Mooring with a bowsprit

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JFJ
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue September 6th, 2016, 12:07 am

Mooring with a bowsprit

Post by JFJ »

Hi All

Quick (and probably asked before) question.

I launched Iris a couple of weeks ago, and been out and about strangford lough a bit. In Stangford, we use swing moorings. recently, most of the winds have been from the south and from there, there is some ;swirling'....
The boat has a fairly long rising chain from the swivel joint - perhaps 3 meters, and the buoy is on a 2 m chain.
The chain runs forward, and off the starboard roller, about half way along the bowsprit. Fin and dandy - there is a place where 2 links touch the wood of the bowsprit, and will need attention as it chaffs off my sikkens..... However, I am a bit more concerned about the wire attaching the bowsprit. When the boat swigs (and she was doing a fair bit the past two days), she rubs the chain against this wire. Its currently coated in a blue plastic cover, but much rubbing and that will be off.....

I was wondering if anyone has a swing mooring, and what you do re this (or am I being pickkey).. I am not keen on replacing the chain with rope, but I was thinking of sheathing the chain in the same plastic (if I can find one to fit)

On its previous mooring, it was much shallower, and the rising and strop chains were equally shorter. I could put a second hand-bouy on the chain to adjust the angle of the strop chain, but not convinced this would make a difference?

John J
JFJ
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue September 6th, 2016, 12:07 am

Re: Mooring with a bowsprit

Post by JFJ »

Never mind, I popped some Polly pipe over the chain, and will assess...
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Eventide Owners Group
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Joined: Wed March 1st, 2006, 1:00 pm
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Re: Mooring with a bowsprit

Post by Eventide Owners Group »

You did exactly the right thing!

Most boats with chain bobstays round here and mooring chains coming up to the stemhead, fit them.

I have a rod bobstay so it slides easier on the mooring chain when I pick up my creek mooring, but also the chain comes on board via a roller fitted to the bowsprit, a foot away from the stem.

In addition when I leave her on a swinging mooring with a chain riser or on a mooring buoy with a large unfriendly steel ring on top, I rig a light line, 6mm thick, from the end of my bowsprit to the mooring buoy, just to hold it away from the topsides. The line is small enough to break in extreemis so the bowsprit is never in peril, but large enough to keep the topsides free of damage. (never had that line part all the years I have done this).

Hope the repairs all went well after thesamson post mishap.

Regards,
John
Eventiders
Web site Coordinator
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