Mooring Line Eye Hose

[dje67]

What's the best type of hose to use when creating a 'first line shore' mooring line that has both:
a) a straight length to hold when positioning the eye over the cleat (needs some rigidity)
b) ability to hold the eye open, but is able to withstand the eye being pulled 'straight' when under load without ending up permanently deflected.

I want to be able to stay onboard when catching the first mooring cleat, lean over with the straight length in hand and drop the eye onto the cleat without needing to be overly accurate in positioning the eye. I imagine some hose-types will not deal well with being bent around the cleat under load.

 

[Sandy]

I've used a bit of re-enforced hose for years and never had a problem.

 

[wizard]

Ditto

 

[Daydream believer]

In spite of your request I would not try with an eye. Double the line & throw a loop over the cleat. Sort it out when secured the craft.
.
It may/maynot be of interest, but I made a gadget for looping the line over a cleat & put the details on PBO a few years ago. It can also be used for those inset bollards on lock walls. Not forgetting getting over the top of those berthing piles in Middleburg & Willemstad

 

[dunedin]

We have a bit of standard reinforced water hose round the loop. And the bowline taped to ensure can't come undone.
Works very well - was just about to put away after using this morning for a berthing, with 20 knots blowing off.
Led back to winch to tighten, avoided her ladyship having to try to step/jump down onto pontoon. Very worthwhile.

 

[Sandy]

In spite of your request I would not try with an eye. Double the line & throw a loop over the cleat. Sort it out when secured the craft.

The wonderful thing with a loop and a bit of old re-enforced tube is, once you have it set up, you reach over from the cockpit and drop the loop over the cleat. The boat comes to rest exactly where you want/need it before you step off with the bow and stern line in hand. Alternatively, you can pop down below and put the kettle on for that much needed mug of tea.

 

[LittleSister]

The other wonderful thing with a loop and a bit of old reinforced tube is that, as it costs nowt or next to nowt, you can soon change it if you conclude a thicker or thinner tube, or smaller or larger loop would be better.

 

[capnsensible]

I prefer this.

But we are all different.....

 

[LittleSister]

But we are all different.....

Some more different than others!

 

[Daydream believer]

The wonderful thing with a loop and a bit of old re-enforced tube is, once you have it set up, you reach over from the cockpit and drop the loop over the cleat. The boat comes to rest exactly where you want/need it before you step off with the bow and stern line in hand. Alternatively, you can pop down below and put the kettle on for that much needed mug of tea.

Tiny boat so you can reach from the cockpit through the guard rail & the spray dodgers are not in the way. Plus of course you have 6 ft long arms to reach said cleat which is in just the right place.
----Magic Roundabout meets Twizzel

 

[lustyd]

I prefer this.

But we are all different.....

I see this failing far more often than succeeding. It's good in theory on a stationary boat, but if you miss the boat needs to remain stationary while the crew resets for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th throw. If we're talking about someone coming in solo it's even worse as there's nobody at the helm while all of this is going on.
Even in that video, he's about 2" away from lassoing the water tower and ripping it off of the pontoon, and that's on a stationary, moored boat.

I'm a fan of the crew gently stepping on to the pontoon and placing the rope around the cleat

 

[capnsensible]

I see this failing far more often than succeeding. It's good in theory on a stationary boat, but if you miss the boat needs to remain stationary while the crew resets for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th throw. If we're talking about someone coming in solo it's even worse as there's nobody at the helm while all of this is going on.
Even in that video, he's about 2" away from lassoing the water tower and ripping it off of the pontoon, and that's on a stationary, moored boat.

I'm a fan of the crew gently stepping on to the pontoon and placing the rope around the cleat

Practice more.

 

[lustyd]

Practice more.

I don't do it, I just have to watch lots of other people failing while I sit on deck having moored with no drama. Often I go and help after the second failure.

 

[capnsensible]

I don't do it, I just have to watch lots of other people failing while I sit on deck having moored with no drama. Often I go and help after the second failure.

I teach people how to do it before leaving the dock on day 1 of a course. Going in and out of a berth several times a day means that by the end of a course, anyone can do it efficiently. Those that don't practice and practice again, may not get it right first time. This shouldn't fluster a reasonable skipper.

Boats, both motor and sail are getting increasingly higher freeboard and its a fab technique to avoid accidents and works perfectly well on any smaller boat.

Just takes practice. Like everything to do with boats.

 

[lustyd]

Just takes practice. Like everything to do with boats.

How many of your students do you think practice regularly enough to keep the skill up? I agree freeboard is a problem on modern yachts, but stepping off and tying on doesn't need much practice on an ongoing basis, just the ability to safely step on to a pontoon.
Many sailors only do a couple of trips a year so while they might be proficient when they leave you, I don't consider it a robust skill. If you're not seeing the same thing I'm seeing on the pontoon then perhaps the British just aren't good at lasso, although on my last trip I saw a Belgian boat, a German boat and a Dutch boat fail multiple times (along with probably 3-4 UK flagged boats).

 

[capnsensible]

It doesn't take long to practice anything if you've not been sailing for a while. Coming alongside. Springing off. Use of lifejackets and safety equipment. How to reef, anchor, man overboard, yadda yadda. Seems sensible to me if you've not been out for a while. But I suppose many don't bother.....

There's always more than one way to do things on boats. I prefer the simplest. And ones I've been lucky to have practised hundreds of times.

 

[Sandy]

I prefer this.

How often do you single hand, asks a man who is a big fan of Stress Free Sailing by Duncan Wells.

 

[capnsensible]

How often do you single hand, asks a man who is a big fan of Stress Free Sailing by Duncan Wells.

Rarely. I got friends.

However I've been involved in showing a number of people who do......or have a very nervous partner simple and reliable docking techniques. I enjoy exploring new ways of doing things especially going I andbout of loadsa different berths and moorings. Practice, practice, practice.

 

[capnsensible]

 

[RunAgroundHard]

I don’t use a loop with a bit of pipe, but I do use an old climbing rope that is stiff and a large bowline stays open and is easy to snap on the cleat. I am going to try the method shown and rig up as a double line, then through. Might buy a bit of polypropylene that floats to practice with.

I rather like the daydreamer believer’s contraption as well.