Mooring Line to Shrouds

emsworthy

emsworthy

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Reading the thread about removable midships cleats got me thinking about alternatives.

We frequently sail with just SWMBO and I and so when coming alongside an attachment point midships would make life a lot easier initially, agree though that springs should come from fore and aft. Currently we just put a forespring on and hold the tiller over towards the pontoon to keep the stern in whilst motoring slowly forwards.

Bearing in mind that it will only be used to initially pull the boat into the pontoon with the engine slowly ahead whilst we sort out other lines would there be a problem with putting a line around where the shroud bottlescrews join the chainplates just for a while? It must be a pretty strong point but obviously not used to taking lateral loads.

Any thoughts?
 
IMHO absolutely not! :eek:

The stay arrangements are designed only for tensile loads, and tying ropes in this way brings in lateral loads which will likely bend something, thus weakening and comprimising the fittings.

Best to be avoided!
 
Personally I would not do this, its surprisingly easy to bend a chain plate / bottle screw by a lateral load, and then it's potentially weakened with potential for later rigging failure. Far better to add a midhsips cleat, which are incredibly useful anyway.
 
emsworthy said:
Bearing in mind that it will only be used to initially pull the boat into the pontoon with the engine slowly ahead whilst we sort out other lines would there be a problem with putting a line around where the shroud bottlescrews join the chainplates just for a while? It must be a pretty strong point but obviously not used to taking lateral loads.

Any thoughts?
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Standard practice on racing boats, for whom a midships cleat is just un-neccesary weight and likely to rip someone's oilies. And not just short term either.

Never heard of any damage caused this way.
 
I have used Barton Track Cleats (51-254) for about 12 years. I fitted them as a temporary measure until I got round to installing ordinary cleats through-bolted to the deck but I never did get round to it and the Barton cleats are still in use and have withstood some heavy shockloads (resulting from misjudged berthing manoeuvres :o).
 
Same as Flaming, I've seen and done this on numerous racers and never seen any damage done to the boat. Keep an eye on chafe on the warp though.

I've even seen midships cleats removed from a cruiser racer. When racing a genny sheet around a midships cleat can ruin your day.
 
The Prima race fleet in our marina don’t have a cleat of any description between them, and all use the chainplates for mooring.
 
Precisly the way we moored our Jen SO 30 for the 5 years we had her... no problem at all (that we could see!). As we only visited marinas we didn't bother removing the midship line for overnight berthing unless conditions/cleat positions suggested ...

Just don't tie on half way up the shrouds!!
 
As above , seen it done lots of times and do it myself - my boat has no mooring cleats. So the bow line is made fast to the forestay fitting and springs often made fast to the shroud base (although the boat is admittedly quite light).

In fact it hadn't ever occurred to me that there would be any problem with it.
 
Eye spliced in middle of a rope?

We used to have boat with one cleat on the foredeck and one on each quarter. My only crew was a disabled wife.

This situation cried out for midship cleat. For a season we used a rope from forr'd cleat to aft cleat (outside the guardwires). We had a thimble (hard eye) spliced into it about half way along. A line from the cockpit winch out through the eye made a great midship spring.

I bow to others' experiences, but I have seen an shroud fitting bent by a surge against a rope.
 
I bow to others' experiences, but I have seen an shroud fitting bent by a surge against a rope.
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How far up the fitting was the line tied?
Mine was always as flush against the deck as possible ... and with the size of the deck fitting you wouldn't ever bend it ...
 
Our boat [Sadler 29] has the shrouds attached to U bolts which are themselves attached to or part of the chainplates [details are hidden within the hull]. We have a dedicated 10 mm. braided line which, for speed of threading, is only 5 m. long and has a snap shackle on one end and use this for the first, mid-ships, fastening. Works well for us and we're in our 70's and I'm sure that it doesn't overstress anything on the boat either.
 
fireball said:
How far up the fitting was the line tied?
Mine was always as flush against the deck as possible ... and with the size of the deck fitting you wouldn't ever bend it ...
Click to expand...

To be be fair, the line was not secured to the shroud - it was led round it. The highest point of the chain plate was probably about level with the top of the rubbing strake - but the line rode up about an inch or two above that.

I've just remembered another similar incident!

Our Contessa 26 (another boat) was moored bow and stern to buoys. The aft buoy had a bridle, with a line to each quarter cleat through fairleads. The fairleads were screwed to the rubbing strake. Returning to the boat one day we found the fairlead had pulled out, and one leg of the bridle was led around the backstay. It had bent the rigging screw - just where the lower part threaded into the sleeve. This would have been about 2-3" above the screw's lowest point.
 
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Thanks for all the advice albeit a little conflicting in places but I guess such is the way with forums. reac, our boat is a Sadler 26 so very similar rig to the 29.

I think on balance it is something I may try but ensure I am a) keeping the warp as low down on the fitting as possible and b) not trying to stop the boat dead in the water from 5 knots with it!

It is also reassuring to hear that it's common practice on race boats as, although they may be a little less risk averse than the average cruiser, a boy racer who does something to cause expensive damage to an owners boat is unlikely to get invited back too often!!
 
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