Pentewan and Mevagissy

[roycruse]

How do people berth against a stone wall with a tidal range of several meters without worrying about your boat to the point you dont sleep.

I have always used floating pontoons and never liked the idea of my boat rising and falling tied to a razor sharp banacle ridden stone wall. (which is all they have at mevagissey)

Perhaps just my lack of experience and knowledge of how to tie up effectively in such a situation ???

We were in the same situation when we went to st marys in the scillies for lunch and we were only in the pub for a couple of hours - but i never stopped worrying about the boat getting damaged.

[Swifty]

Its easy to protect your tubes if you are prepared beforehand. Take an old scaffold board and suspend it against the tubes, stuff a couple of fenders between the plank and the tubes if really worried. I think the yachties call them fender boards.

[roycruse]

Assuming I'm going to start carrying scaffold planks around in my rib for visiting harbours what is the correct rope work when mooring against a solid stone harbour wall that will correctly secure the boat taking in to account that tide may rise or fall several meters during your stay...

Does anyone have any diagrams etc to show the best way to do it. Floating pontoon stuff is easy, I'm fine with anchoring but I've always shied away from harbour walls for fear of recking my boat.

I'm usually fairly good at working stuff like this out but I have failed to work out in my head what rope setup will still be working when the tide has risen 4 or 5 meters introducing a load of slack into the equation or vice-versa how to secure your boat at high tide to allow for the tide to fall away.

[Hugh Jardon]

Originally Posted by roycruse

How do people berth against a stone wall with a tidal range of several meters without worrying about your boat to the point you dont sleep.

haha

i am glad i am not the only one, i worry sick with all that stuff, i guess the idea of leaving the boat and not knowing how it will be when i return is a real worry

as for the slip in mevagessy forget it totally, i can only just get teh landy round some of the corners lock to lock so with a trailer ......virtually impossible without unhitching it in places

[Swifty]

Roycruise,

You only need 1 plank, and it doesnt need to be the length of the rib, just whatever is a convenient length.

As regards ropework, put long fore and aft lines out. Ideally as least twice the tide range. Tie them off with enough slack to enable the boat to fall with the tide. Problem comes at high tide, as the boat will not be held snug against the wall. You can tie a bucket full of water about a third the way from the bollard to the bow, this pulls the bow line tight enough to keep the boat mostly against the wall but allows it to give for when the tide falls.

Alternatively I prefer to put the anchor to a strong point on top the wall and suspend the chain, and it must be chain, down the wall and into the water, the other end of the chain is tied to somewhere midships. I use the foot straps. What the chain does is try to hang vertically and will not want to be pulled out away from the wall, which keeps the boat mainly alongside. Used with the long fore and aft ropes is quite effective. I use this method when I tie up overnight on a wall with groines. You will need alot of chain on your anchor, but then you would anyway. I carry 10 metres chain just for this reason.

I hope my sketch outlines the idea.

Tim'mers.

[roycruse]

Thanks swifty - I like the anchor chain idea - other than that though its pretty much what I was doing (other than the scaffolding board)

What I don't like about it - is not so much the fact that your boat can drift away from the pontoon at high tide - but the fact that when the slack in the rope is introduced your boat is able to move several meters forwards and backwards - this not only gives the possibility of un-fendered sections of your boat coming into contact with rusty wall ladders and other hostile things sticking out of the wall - but also hitting boats in front or behind you - and if engines are raised with props out the water - significant damage can occur (particularly if its your bow against a rusty or half chewed up prop from the boat in front.

I think ill stick to marinas and floating pontoons.

The whole reason I bought all this up was the fact that your nearest floating pontoon storage is Falmouth which is a 20 mile jolly down the coast.

£10 per day for launching at Pentewan doesn't sound like a lot of money - compared to the damage that could occur in a tidal harbour like Mevagissey.

[Hugh Jardon]

Originally Posted by roycruse

I think ill stick to marinas and floating pontoons.

The whole reason I bought all this up was the fact that your nearest floating pontoon storage is Falmouth which is a 20 mile jolly down the coast.

£10 per day for launching at Pentewan doesn't sound like a lot of money - compared to the damage that could occur in a tidal harbour like Mevagissey.

when i am next in meva i will look to see how the boats are moored up against the right hand side and make a decision if it looks too risky to leave the boat there, to be honest i am not keen on leaving the boat in dangerous surroundings where damage can be caused and recieved and in that regard the 10 quid a day may be well spent, we will see i guess but i am as paranoid as Roy is on this stuff

[stu1288]

the 10 pound a day at pentewan sounds well worth the money specially if there is a risk of damage to my pride and joy

i dont now how much of a walk to mevagessy it is from pentewan but most likely its just as quick to launch your boat

[Hugh Jardon]

10 minute drive over a huge hill

2 hour hike over said huge hill

5 mins by sib round to the harbour

loads of boat moor up there during the summer and they seem fine, just need to review how they do it and if they look like they have suffered any damage etc
then make the decsion i guess

Originally Posted by stu1288

the 10 pound a day at pentewan sounds well worth the money specially if there is a risk of damage to my pride and joy

i dont now how much of a walk to mevagessy it is from pentewan but most likely its just as quick to launch your boat

[stu1288]

so if you take you boat to mevagessy then you have still got to get sum1 to come and pick you up or take the long walk

then theres a risk that it could get damaged or even kids messing around in it seeing how your gps works

id prefer it out the water its only a little bit more money and you know its safe

i mean i dont sleep that well in the caravan at the best of times so thinking about the boat would probably worry me to death

[Swifty]

Originally Posted by roycruse

this gives the possibility of un-fendered sections of your boat coming into contact with rusty wall ladders and other hostile things sticking out of the wall - but also hitting boats in front or behind you -

Yup. Its a bummer, and I can only advise caution and make the judgement when you are there to see it. Yachties have the advantage that they sleep on their boats and are able to monitor it and deal with any problems before they become serious. They are usually quite amicable to letting you put lines to their boat to prevent surging forwards or backwards.

Launching every day is not a huge problem except that the tractor driver probably goes home about 7 o clock.

[roycruse]

fishing boats are designed to use harbours - rock solid permanent fendering all over the place - inboard engines with no exposed props etc.

A Rib is not made to be lashed against a stone wall with metal bits sticking out of it. they are particularly difficult to fender at the bow and the stern due to the shape and the tubes. whilst they don't need any impact protection they are very vulnerable to abrasion and piercing.

Originally Posted by Hugh Jardon

loads of boat moor up there during the summer and they seem fine, just need to review how they do it and if they look like they have suffered any damage etc
then make the decsion i guess

[Hugh Jardon]

Roy

lots of small boats are kept there by local owners, ribs, speedboats, shetlands etc etc and not just the local fishing boats. they are kept on long ropes tied to bouys and submerged chains and to the wall. It is these that i am referring to. they are nowhere near the wall!! have a look next time you are over there and you will see what i mean.

Originally Posted by roycruse

fishing boats are designed to use harbours - rock solid permanent fendering all over the place - inboard engines with no exposed props etc.

A Rib is not made to be lashed against a stone wall with metal bits sticking out of it. they are particularly difficult to fender at the bow and the stern due to the shape and the tubes. whilst they don't need any impact protection they are very vulnerable to abrasion and piercing.