Swinging mooring, one or two strops ?

[simonfraser]

I have used two strops onto the same very large loop for 5 yrs.
No problems, they are the same lenght.

Replacing them now purely as a precaution due to age.

Do I make one a bit longer, as a 'spare' ? Or both the same length again ??

 

[smth448]

If the set up you have used for the last five years has worked fine, why change? I use exactly the same set up on my mooring. The only change I have made is to cow hitch the strips on to the swivel rather than using shackles. That has reduced the number of chips out of the bow.

 

[Lakesailor]

It is a good piont. I always had different lengths strops. To be honest I don't think there is much in it. If one breaks it's probably chafe or UV damage rather than actual strain. So the other will still be a back-up either way. And then replace both, even if the good one looks OK.

 

[claymore]

2 of the same length means they share the load. Speaking the obvious of course

 

[Woodlouse]

Go for one length of chain. Not much chance of that chafing through.

 

[William_H]

2 strops definitely and yes one longer than the other hopefully going to a different cleat on the boat. 2 only if you are reluctant to fit 3. olewill

 

[BAtoo]

Different lengths to 2 cleats, one length (the main weight bearer) being chain is what I do...

 

[Daydream believer]

Chain is awkward to pick up from the buoy & can damage some fairleads
Plus any mooring is only going to work provided the shackles stay done up
Yes i know- mouse them. But i rent out 84 mooring sites & you would not believe the number of people who do not do this
Several go adroft every year
One option is a polyplopelene floating rope to pick up first ( not too long as it can catch sailing dinghies) this can be a little longer so it hangs as a spare. One can catch that first, sort the boat out then fix the chain or other rope at leisure
It is important to fasten each rope/chain to the buoy seperately, not the same shackle

 

[akyaka]

Chain is awkward to pick up from the buoy & can damage some fairleads

Not if first metre or so from the pick up buoy is spliced on warp. My chain comes over the bow roller would never consider leading a mooring strop whether rope or chain through a fairlead.

 

[livefats]

Hi Akyaka - as a Bavaria new owner, could I ask why you wouldn't lead mooring warp through a fairlead? My previous boat had a samson post, so it was simple to use the bow roller for mooring rope - my Bav 30 only has two side cleats, and I was proposing using these o secure the strop and then leading each strop through the fairlead to the top shackle of the mooring buoy. Should I rethink? (I am talking about overnight use of what used to be HIDB moorings around the west coast of Scotland.)

Thanks for any response!

 

[akyaka]

Hi Akyaka - as a Bavaria new owner, could I ask why you wouldn't lead mooring warp through a fairlead? My previous boat had a samson post, so it was simple to use the bow roller for mooring rope - my Bav 30 only has two side cleats, and I was proposing using these o secure the strop and then leading each strop through the fairlead to the top shackle of the mooring buoy. Should I rethink? (I am talking about overnight use of what used to be HIDB moorings around the west coast of Scotland.)

Thanks for any response!

Yes noticed here in Turkey that the newer Bavarias seem to be designed to go from marina to marina; just assumed it was a local amendment to suit the prevalence of lazy lines. Your arrangement seems fine for overnight . What are you going to do when you have to anchor , particularly the deep ones found on the west coast of Scotland and how are you going to ensure that the warps don't jump out of the fairlead when its bouncy.

 

[Lakesailor]

Are your fairleads the wrong way round (ie. port on starboard etc) if the strop will jump out.

 

[oldbilbo]

I have used two strops onto the same very large loop for 5 yrs. No problems, they are the same lenght. Replacing them now purely as a precaution due to age. Do I make one a bit longer, as a 'spare' ? Or both the same length again ??

As I recall, SimonFraser has a trimaran. That means three hulls to restrain.....

So I'm wondering why only two mooring strops when there's room for another one..... Shurely one cannot have too much of a good thing?

I'm thinking it might be optimum with 8mm Grade 40 galv chain onto the port hull; 10mm Grade 30 galv onto the starboard; and - just for a touch of class - 1/2" polished stainless onto the centre bow...

Would certainly give the pundits something to talk about.....

 

[livefats]

Thanks, Akyaka. I think you're right about the charter marina syndrome... Thus far we've not had a problem with anchoring, although with close to 2 metres draft we can't creep inshore like we used to! We've tended to stick to 8-15 metres, so with 50m of chain that's not been a problem. We use a snubber and carbine hook attached to the two cleats to take the strain off the windlass, so the chain should not jump out of the bow roller. (On our last boat, we had a lock fitted.)

Lakesailor - that's a worrying question! AFIK, they are the right way round - that's to say, they follow the line of the bows...

Thanks for the replies!

 

[akyaka]

Are your fairleads the wrong way round (ie. port on starboard etc) if the strop will jump out.

See quite a number of boats on swinging moorings with bow damage caused by strops jumping out of fairleads or bow rollers without drop nose restraints due to violent pitching in heavy weather.

 

[simonfraser]

As I recall, SimonFraser has a trimaran. That means three hulls to restrain.....

So I'm wondering why only two mooring strops when there's room for another one..... Shurely one cannot have too much of a good thing?

I'm thinking it might be optimum with 8mm Grade 40 galv chain onto the port hull; 10mm Grade 30 galv onto the starboard; and - just for a touch of class - 1/2" polished stainless onto the centre bow...

Would certainly give the pundits something to talk about.....

Haha !

Few years ago I happened to be on my boat when Matt, of PBO cartoon fame, attempted to sail past.

They clearly had problems and were about to hit my ply epoxy boat with their concrete monster.

I untied her just in time, one minor scrape on the port inboard ama, that could have been a LOT worse

I finished up floating down river with no rudder, it's a cassette, no outboard on and no dagger board as that was wet with paint !!

If I had had three strops and perhaps a few backups I would never have untied her in time

 

[Daydream believer]

Not if first metre or so from the pick up buoy is spliced on warp. My chain comes over the bow roller would never consider leading a mooring strop whether rope or chain through a fairlead.

1.5 metre of chain will sink 1.5 metres of rope so that lot is 3 metres. By the time it has gone round the main chain a few times it will be like cats cradle
That being said i have spliced several multiplat eyes to chains for owners & they all seem to prefer this to chain loops
Some bow rollers have quite sharp flat metal cheeks so they cut a rope or get bent up by chain fairly easy
It all depends on your setup & if a particular system suits you then that is the one to use

 

[Lakesailor]

Lakesailor - that's a worrying question! AFIK, they are the right way round - that's to say, they follow the line of the bows...

Thanks for the replies!

These are the right way

 

[akyaka]

1.5 metre of chain will sink 1.5 metres of rope so that lot is 3 metres. By the time it has gone round the main chain a few times it will be like cats cradle
That being said i have spliced several multiplat eyes to chains for owners & they all seem to prefer this to chain loops
Some bow rollers have quite sharp flat metal cheeks so they cut a rope or get bent up by chain fairly easy
It all depends on your setup & if a particular system suits you then that is the one to use

Well neither mine nor any of neighbours does, the small pick up buoy is more than sufficient to keep it all afloat and allow it to stream away from the main riser.I don't like loops in either material as they can snag when coming aboard particularly in heavy weather .I have seen warps led from mooring buoys through correctly set fairleads as Lakesailor shows come out when the bow is pitching and tossing and yawing in heavy weather , much prefer a bow roller with a drop nose pin.As you say if it works each to his own.

Wonder how Lakesailor anchors with that arrangement and what is there to stop the loop coming off.

 

[lw395]

It depends on your boat mostly, but also where your mooring is.
For my last boat, a big single strop that filled the bow roller worked very well.
Having a swivel on top the buoy worked well too.
If you have twin fairleads and no bow roller then twin strops will make more sense.
I would want it symmetrical, so either one strop on the centreline or one each side.
There are several ways of stopping a rope escaping a fairlead, either lashing it down or adding something to close the top of the fairlead spring to mind.

I believe there are so many single failure points in a mooring that regarding a second strop as backup is the wrong way to look at things.
I prefer to know that the strop is not going to chafe or fail in any other way. If it is conceivable that one strop will fail, it tends to follow that the second will fail too.
The only strop I have had actually fail was sawed through by the backup chain after getting twisted together.

On my boat the key to eliminating chafe was adding a new cleat close to the bow roller. Previously, there was about 3ft of strop on deck, stretching slightly with every wave. This tiny continuous movement allowed a lot of wear to happen where the strop contacted the cheeks of the bow roller, despite me radiusing and polishing them.

Whatever you do, the devil is in the detail.
Whenever I changed anything, I checked it after 24 hours, a few days then fortnightly, even if the boat did not leave the mooring.
Like wise the swivel under the buoy I checked a few times a season.