Mooring strop problem - suggestions?

skyflyer

skyflyer

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Our Catalina 320 is kept on a swinging mooring. It only has one fairlead at the bow, to the port side and we have routed the mooring strop through this to a foredeck central cleat.

The strop as supplied originally had a sleeve made of clear pvc tube fitted but this made it too large a diameter to fit into the fairlead, so it was removed.

the strop has now chafed to an unacceptable level and needs replacement.

Options so far ( feel free to make other suggestions) are

  • replace with identical strop and accept that we will need to replace every two to three seasons
  • use a smaller diameter strop with some pvc sleeving - how strong should a strop be for a 5t displacement yacht?
  • Make up a V-bridle arrangement to go to the two mooring cleats near deck edge - the problem being that without fairleads the ropes will wear against the deck/hull edge, possibly damaging hull as well as chafing the rope

The local chandlery has suggested that it is "not good" for the boat to be attached to the mooring via a fairlead on just one side - Given that it is about 30cm aft of the bow (and thus about 20cm to the left of the midline) I cant see that it would make any significant difference.

In any event we tend to rig a secondary line as a back-up in case the strop breaks.

I'd be grateful for any opinions, rules of thumb, etc on this.

Thanks
 
You could use 8mm chain and run the whole length inside fire hose to protect the topsides, in case there is any rubbing, wind over tide.

A rubber snubber can be shackled into a bight of the chain to take shock loads. There is room inside the hose, I have done it in the past.
 
skyflyer said:
Our Catalina 320 is kept on a swinging mooring. It only has one fairlead at the bow, to the port side and we have routed the mooring strop through this to a foredeck central cleat.

The strop as supplied originally had a sleeve made of clear pvc tube fitted but this made it too large a diameter to fit into the fairlead, so it was removed.

the strop has now chafed to an unacceptable level and needs replacement.

Options so far ( feel free to make other suggestions) are

  • replace with identical strop and accept that we will need to replace every two to three seasons
  • use a smaller diameter strop with some pvc sleeving - how strong should a strop be for a 5t displacement yacht?
  • Make up a V-bridle arrangement to go to the two mooring cleats near deck edge - the problem being that without fairleads the ropes will wear against the deck/hull edge, possibly damaging hull as well as chafing the rope

The local chandlery has suggested that it is "not good" for the boat to be attached to the mooring via a fairlead on just one side - Given that it is about 30cm aft of the bow (and thus about 20cm to the left of the midline) I cant see that it would make any significant difference.

In any event we tend to rig a secondary line as a back-up in case the strop breaks.

I'd be grateful for any opinions, rules of thumb, etc on this.

Thanks
Click to expand...


where is the anchor stowed
 
anchor is left on the bow (though lashed to the pulpit to prevent banging etc)

We often spend nights aboard on mooring so chain (noisy) is not ideal for a mooring strop (so I have been told - never experienced it!)
 
We always run the main mooring (sheathed in canvas and held with a captive pin) over the bow roller; with a secondary much looser 'backup' fed through a forward fairlead. Easy to see any problems from the shore with bins.
 
Plastic pipe cuts mooring strops.....


Mitsybrokenmooring1.jpg



RoseAnnbrokenmooring3.jpg



chafedline.jpg



Rubbing on Gunwhale Stick some S/S pieces to the radius below the cleats. (fairlead in this case)


FettlingFeb2.jpg
 
Lakesailor said:
Plastic pipe cuts mooring strops.....


[unquote]

Its not the plastic that cuts the ropes but the edges they have to deal with. Those cheeks may look innocently blunt but when the boat jumps they will go through the plastic and then very quickly through the rope. Unfortunately the plastic hose can give a false sense of security by believeing it will do a good job of protecting the rope, which it can to a degree, but when up against modern bow set ups it will fail quickly. The sad truth is most boats and their foredeck arrangements are designed for marina life not swinging moorings and that is where the problems lie.
Click to expand...
 
Use 8 strand multi~plait & weave 4 leather strips into it, where it chaffs. plastic hose ....please no.
 
sailorman said:
Do you have an anchor well
Click to expand...

143exco.jpg


Perhaps worth explaining - as not obvious from the photo - that the fairlead in question is not a closed hoop but two overlapping fingers that alloow the strop to be inserted without the need to thread it. The bow roller has a D shaped stainless steel hoop above it - presumably to stop the chain or rode jumping off it, so the only way to free it up is to run the entire chain out or unshackle the anchor from the chain, neither of which do I want to be doing on a daily or even twice daily basis. Our boat is shared so rarely goes more than week without being used, during the season and also the marina staff do a (somewhat cursory!) inspection of the moorings every day so gradual wear and chafe will be picked up. It has taken three years for the current one to show signs of deterioration but once it started to go it was obvious that its life was very limited!
 
Scillypete said:
Lakesailor said:
Its not the plastic that cuts the ropes but the edges they have to deal with. Those cheeks may look innocently blunt but when the boat jumps they will go through the plastic and then very quickly through the rope.
Click to expand...
I don't know about your situation, but I can assure you it is the plastic that is the offender here.
It degrades, becomes brittle and cracks. The sharp edges cut the strop. You can see that in two shots. The other one shows the free end of the plastic pipe a couple of feet below the fairlead has done a neat job of chopping off the strop.
Plastic pipe is poison. You can't inspect the state of the strop inside it. At least with a normal strop you can visually inspect it every time you cast off or moor.
I got into the habit of splicing the strop so that the splice actually rode in the fairlead, giving 6 strands instead of 3 to chafe at.

luffstrop.jpg
Click to expand...
 
I think rope is the best for mooring strop. But definitely you need a back up. I would suggest just fit another fairleead ont he other side. No I don't think having the primary load slightly off centre matters.
A heavier rope to the limits of the fairlead and post would be far better and longer lived than a thinner rope with plastic tube over it. I do agree with Phil that the hardened broken plastic can cut the rope.
I use a saddle bolted through the bow about 40 cms above the water line. This is used both for winching the boat onto a trailer but also to take the primary mooring load strop. I use a big snap shackle. This means no chafe concern and a mooring strop that is somewhat protected from any other run away boat chafing on the mooring strop. It is not easy to release from deck so I release and reattach form the dinghy. Using a back up mooring rope to the deck cleat for pick up and departure. good luck olewill
 
If you're getting 203 seasons out of a strop you ought to be very happy !

When I had a boat on a similar set-up I counted - 3 MONTHS, mainly due to chafe on barnacles on the underside of the buoy; in light wind over tide conditions the strop loops around the buoy and goes underneath, the barnacles were like knives - it was also quite an exposed mooring near Chichester Harbour entrance.

I would have a slack chain as Plan B in case the strop fails, also a chain can be padlocked, preventing yobs from casting your pride and joy adrift.

It would be worth fitting decent size, strongly backed fairleads when you get the chance.
 
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