Mooring..Blown onto or blown off a pontoon?

[Nostrodamus]

Winter is most definitely here.

You are going to be in one place for a while and are given a choice of pontoons.

In the usual winds one choice will mean you will get blown onto the pontoon and the other means you will get blown off it.

If you get blown on you know by the time you leave again you may have flattened a couple of fenders and the gelcoat will need a good clean. Fenders may also "pop" out whilst you are away. On the other hand your lines and cleats are not being stretched and groaning like John Prescott's jowls and the boat stays pretty much where it is.

If you pick the blown off option the fenders are just innocent voyeurs watching your lines creek and groan and the boat moves more. Then again you don't have problems with the fenders.

So given the choice knowing the wind will blow or you are going to leave the boat for sometime which option would you choose?

 

[sailorman]

Winter is most definitely here.

You are going to be in one place for a while and are given a choice of pontoons.

In the usual winds one choice will mean you will get blown onto the pontoon and the other means you will get blown off it.

If you get blown on you know by the time you leave again you may have flattened a couple of fenders and the gelcoat will need a good clean. Fenders may also "pop" out whilst you are away. On the other hand your lines and cleats are not being stretched and groaning like John Prescott's jowls and the boat stays pretty much where it is.

If you pick the blown off option the fenders are just innocent voyeurs watching your lines creek and groan and the boat moves more. Then again you don't have problems with the fenders.

So given the choice knowing the wind will blow or you are going to leave the boat for sometime which option would you choose?

lee side every time

 

[stevebrassett]

My boat is in the "blown off" position. It is, however, downwind of about half a dozen other boats, so that should take the edge off. I normally leave it "blown on", but find the fenders squeak annoyingly when I stay on it. I expect the warps will groan at me this winter!

 

[sailorman]

My boat is in the "blown off" position. It is, however, downwind of about half a dozen other boats, so that should take the edge off. I normally leave it "blown on", but find the fenders squeak annoyingly when I stay on it. I expect the warps will groan at me this winter!

suggest you use snubbers

 

[Kelpie]

Downwind of the pontoon, with doubled up lines.

By the way, does anybody find particular types of rope creak more than others? Whilst sleeping aboard I've sometimes resorted to using bits of old beach-find polyprop to take the strain. It doesn't seem to creak, in contrast with my 'proper' 3-strand nylon mooring warps (obviously the nylon warps remain in place as slack backups).

 

[V1701]

I prefer blown on if aboard, would probably choose blown off if not, though I guess most would say they'd rather be blown off if aboard...

 

[stevebrassett]

suggest you use snubbers

I have some set up - if it does prove noisy, I will either add some more, or go home!

 

[Blue5]

Hmmm, blown on when docking, it can then switch to blown off when onboard, that is until SWMBO wants to get off when it needs to switch again to blown on as she only has short legs. Not sure which is best for sleeping, blown on and fenders rubbing or blown off and mutiplat squeaking............safest answer is to anchor.

 

[Iliade]

Short lengths of plastic hose over the ropes where the pass through the fairleads may help with the noise.

If you can, extending the lines from the fairleads to the other end of the boat before cleating off will give more spring, but more creaking if you don't use hose or similar.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Hmmm, blown on when docking, it can then switch to blown off when onboard, that is until SWMBO wants to get off when it needs to switch again to blown on as she only has short legs. Not sure which is best for sleeping, blown on and fenders rubbing or blown off and mutiplat squeaking............safest answer is to anchor.

I must admit that I did moor one way for a bit and then turned the boat around for a better view and the sun in the morning. I so very, very nearly went for a swim as well trying to get off the same side as I had been previously moored.

 

[BobnLesley]

Swings and roundabouts on the rough days, so for preference I'd think about the nice days and go for whichever berth results in the cockpit facing south.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Mooring lines do break and i have seen several recently but do cleats on either pontoons or boats ever get ripped off?

 

[fireball]

TBH I prefer to be on the lee side of the pontoon - I can always tie the lines tighter! If we're on a finger pontoon then we usually reverse in anyway as we have a walk through transom - so getting on and off is simple.
A problem with being blown on is that as the boat leans with the wind the fenders are then at the wrong height - and could get trapped under the finger ...

Where we are now we are mostly being blown on so I've added a line across the empty berth to pull us off ... but this can be removed without compromising the security of the boat - just incase we get a neighbour!

 

[prv]

Blown off. I've been down to check on KS numerous times when it's been windy, and she always looks a lot happier hanging from her warps than the other boats do crushed against the pontoon. I double up the warps in winter. If I was worried about the cleats breaking off, I'd secure to something else as well - perhaps short lengths of chain around the frame of the pontoon?

I have a substantial samson post on the foredeck and a big cleat in the middle of the aft deck whose backing plate is part of the mizzen mast support. So I'm not worried about losing fittings on the boat.

Pete

 

[lw395]

Prefer to be blown off.
Creaking lines are the result of lines stretching and rubbing on something, most of the time.
It's usually causing wear too.
You can normally fix that by making sure the stretching happens off the boat not between the cleat and the fairlead. Use a longer line to a more distant cleat, or use a less stretchy line with a rubber snubber. On one boat we use a line from a spinnaker block padeye instead of the cleat sometimes. It gives a clear run to the pontoon cleat.
Long term, I'd rather be on a swinging mooring of course.

 

[Tranona]

Facing the prevailing wind if possible. If beam on then the pros and cons balance out each other.

 

[ChrisE]

Mooring lines do break and i have seen several recently but do cleats on either pontoons or boats ever get ripped off?

We once managed to rip off a finger pontoon ....

Seriously, blown off all of the time, less rubbing on the topsides and creaking against fenders. As other have siad if you play with the mooring lines you can get rid of most of the sawing and noise. Sheathing and fairy liquid will banish most of the noise of lines going through fairleads.

Regarding mooring lines breaking, I'd suggest that they weren't fit for purpose in the first place.

 

[prv]

Sheathing and fairy liquid will banish most of the noise of lines going through fairleads.

I have a tub of tallow on board for the various leather bits in my rig - but I reckon it would be ideal on squeaky warps if I ever needed it.

Pete

 

[lw395]

Fairy Liquid on fenders is a pretty stupid idea.
It takes the wax off the topsides, a soon as the detergent gets washed off by rain, the plastic of the fender will be ground directly into the gel coat.
It's better to either use wax polish or better still, a fender skirt.

 

[Bilgediver]

Winter is most definitely here.

You are going to be in one place for a while and are given a choice of pontoons.

In the usual winds one choice will mean you will get blown onto the pontoon and the other means you will get blown off it.

If you get blown on you know by the time you leave again you may have flattened a couple of fenders and the gelcoat will need a good clean. Fenders may also "pop" out whilst you are away. On the other hand your lines and cleats are not being stretched and groaning like John Prescott's jowls and the boat stays pretty much where it is.

If you pick the blown off option the fenders are just innocent voyeurs watching your lines creek and groan and the boat moves more. Then again you don't have problems with the fenders.

So given the choice knowing the wind will blow or you are going to leave the boat for sometime which option would you choose?

Do you always have unidirectional winds!!!!!!! We have pontoons that lie north and south. In the summer the worst storm was NOT the usual south westerly but north easterly!!!!!! It caused boats to uproot moorings in one harbour and made the pontoons in our marina something like an enthusiastic cake walk.

One danger of being blown on with some boats is that the combination of high heel angles due to wind and low freeboard results in toe rail/ rubbing strake damage. so this is something else to consider.