What size chain for bollard mooring?

nigelmercier

nigelmercier

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Live in Kent, boat in Canary Islands
www.bavariayacht.info
A couple of the places I visit have a wall with bollards on top to moor against, not good for the mooring lines. I plan to get a couple of 4m stainless steel chains to make into a loop and hang over, then attach my lines to these. The lines are 18mm, what would be a sensible size chain in terms of comparable strength?
 
Looking at the Jimmy Green anchoring guide, they pair 18mm rode with a 10mm chain. Mind you the mooring warp guide suggests that an 18mm warp is good for a 46 footer! Could be that you can save quite a bit by using 8mm...?

I must admit I have some galvanized 10mm waiting to be made up into mooring lines, intended to feed through a buoy and the fairleads both sides with rope tails to cleat off. The expense of stainless chain was just too much to bear, but your choice shows determination!

Rob.
 
rob2 said:
Looking at the Jimmy Green anchoring guide, they pair 18mm rode with a 10mm chain. Mind you the mooring warp guide suggests that an 18mm warp is good for a 46 footer! Could be that you can save quite a bit by using 8mm...?

I must admit I have some galvanized 10mm waiting to be made up into mooring lines, intended to feed through a buoy and the fairleads both sides with rope tails to cleat off. The expense of stainless chain was just too much to bear, but your choice shows determination!

Rob.
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If you bring the ends in the fairleads on both sides, the chain will go back and forward through the buoy shackle, as the boat swings. You might find it better bringing both ends in to the same fairlead, or bow roller. The noise of the chain going back and forward through the shackle will keep you awake.
 
I assume the chain is to resist abrasion from the stone/concrete walls. As an alternative to chain which is bulky an alternative idea: 10 mm galvanised wire, 7 x 19, has a breaking strain in the region of 10,000 lbs and is very flexible. It is sufficiently stiff though that you could hold out a loop to be grabbed by the shore party with ease. A mooring bollard is usually of a certain diameter (10 x diameter of a rope its designed for) to prevent damage to the mooring warp/wire. If the bollards are only about 2''-3" then wire would be a bad idea.
 
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Bowline onto the strop and just drop over bollard. The two meter ones are about best as they run over the dock edge and save mooring line chafe. You often find HMs don't like chain as tears up the bollards quite a bit.
 
nigelmercier said:
Yes, and I envisaged joining it with a 6mm shackle. So is there any point in going larger than 6mm?

The bollards are granite, and about 40cm in diameter.
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If you go up to 10 mm on a stainless standard D shackle shape (assuming it will fit through the link) you can get about 3000 lbs SWL compared to about 1100 lbs SWL for a 6 mm (don't use bow shackles as they have a lower SWL for the same diameter/material). If you joined each end of the chain loop with a shackle to your mooring warp then of course you half the load on each shackle. I guess if you use snubbers on the warp then any snatching would be reduced which would help as well if small shackles are used.
 
Seems likely that to please everone (both you and the HM) it would be a good idea to run the chain through some anti-chafe hose. That would also have the advantage of keeping down any noise from the chain as it moves. You won't be accused of wearing a groove into the bollard.

Rob.
 
The practice of having a couple of short lengths of chain for use as strops around rough stone/steel bollards and across granite edges is sound and seamanlike. Most of us think only in terms of 'short-link' chain, however the best and most flexible arrangement is to have a 'mid' or 'long' link at each end - or 'all mid-link' - permitting the passing of much larger warps and shackles. The cost difference is pennies.

Bradney Chains ( http://www.bradneychain.com/ ) will provide such quite economically, and their MD Chris Wiggins ( chris@bradneychain.co.uk ) is more than helpful. As to the merits of using the weaker and substantially dearer stainless in preference to the stronger, cheaper galvanized - that is a matter for the OP and his bulging wallet!

Here's a pic of some samples....


Bradney_Cahin_Solutions1.jpg
 
oldbilbo said:
... the best and most flexible arrangement is to have a 'mid' or 'long' link at each end - or 'all mid-link' - permitting the passing of much larger warps and shackles. ... Bradney Chains ...
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I like the idea of longer links, but unfortunately Bradney Chains don't have Grade 40 M/L 8mm chain in galvanised, anywhere else I can try?
 
nigelmercier said:
I like the idea of longer links, but unfortunately Bradney Chains don't have Grade 40 M/L 8mm chain in galvanised, anywhere else I can try?
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I'm puzzled that Chris Wiggins appears to be unable to supply, and I'm also puzzled as to why you want 'Grade 40 8mm galv chain' for the application mentioned. Would not a couple of lengths of 10mm Grade 30 galv do just as well? The weight and cost difference would be insignificant, and I know that Bradney can insert a medium or long link at the end of each length. That's what's shown in the pic above, and those are samples sent to me a year ago by Chris Wiggins, encouraging that very idea.....

As for alternative suppliers, my friend Google offers me this - http://tinyurl.com/qdr6qj3
 
What size chain for bollard mooring

Depends on the boat size/weight and the location (ours is 10 tonnes all up)
View attachment 35616

Although not for bollards, this is our arrangement, using 8mm stainless chain, 8mm connectors, and pieces of garden hose. We have a lot of surge in the marina and so far we have not had any breakages over 3 years, and the hose has not worn out yet.

Cheers,

Michael.
 
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nigelmercier said:
Are those chain connectors as good as a shackle? Assuming the latter is used correctly.
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Probably not! They are good quality but I do not know the swl/break load compared with an 8mm shackle.
But we have not had a failure - yet.
8mm chain is not really needed as it is doubled. The rest of the assembly has 8mm diameter parts, - connector, and the spring 'eyes' are also 8mm diam.
The ropes are 16mm nylon with spliced eyes - stainless thimble at spring end and soft at the boat end - all made to the correct length for quick mooring.

M.
 
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