single-point mooring, or fore and aft ?

[sarabande]

I have the opportunity of buying a single-point mooring, which could be converted to a fore and aft one with the addition of another sinker and buoy and lines. Boat (sloop, fin and skeg) is currently on a F&A club mooring in an area of quite strong (say ~=3 kts) tidal flow.

The resilience of two moorings is undoubted: if either mooring fails, then there's another one at the other end of the boat. But the consequence of that failure is swinging round against the upstream or downstream boat.

However, I've seen so many times the tidal and wind forces acting adversely on a two-point mooring, with boats even slightly out of line with the stream, placing great strain on the lines/buoys, and also on the boat's rudder.

I have a feeling that a single mooring point is 'kinder' to the boat as it allows the boat to conform to the prevailing stream and wind. Mitigating the single mooring risks can be done by beefing up the chain, buoy and attachment points to reduce the probability of failure (e.g. two separate strops, plus a chain).

The only discussion / comment from the mooring association I have had so far is that a two-point mooring takes up less space, but they are happy to continue with a single pointer swinging mooring at that location.



Views and recommendations, please.

 

[Sailorsam101]

If you have got the space then swinging mooring every time.

A boat is designed to face all the nasty stuff wind and waves can throw at it head on. So if its always pointed into the crap then it's safer.

For and aft is only for limited space.

 

[MonniotC]

If you have got the space then swinging mooring every time.

A boat is designed to face all the nasty stuff wind and waves can throw at it head on. So if its always pointed into the crap then it's safer.

For and aft is only for limited space.

+1 for swinging. I was on a swinging mooring for donkeys years in Chichester Harbour. A bonus is that a swinging mooring is a doddle to get on and off when you're single-handed. All chain, right onto the boat though. No problems with chafe then.

 

[Seajet]

+1 to both the above.

Single swinging mooring is kinder to the boat - and the helmsperson's nerves !

Absolutely agree with all chain too; a chum had his boat wrecked when the nylon strop parted - he knew she was in danger of it chafing ( despite the usual precautions ) but a series of heavy gales set in and it was just impossibly dangerous to get out there in even a large tender.

Another + for topchain to the boat is, one can padlock it; it's rare but not unknown for malicious yobs to set boats adrift, I've heard of this from Southampton to Scotland.

It's quite common if yobs do get aboard for them to chuck everything they can over the side, ie on seperate occasions over the years my Dad's extensive tool set, a chum's portable generator, and all the irreplaceable hatch covers of a chum's boat on the East Coast, so if the vicious morons think of setting the boat adrift they may well do so.

A padlocked mooring would also prevent any over-officious harbour or club ' official ' from re-organising one's boat location in one's absence !

I do now leave the anchor locker unlocked though; even though I am thorough to well past paranoid about maintaining my mooring, if something did happen I'd like some well meaning soul to be able to deploy her anchor and maybe save her - have done this for other boats a couple of times over the years.

 

[NormanS]

+1 to both the above.

Single swinging mooring is kinder to the boat - and the helmsperson's nerves !

Absolutely agree with all chain too; a chum had his boat wrecked when the nylon strop parted - he knew she was in danger of it chafing ( despite the usual precautions ) but a series of heavy gales set in and it was just impossibly dangerous to get out there in even a large tender.

Another + for topchain to the boat is, one can padlock it; it's rare but not unknown for malicious yobs to set boats adrift, I've heard of this from Southampton to Scotland.

It's quite common if yobs do get aboard for them to chuck everything they can over the side, ie on seperate occasions over the years my Dad's extensive tool set, a chum's portable generator, and all the irreplaceable hatch covers of a chum's boat on the East Coast, so if the vicious morons think of setting the boat adrift they may well do so.

A padlocked mooring would also prevent any over-officious harbour or club ' official ' from re-organising one's boat location in one's absence !

I do now leave the anchor locker unlocked though; even though I am thorough to well past paranoid about maintaining my mooring, if something did happen I'd like some well meaning soul to be able to deploy her anchor and maybe save her - have done this for other boats a couple of times over the years.

Wow! I pity either your circumstances or your paranoia.

 

[alahol2]

I've had both. For ease of leaving/returning and kindness to boat I'd go single point every time. But for sleeping marginally better on stormy nights I'm happy with fore and aft. The lack of need for a swivel, I think, is a major benefit.

 

[Seajet]

Wow! I pity either your circumstances or your paranoia.

Neither, you're just not getting it;

Plan for the worst,

Hope for the best.

That way if the **** does hit the fan in any way, you'll be hopefully at least fairly well prepared and able to deal with it.

In the meantime I can get on with relaxing and enjoying sailing, knowing I've safeguards in hand as Plan B - I bet you carry lifejackets & maybe flares, but you don't plan on needing them.

I think I've heard of it referred to as ' seamanship '.

The alternative is ' winging it ' in blissful ignorance then writing a snotty complaining letter to the Times - via Oiuja Board !

 

[ghostlymoron]

I've had and heard too many cases of damage to boats to have a fore and aft mooring in future. Just make sure your mooring tackle is adequately sized and in good condition. I too am an advocate of all chain including the strop. I prefer a few rusty marks on the foredeck to losing the boat.

 

[Seajet]

I prefer a few rusty marks on the foredeck to losing the boat.

A bit of a sore point with me, years ago when PBO's David Harding was coming to review my boat I didn't do enough ' tarting up ' the boat beforehand; David told me afterwards ' the Editor said your boat would have made the front cover if it wasn't for the rusty chain marks on the foredeck ! '

So now I'm rather conscious of this and only recently repainted the foredeck again, fitting shiny new topchain....

 

[oldbilbo]

would have made the front cover if it wasn't for the rusty chain marks on the foredeck ! So now I'm rather conscious of this and only recently repainted the foredeck again, fitting shiny new topchain....

I reckon a candidate for 6 metres of bright shiny stainless chain, shackled to 30 m. of the other stuff! And a shiny posey little polished stainless Bruce blingy-thingy to hang on the front end as a marker for your place in the pecking-ordure..... All that on an Anderson 22, too!

 

[pete]

I have had my mooring for around 20 years with a 23', a 27' and a 32' boat. As it is a drying mooring I had a problem with the chain wrapping around the back of the keel occasionally. I tried many things to stop this happening without success and several years ago converted it to fore and aft.
In my circumstances I would never
swap back.
I do agree its more difficult to pick up especially on the ebb.

 

[Seajet]

Old Bilbo,

I'll have you know, my lower heavy unobtanium mooring chain leads up to a stealth RAM Radar Absormbent Material coated topchain.

The very last thing I'd ever consider is a ' gypsies come and get it ' pointless bling stainless anchor, there might come a time with those carrying such ' fashion victim bling ' items find they are reluctant to drop their ' anchors ' to get muddy and dirty all for for the fabled story of such things keeping the boat in place outside a marina -if it was true such things would have been on ' Mythbusters ' !

Until I see verified NASA / USAF drone footage of stainless anchors being defiled in nasty mud, I will stick to admiring these shiny adornments in marinas.

 

[William_H]

Just a warning that stainless steel chain shackled (SS shackle) to a galvanised iron chain will in my experience cause very rapid wear on the GI part. So really GI all the way is best. However our mooring authorities (govt) provide a buoy (that was a sop to them starting to charge a licence fee for moorings some years back). The provided buoys include a SS swivel and attachment ring top and bottom. Hence one was obliged to connect GI chain to the ss ring. Wear was 2 or 3 times as fast on the GI onto the SS. I was lucky to get some SS industrial chain so now SS all the way. It has lasted extremely well. Only contacting iron at the railway wheel which is the mass at the bottom.
Yes for me a swing mooring is preferable even to a jetty type mooring as with inconsequential tide (usually) it is very easy to rig sails and sial off and onto swing mooring because she almost always faces into the wind. olewill

 

[ghostlymoron]

I'm not really interested in having my boat on the front cover.

A bit of a sore point with me, years ago when PBO's David Harding was coming to review my boat I didn't do enough ' tarting up ' the boat beforehand; David told me afterwards ' the Editor said your boat would have made the front cover if it wasn't for the rusty chain marks on the foredeck ! '

So now I'm rather conscious of this and only recently repainted the foredeck again, fitting shiny new topchain....

 

[Seajet]

I have had my mooring for around 20 years with a 23', a 27' and a 32' boat. As it is a drying mooring I had a problem with the chain wrapping around the back of the keel occasionally. I tried many things to stop this happening without success and several years ago converted it to fore and aft.
In my circumstances I would never
swap back.
I do agree its more difficult to pick up especially on the ebb.

Pete,

interesting; I like others have had that happen with a rope anchor warp but never heard of it with a chain mooring.

Is the chain maybe a touch on the lighter grade side ?

Only solution which springs to mind right now is streaming a drogue from the stern; that would work, but for annual use you'd need a galvanised or stainless steel bucket !

 

[oldbilbo]

My dear William H,

Methinks there are times when one takes comment just a tad too literally.

One suspects that most readers of this thread will have identified an outbreak of 'Taking The Wee-Wee', grinned quietly, and passed onto more significant and useful posts and contributions.

If'n I don't take myself all that seriously, there's no good reason for you so to do!

:very_drunk: