Mooring- Learnt a valuable (free) lesson today
 

To set the scene-

I've just bought (again, but that's another story) Tropic Bird, a
particularly nice H28 which I have moored at a local marina. I've had
her there for 2 or 3 weeks now, using the mooring lines that came with
her- a couple of 4-1/2" and a couple of 3". I've been going to get a
new set of lines as the old ones are a bit tatty. I thought that 4-1/2"
may have been a bit oversize so I was going to use 3" all round- 2 bow
lines, a stern line and a spring.

Well they're predicting a bit of a blow overnight- 40 knots or so, so I
thought I'd go and check that everything was OK. Everything was, of
course, but when I looked at the 3" spring, which would take the main
force, in the light of a 50 knot blow, my lesson was immediately
learned- I doubled it and made a mental note that peace of mind in a
blow is worth the lines looking oversize when everythings balmy.
4-1/2" all round it is...
JM

3" and 4 1/2"? measure the diameter of the line. I would think 3/4 is the
heaviest you need. Or heaviest I need.
"Moores family" wrote in message
...
To set the scene-

I've just bought (again, but that's another story) Tropic Bird, a
particularly nice H28 which I have moored at a local marina. I've had her
there for 2 or 3 weeks now, using the mooring lines that came with her- a
couple of 4-1/2" and a couple of 3". I've been going to get a new set of
lines as the old ones are a bit tatty. I thought that 4-1/2" may have been
a bit oversize so I was going to use 3" all round- 2 bow lines, a stern
line and a spring.

Well they're predicting a bit of a blow overnight- 40 knots or so, so I
thought I'd go and check that everything was OK. Everything was, of
course, but when I looked at the 3" spring, which would take the main
force, in the light of a 50 knot blow, my lesson was immediately learned-
I doubled it and made a mental note that peace of mind in a blow is worth
the lines looking oversize when everythings balmy. 4-1/2" all round it
is...
JM

MMC wrote:

3" and 4 1/2"? measure the diameter of the line. I would think 3/4 is the
heaviest you need. Or heaviest I need.
"Moores family" wrote in message
...


Circumference.

My point exactly, I thought the 3" looked ample until I thought about
6-1/2 tons surging on the end of it and added the windage of a ketch rig
in a 40 or 50 knot breeze. Suddenly the 4-1/2" looked a lot more
comforting, especially when you're not going to be there to babysit...
JM

4.5 inch line? Is that circumference? Even so, that would be 1.5
inch diameter, still very heavy for a 28 foot boat at the dock. (Or
am I missing something here?)

My primary dock lines are 9/16 inch diameter nylon, and I normally use
4 - two springs, and a bow and stern. (I'm on a face, not in a slip.)
Usually, though, if left for any time, there are 2 additional short
springs that are half inch line. I have a few heavier lines, 5/8
inch, that have been used in a blow, but my home dock is a "hurricane
hole," so I've never used them there.

In general, I prefer thinner line rather than thicker for docklines,
since the stretch reduces strain on fittings. When needed, I double
up, and, of course, proper chafing gear and frequent inspection is
needed. Heavy boats and rough locations need special attention, but I
don't think I've ever seen docklines over 1 inch diameter for a
recreational boat.

By H28 I assume you mean the L. Francis Herreshoff 28 footer. Which
version is yours?

Moores family wrote:
To set the scene-

I've just bought (again, but that's another story) Tropic Bird, a
particularly nice H28 which I have moored at a local marina. I've had
her there for 2 or 3 weeks now, using the mooring lines that came with
her- a couple of 4-1/2" and a couple of 3". I've been going to get a
new set of lines as the old ones are a bit tatty. I thought that 4-1/2"
may have been a bit oversize so I was going to use 3" all round- 2 bow
lines, a stern line and a spring.

Well they're predicting a bit of a blow overnight- 40 knots or so, so I
thought I'd go and check that everything was OK. Everything was, of
course, but when I looked at the 3" spring, which would take the main
force, in the light of a 50 knot blow, my lesson was immediately
learned- I doubled it and made a mental note that peace of mind in a
blow is worth the lines looking oversize when everythings balmy. 4-1/2"
all round it is...
JM

"MMC" wrote in
om:

3" and 4 1/2"? measure the diameter of the line. I would think 3/4 is
the heaviest you need. Or heaviest I need.


Oh....I thought he was mooring an oil tanker to the refueling
facility...(c; Geez....I have pictures of them throwing monkey fists to
haul the lines ashore from the 28' sloop...hee hee.

Our marinas don't have pollards. Hell, that 3/4" line you can barely get
around the little dock cleat over twice....

I'll dream tonight about docking a 28' sloop to the pollards at the
containership docks....I just know it....(c;

--
Larry

You know you've had a rough night when you wake up and you're outlined in
chalk.

Jeff wrote:
4.5 inch line? Is that circumference? Even so, that would be 1.5 inch
diameter, still very heavy for a 28 foot boat at the dock. (Or am I
missing something here?)

Circumference

My primary dock lines are 9/16 inch diameter nylon, and I normally use 4
- two springs, and a bow and stern. (I'm on a face, not in a slip.)
Usually, though, if left for any time, there are 2 additional short
springs that are half inch line. I have a few heavier lines, 5/8 inch,
that have been used in a blow, but my home dock is a "hurricane hole,"
so I've never used them there.

In general, I prefer thinner line rather than thicker for docklines,
since the stretch reduces strain on fittings. When needed, I double up,
and, of course, proper chafing gear and frequent inspection is needed.
Heavy boats and rough locations need special attention, but I don't
think I've ever seen docklines over 1 inch diameter for a recreational
boat.

I still maintain the big line doesn't look any too heavy when you're
staring down the barrel of a 50 knot blow with the windage of a ketch,
although I take your point about the stretch...

By H28 I assume you mean the L. Francis Herreshoff 28 footer. Which
version is yours?


Yep the self same, she's a bit modified around the topsides with a
raised sheerline and doghouse- gives us full to nearly full headroom
most of the way through. She was home built, launched in 1969, of 1-1/4
strip plank- in spite of advice contained in this :

http://tinyurl.com/7bwoa

as a result of this:

http://tinyurl.com/bm7pj

I know all this because my late father built her, with me as the
apprentice. I've just found her again after nearly 30 years (we sold
her in about 1976) and I'm a happy chappy...

JM