So I searched the threads and read the consensus was to use two mooring lines, one for each cleat, when mooring. My question is this. What is the recommended mooring line thickness? Thank you in advance.
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Rob Kibler
s/v "Meander"
2003 C36 MKII #2124
I'm no technical expert, but IMHO this depends on how and where you are mooring.
You want to match your anchor line at least. We had a 12mm anchor line which is in theory fine. So if you are using two lines you could probably get away with two 10mm lines and have the same breaking strength. I doubt you'd find many people doing this, though.
(We later upgraded to 15mm Brait for our anchor rode to allow a greater safety factor for chafe. This has a greater breaking strain than our 8mm chain.)
Chafe is a big issue with mooring lines - if you can be sure there will not be noticeable chafe then I would use two 12mm lines, one each side taken through the ring to the bow cleats. Also this enables you to easily slip your lines if you leave in a storm.
I recently saw a clever way of attaching to a mooring. You use a 12mm line doubled. A cow hitch is placed around the mooring ring, with a light line tied to the bight of the cow hitch. No chafe issues! When you want to slip your mooring, you release the two ends of the mooring line and hold the light line firmly. The light line should pull the cow hitch from the bight so it should slip undone and come back to the boat without having to pick up the mooring ball. For a day mooring one of these would be fine for us.
We have not used this method yet, but plan to try on our upcoming voyage to Fiji...
Hope this helps :-)
S.V. Wind Star
Rob & Margie Kyles: Auckland ,New Zealand
Mk I Hull #105 1983 Std Rig, Std Keel
Rob Kibler, I suspect that one of the reasons not many folks have relied to your post here is that we're not sure what you have in your mind when you use the word "mooring".
What do you mean? Mooring on a buoy? Tying your boat to a dock? If a dock, what kind of cleats are you using? Are you in current? Exposed to wind? Bow in, stern in? With a few more details we could probably craft a solid response for you.
Might be a good idea to add your location to your automated signature.
Larry Brandt
S/V High Flight #2109
Pacific Northwest, PDX-based
2002 C-36 mkII SR/FK M35B
Mooring buoy from the bow.
Rob Kibler
s/v "Meander"
2003 C36 MKII #2124
Rob Kyles, that's an interesting setup in your photo. I have always taught (in the Pacific Northwest) to 'cow tie' one mooring line, but then to pass a secondary line loosely through the ring (not through the eye of the primary, as in your photo, such that IF the primary abrades through, the secondary will automatically take over the job. Frankly, except in severe winds, the doubling of mooring lines as I describe is overkill.
Larry Brandt
S/V High Flight #2109
Pacific Northwest, PDX-based
2002 C-36 mkII SR/FK M35B
Yeah Larry, I like this cow hitch option.
I had a couple of times taken a line from the portside cleat through the mooring ring and back to the starboard cleat. Result: lots of chafe on a breezy day...
I'm looking to eliminate the chafe, (lines are not cheap, let alone the thought of drifting...) The cow hitch should do it. I'm picking the problem with a loose secondary line is - if the primary line chafes through, the secondary will chafe much faster and only gain you hours until it too breaks, so not really the ideal solution.
S.V. Wind Star
Rob & Margie Kyles: Auckland ,New Zealand
Mk I Hull #105 1983 Std Rig, Std Keel
Rob.... I use 1" line but 3/4" should do the job, again as stated above, depending on the conditions of where you are moored.
Chuck Parker
HelenRita 2072 Mk II
2002 Tall Rig - Winged Keel
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Hi Chuck,
Yep, 3/4" nylon has a breaking strain of 6 tonnes. If you can eliminate chafe, that's never going to break :-) How do you tie it to the mooring ring?
S.V. Wind Star
Rob & Margie Kyles: Auckland ,New Zealand
Mk I Hull #105 1983 Std Rig, Std Keel
Rob... we don't tie them on up here.... the lines have permanent eyes with thimbles then they are shackled on.
Chuck Parker
HelenRita 2072 Mk II
2002 Tall Rig - Winged Keel
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Hi Chuck
We have these too, but only for 'permanent' moorings... For these we also use 25mm with an eye. For this situation it is normal to remove the anchor and lead the mooring line thru the bow roller with chafe protection (plastic pipe).
I was assuming we were discussing temporary moorings you might pick up in a bay for a couple of nights. Down here these are usually a plastic float with a ring. Assumptions! :-)
S.V. Wind Star
Rob & Margie Kyles: Auckland ,New Zealand
Mk I Hull #105 1983 Std Rig, Std Keel
Rob,
We have those types of moorings in certain places, too. I agree that you do NOT want to simply run a line from one bow cleat, thru the mooring ring, and then up to the bow cleat on the other side. You are begging for a disastrous ending to your story. What I do instead is to run a line from the bow cleat on one side, thru the mooring ring, and then back to the same cleat. I take a second line from the other bow cleat, down thru the mooring ring, and then back to the same cleat. Next to nothing for chafe, and very easy to let go of when you are ready to leave. The problem I see with the cow hitch is that they can get very tight, and even with a retrieval line thru it, might be hard to get off the mooring ring. Just a thought.
Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT
Yeah Tom, I'm hoping to try it in light winds first and see how it goes :-) In the article they seem to recommend triple strand for the main line, maybe it slips more easily? Like you say, maybe the cow hitch will tighten too much with double braid...
S.V. Wind Star
Rob & Margie Kyles: Auckland ,New Zealand
Mk I Hull #105 1983 Std Rig, Std Keel
I like this "bridle" setup you describe, Tom. I have used it without any noticeable wear on the lines as the pendant stays in one place. I would add that the two lines should be cleated so as to be the same length.
Dave Wells
(on the new to us)
Pacific Mist
1986 C-36 #570
Seattle