Mooring strop length - swinging mooring

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eddystone

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I'm advised/told that the mooring strops need to be as short as possible, i.e about 45 degree angle from swivel to bow roller. My freeboard to the bow roller is 1.1m and same distance from roller to cleat so i'm thinking 3 metre strop; however, i'll need to pick the buoy up from the cockpit and walk the strops forward so would I be advised to make it a bit longer?
 
You can use a pick up line to walk the buoy forwards.
Or, my favourite if it's a bit rough, take a warp from the bow, outside everything, back to the cockpit.. Get it through the buoy or strop, then walk it forwards, you have 2:1 advantage and if the boat drops back a little more than you want, no problem.
My boat was best on its mooring with the strop very short Buoy right up tight to the bow, some weight taken on the bow. Other boats in other places sit better with a longer strop.
Not everyone has the swinging area for a long strop...
 
eddystone said:
I'm advised/told that the mooring strops need to be as short as possible, i.e about 45 degree angle from swivel to bow roller. My freeboard to the bow roller is 1.1m and same distance from roller to cleat so i'm thinking 3 metre strop; however, i'll need to pick the buoy up from the cockpit and walk the strops forward so would I be advised to make it a bit longer?
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Thanks for that advice
 
The problem with a long strop is in wind over tide conditions. the shorter the strop the less graunching you get from the strop shackle/swivel on the bow.

Plank
 
I once encountered a problem with a short strop when trying to pick it up under rough conditions when the bows were plunging up and down. It took about 10 minutes before I was able to get the loop over the cleat as it was pulled out of my hands when the bows rose up. Ever since that experience I've used an extension strop about 3 feet long. Occasionally the buoy bumps against the bows under certain tide/wind conditions but that hasn't done any damage.
 
reeac said:
I once encountered a problem with a short strop when trying to pick it up under rough conditions when the bows were plunging up and down. It took about 10 minutes before I was able to get the loop over the cleat as it was pulled out of my hands when the bows rose up. Ever since that experience I've used an extension strop about 3 feet long. Occasionally the buoy bumps against the bows under certain tide/wind conditions but that hasn't done any damage.
Click to expand...
+1
 
The Lizard L/B was moored off Cadgwith in the open in all sorts of weather while the boathouse was rebuilt. There was a very large buoy with a webbing strop, the boat and buoy were out of sync so the strop was snubbing with every wave. I suggested to the coxn that this might cause a problem. "I'll ask the question" he said. Only just in time, it was nearly worn through, they lengthened it out. I would suggest if you can't have a suitably long strop you should arrange to lift the buoy clear of the water.
 
Strop can be short but use a very long dinghy painter off the end of the strop or if no dinghy then just trail anold rope off the end of the strop to make it easier to pick up. olewill
 
William_H said:
Strop can be short but use a very long dinghy painter off the end of the strop or if no dinghy then just trail anold rope off the end of the strop to make it easier to pick up. olewill
Click to expand...
I take it that you mean use the painter for the initial pick up and then,if conditions are rough, use a winch, perhaps, to haul in until you get access to the loop of the strop.
 
The type of buoy is important; if it's a type where the riser passes through the centre, like a Hippo, then the buoy must always take the weight of the chain. If you pull it up, or if the stops are too short, then the buoy stays on the surface of the water and the chain rises and falls with the movement of the boat and saws through the buoy.
 
Dazedkipper said:
The type of buoy is important; if it's a type where the riser passes through the centre, like a Hippo, then the buoy must always take the weight of the chain. If you pull it up, or if the stops are too short, then the buoy stays on the surface of the water and the chain rises and falls with the movement of the boat and saws through the buoy.
Click to expand...

It is a Hippo - glad I checked this thread again - thanks for info. I'll go with 3 metres which will give a 45degree angle from the roller or slightly more
 
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