand a greater chance of falling out through gravity as your reach down to the cleat if the loop was just placed in the clips. With it passing through the pipe, it gives greater grip to the loop, and means the pipe needs to be slipped out of the clips. Its cool man,

We went around a few times practising mooring up - this is probably my most disastrous attempt (first try), however it shows how useful the thing is. The wind is holding us off, there is more wind than it appears in the video, that said, there's no more than 10 - 15 mph. I stuff up the approach, coming in at far too great an angle to the pontoon, I then turn too early, and slow down too quickly leaving me too far off the pontoon, I then don't kill enough of the speed, snubbing us in once we are attached to the cleat.

Even with all of these "suboptimal" elements, we still carry it off, and in comes the stern.

 
If you consider a pipe is required you only need 2 short pieces where the clips are.

This allow a running bowline that will tighten onto the cleat and prevent the mooring line falling off the cleat.

But what ever floats you boat.

Also practice makes perfect.
 
salar said:
Why not just fit a small post/peg to your boathook about 2 feet from the end, facing the same direction as the hook. With the small post and hook facing upwards you can put a large loop over both. Position over bollard, rotate boathook, rope drops over bollard.
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That is exactly my approach. The pipe clips posted by LadyinBed would act the same function as posts you suggested.
 
For me I dont think the design is quite right.

What is needed (and think I will give it a try) is along the same idea but with the rope formed into a ring (the size of which can be altered) on the end of the pole and which pulls off the pole. That way the ring can be dropped over almost any object without the inherent problems with a flexible rope hanging off the end. i have in mind the rope passing through a soft hose of some type which is firm enough to hold its shape. Once looped over and with the boatt going gently foward it will remain in place while lines are properly made good. A good carbon fibre pole would be the icing on the cake so it can be very light and a good length, whilst the pole is still rigid.

The carbon pole will inevitably increase the cost but would be worth the extra expense I think given it is very often the ladies who are left to the task when I see boats being worked by couples.
 
Gather round shipmates, set the lamps a-swinging, and I'll tell 'ee a blood-curdling tale of my recent experience with a Moorfast (although the Moorfast was entirely blameless and did exactly what it was supposed to do).

Last week, I wanted to pick up a mooring in a river estuary in Brittany.

The tidal coefficient was very high, the wind was strong, and the current fierce, and Mrs P. (bless her!) having injured her leg, suggested that instead of her going forward to get the buoy, it would be a good opportunity for me to practice picking up a mooring from the cockpit, using our so far little-used Moorfast line-threading gadget.

I rigged a line, outside all, from the bow back to the cockpit and attached the Moorfast line to it.

Then I ferry-glided to bring the buoy next to the cockpit and easily attached the line to the buoy ring, pulled it into the cockpit and attached it to a sheet winch.

Then I engaged neutral and nonchalantly waited for the buoy ring to slide forward along the line.

So far so good, except that when attaching the Moorfast line to the mooring line I must have momentarily pulled it tight and, unnoticed by me, the mooring line flicked inboard of my midship cleat.

Then all hell broke loose.

I suddenly found myself sideways on to the fierce current, held by the bar-taut line leading from the midship cleat to the buoy, and with the boat heeled over. The nylon Barton cleat, clamped to the genoa track, seemed in danger of breaking off.

Going ahead and astern at full power (all 10hp!) with the rudder either way, achieved nothing; the boat was immovable.

After the obligatory bout of swearing, I had a think.

I could have sat there for a couple of hours until the tidal current eased; anxiously staring at the straining cleat but that didn't appeal as it was cold, and past dinner time; a dinner that was meant to be special as it was Mrs P's birthday!

Mrs P. suggested cutting the rope but that would have resulted in the current sweeping me down on to the boat moored close astern before I could regain steerage way.

In the end, all I could think of to do do was to hitch another line to the line between the miship cleat and the buoy using a rolling hitch, push it towards the buoy as far as I could with a boathook, then bring it to a winch and tension it thereby taking the load off the cleat enabling me to free the line from it.

Gradually surging the temporary line around the winch allowed the boat to come head to current and the mini crisis was averted.

The steak dinner was good, as was the accompanying half-bottle of champagne!

Moral? What can go wrong, probably will; especially with long lines. Next time I will secure the outside-all line outboard of the midship cleat with a bit of cotton or some adhesive tape.
 
ip485 said:
....... A good carbon fibre pole would be the icing on the cake so it can be very light and a good length, whilst the pole is still rigid.

The carbon pole will inevitably increase the cost but would be worth the extra expense I think given it is very often the ladies who are left to the task when I see boats being worked by couples.
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You can get a relatively cheap telescopic carbon pole from a fishing tackle shop, they are used as a landing net handle or a fishing pole (use the thicker sections only). You would have to fettle the hook arrangement yourself but the poles are very light and long.
 
We had a spookily similar 'adventure' off Yarmouth on the Solent on our first cruise this year on Mirage. Like you, the tide was rushing fast, and the wind with it, we chose the outer moorings as I didn't fancy entering the heaving marina and raft up with my three kids tormenting the neighbours. I thought I would be 'clever', due to the high freeboard, I would bring the buoy to midships, and grab it with the Moorfast (Yup we have one too) and bring the line back to the bow.

The bouy came along the starboard side, and as I approached it, I realised there was no 'hoop' to thread the Moorfast through - however, it had a handy, sturdy bit of rope with a spliced loop at the end of it. "Ah, cracking!" thought I, I'll grab that and take it up to the bow. So grab it with the boat hook I did, only to realise it was quite short and the boat was being blown off the buoy now as the tide bit and the wind howled. I was never going to make it to the bow with the rope.

At this point, it's important to note, my old boat was 30ft with a displacement of 3 tonnes, Mirage 40ft with a displacement of 9 tonnes... what I chose to do next may have worked on Triola - on Mirage... not a hope...

I thought, I'll hoop the nicely spliced loop over the midships cleat, that will give me time to sort out a line to the bow and we'll be all ready to go to the beach... bad move. Like you, all hell broke loose, the tide bit and we were pinned side on to the tide, gently leaned over. Fine, I thought, lets get another line on it and pull the bow around. That didn't work - the line was bar tight to the midships cleat, so I tried chugging forwards to try and pivot the boat around. With no wash passing over the rudder, with my saildrive well forward (not a "thing" on my old fin and skeg boat), this just had the effect of my 8 year old son solemnly commenting we were going to rip the midships cleat off as it groaned under the additional strain of the VP 55hp engine.

At this point, I radioed the very active and pleasant harbormaster. First, the trot boat came out and put his bows on Mirages port forward bow and went full throttle, to try and push the bows into the tidal race... no chance "I'm on full power!!" shrugged the driver. I enquired gently as to whether the trot boat driver would mind if I cut the line, as I could see little else to do (and there was nothing to bash into downstream) - he noted he certainly WOULD mind - so we continued on. Next the harbour master came on to the radio patiently asking which mooring we were on, and the harbour master launch then came and joined the party. With both 'rescue' boats at full throttle, and Mirages engines pushing gently ahead, the bows came around enough for me to take the loop off the midships cleat! The second line we had on the bouy bought the bows back around, and we tied up safe and snug, and went ashore and ate cake on the beach.

Yarmouth were incredible about it. Red faced at my error, I apologised profusely, however they took it all in their stride as they ferried us ashore. Part of me rather enjoyed the experience as we had no damage at the end of it, no lost fingers or crew and I learnt a bleeding good lesson. As the trot boat driver chuckled as he took us to shore "Mwhahah, you won't make a bouy up to midships again will you!!".

Poignard said:
Gather round shipmates, set the lamps a-swinging, and I'll tell 'ee a blood-curdling tale of my recent experience with a Moorfast (although the Moorfast was entirely blameless and did exactly what it was supposed to do).

Last week, I wanted to pick up a mooring in a river estuary in Brittany.

The tidal coefficient was very high, the wind was strong, and the current fierce, and Mrs P. (bless her!) having injured her leg, suggested that instead of her going forward to get the buoy, it would be a good opportunity for me to practice picking up a mooring from the cockpit, using our so far little-used Moorfast line-threading gadget.

I rigged a line, outside all, from the bow back to the cockpit and attached the Moorfast line to it.

Then I ferry-glided to bring the buoy next to the cockpit and easily attached the line to the buoy ring, pulled it into the cockpit and attached it to a sheet winch.

Then I engaged neutral and nonchalantly waited for the buoy ring to slide forward along the line.

So far so good, except that when attaching the Moorfast line to the mooring line I must have momentarily pulled it tight and, unnoticed by me, the mooring line flicked inboard of my midship cleat.

Then all hell broke loose.

I suddenly found myself sideways on to the fierce current, held by the bar-taut line leading from the midship cleat to the buoy, and with the boat heeled over. The nylon Barton cleat, clamped to the genoa track, seemed in danger of breaking off.

Going ahead and astern at full power (all 10hp!) with the rudder either way, achieved nothing; the boat was immovable.

After the obligatory bout of swearing, I had a think.

I could have sat there for a couple of hours until the tidal current eased; anxiously staring at the straining cleat but that didn't appeal as it was cold, and past dinner time; a dinner that was meant to be special as it was Mrs P's birthday!

Mrs P. suggested cutting the rope but that would have resulted in the current sweeping me down on to the boat moored close astern before I could regain steerage way.

In the end, all I could think of to do do was to hitch another line to the line between the miship cleat and the buoy using a rolling hitch, push it towards the buoy as far as I could with a boathook, then bring it to a winch and tension it thereby taking the load off the cleat enabling me to free the line from it.

Gradually surging the temporary line around the winch allowed the boat to come head to current and the mini crisis was averted.

The steak dinner was good, as was the accompanying half-bottle of champagne!

Moral? What can go wrong, probably will; especially with long lines. Next time I will secure the outside-all line outboard of the midship cleat with a bit of cotton or some adhesive tape.
Click to expand...
 
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