Swinging Mooring Set-up for Winter

[stranded]

Having so far survived and greatly enjoyed our first season on our double trot mooring on the Dart (Kingswear trots) we have now been allocated a swinging mooring up at Ditsum for the winter and I am contemplating the best way to attach.

So far my thinking is a primary connection of well padded 12mm chain tight shackled to the buoy via a swivel - lifting it a touch - over the bow roller directly to a beefy cleat. I would also like a lazy backup - something like 32mm octoplait - but am concerned about the two twisting together and ending less secure than just the chain. So my starter questions are:

Would a short direct chain cause too much snatch - I am hoping that the c.14m depth should mitigate that? Or should I include a long snubber - could be up to 12m long - in which case what would be the max size line that would still provide useful shock absorption?

Would you have a backup - I could scale up the chain, but I think the cleats are about as strong as they can be. One connection point is a bit scary though I guess a sufficiently strong snubber would provide redundancy at the boat end - but would it still snub. If yes to a backup, is there a trick to stopping twist?

Defaulting towards water pipe for antichafe but how will that cope with a tight turn over the bow roller? Anything better?

Any advice would be very welcome, including any horror stories of just how horrible it can get up river in winter!

 

[andsarkit]

I have spent a lot of winters on the Greenway side of the river and never had a problem. It is well protected from the SW and there is not much fetch from any direction. The top of the buoy has a swivel ring so you don't need another. A good chain with moused shackles backed up with a rope will be fine. They won't twist together as they are both attached to the same ring. You should check the boat fairly frequently or appoint an agent to do that for you. The harbour staff also patrol the river and should alert you to any problems.
A friend did have a problem in that area last year when his lifting keel boat moored with the keel up capsized and stayed on it's side. Fixed keel boats will not have this problem.
I think most of the moorings are concrete blocks which don't have any 'give' but I have always used a fairly short mooring strop to prevent the buoy rubbing the topsides as the tide turns. It might be worth padding the ring on top of the buoy if you have a longer chain which allows it to rub the topsides.
It is a beautiful spot and you might get some good winter sailing if you are lucky. Parking at Dittisham is easy except at the height of summer.

 

[xyachtdave]

I don‘t know your area and how exposed it is but I’d not over complicate it with shackles, swivels and thimbles etc. When ever is see these rusty setups banging into the gel coat of a boat I do question the logic of having multiple fail points.

On an 11 m boat I use two 20 mm 3 strand lines, soft eye spiced and cow hitched directly to buoy swivel, with a length of anti chafe webbing where the strop enters the boat. Jimmy Green etc sell the webbing by the metre.

And on the boat one strop has another splice that drops over one cleat, the other side some spare length to make up an oxo.

I change the ropes every couple of years and have so far always found the boat where I left it...!

 

[Graham376]

On an 11 m boat I use two 20 mm 3 strand lines, soft eye spiced and cow hitched directly to buoy swivel, with a length of anti chafe webbing where the strop enters the boat. Jimmy Green etc sell the webbing by the metre.

Similar setup to yours except I use 2 x 24mm 4 strand polysteel, Actually one length doubled up with cow hitch through thimble at top of riser, my swivel is between riser and chain, No strop failures after 28 years on mooring all year.

 

[PlankWalker]

For a 36 footer I keep it as simple as possible but massively strong and don't have any backups.
From the riser chain I use a Crosby shackle with 16mm pin, connected to a forged swivel
(those cheap welded ones are no good).
I use 35mm polyester laid rope 4m long, spliced into bottom end is a galvanized thimble with Crosby shackle.
Towards the top is a Kevlar webbing wrapping sewed on to protect at bow roller.
(anchor is taken off roller and stowed on deck chocks)
At the top is an eye splice that fits tightly over deck cleat and a pickup buoy on 8mm polyprop spliced into eye.

With this setup I sleep soundly at night even when the wind blows. It lasts at least twice as long as the riser chain and only after a few years can one see holes developing in the Kevlar, due to chafe on the bow roller cheeks.

Plank

 

[stranded]

Thanks for all the info - sounds like I am overthinking (as usual) and the main messages I am getting are make it strong and keep it simple. Just one last go at complicating it though…

Our anchor (25kg bugel - best anchor in the world, natch!) fits in a slot in the stem rather than on a deck mounted roller, with a sort of pivoting roller contraption so it self launches. Bit of a pita when it comes to swinging moorings tbh as I am always concerned about the mooring strip chafing on or getting caught behind the flukes and causing havoc - hasn’t happened so far but will want it out of the way when leaving her on a mooring long term so will stow on deck. In which case, is there any reason why I should not use the anchor chain through the stem slot as the primary connection to the buoy? Its 8mm G70 so should be plenty strong enough, though because it looks so spindly I’d definitely have a seriously chunky rope backup just for psychological reassurance (for myself, and maybe the harbour guys and gals). I mean I would be happy enough riding out a blow at anchor on the chain alone, so what could possibly go wrong…!?

edit: just to avoid confusion, , there is also a mooring line roller on a short solid stainless steel sprit on the bow which is where we usually run mooring strops and which I was assuming we would use until I had this latest brainwave!

 

[coveman]

It is worth checking your insurance to make sure you are covered for a winter mooring - many policies do not allow it, but it depends on the location.

 

[stranded]

It is worth checking your insurance to make sure you are covered for a winter mooring - many policies do not allow it, but it depends on the location.

Yeah, thanks, done that - Pants policy does not preclude winter mooring.

 

[doug748]

" I’d definitely have a seriously chunky rope backup just for psychological reassurance (for myself, and maybe the harbour guys and gals). I mean I would be happy enough riding out a blow at anchor on the chain alone, so what could possibly go wrong…!?"




When using chain with a rope back up I always use a swivel,, on top of the buoy, to avoid twisting which often takes place because the below water swivel gets gummed up.
Using your own swivel means you can run grease or lanolin into it, using a hot air gun at home. I use a pretty huge stainless jaw jaw thing which is convenient to get onto the mooring ring but you have to give thought to the mousing, I prefer split pins and wire. It's massively strong, they sell them to fishermen for pulling trawls but you have to take care the buoy is large enough dia to prevent it contacting your topsides

It's possible to run the two lines through a single length of fire hose (and ram most of the swivel into it as well) to protect your topsides and prevent chafe, this sort of stuff:

1 x Ex Fire Service 64mm Hose - Angus Duraline - Type 3 - Flood Pumping | eBay

As I prefer to bring the buoy up short I have incorporated a rubber snubber into the chain using shackles - with care it is possible to fit the lot into the fire hose. It might be possible to bring the hose right into your bow slot - sounds a good idea.

.

 

[stranded]

Thanks Doug - that sounds encouraging. How long does the fire hose last (wondering should I get a 23m roll or seek out shorter lengths)?

 

[doug748]

Thanks Doug - that sounds encouraging. How long does the fire hose last (wondering should I get a 23m roll or seek out shorter lengths)?

With a four ton boat I have never had it chafe badly at the bow but generally reverse it now and again anyway. Of course, with chain, chafe is not the issue but it does keep it away from your topsides, esp when the boat is being driven over the buoy in strong weather.
You won't need a lot, sometimes you see it kicking about the boatyard or in a skip.

.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

I have only visited the Dart so not sure of the OPs exact mooring, however we leave our boat on the moorings overwinter at times.

Present boat is on the Tamar with a bit more of a tidal current than the Dart when combined with winter riverflow. Our club reccoments twin 22m warps plus antichafing cover. Our fairleads even with very careful opening up by angle grinder are not big enough for decent antichafe so we do the best with thin stuff but have seen no evidence of chafe anyway. In expected bad weather I have run third warp from bows down to swivel and back, but probably that represents paranoia. Despite living 120 miles away we check every 6 weeks - thus enabling us to attend club nights and see local family. The club also has a boatwatch scheme which might possibly detect single warp failure.

I have tried a boot over the swivel and ropes to prevernt bow damage but it just rode up. Our club mooring officer advises us to let buoy sit about 1m in front of bows rather than haul it in/set it tight, so naturally when tide fights wind the boat bangs the buoy.

As long as boat wears away in over 5 years, it would still be cheaper than marina fees but so far I only see a few scratches to match those we made when original engine failed to go into stern gear or change speed on various occasions when approaching pontoons or quaysides at Fowey, Teignmouth and elsewhere