Tying to a swing mooring

[560242]

Hi all. I have a question about the actual equipment people are using to tie to a swing mooring.

I have a 5.0m Humber Assault and will be mooring in an estuary with little current and minimal waves. The only attachment point on the boat is the bow eye on the exterior of the hull. The mooring I have just signed up for has a pickup chain. I was intending to use a rope strop (16mm anchorplait) with thimbles spliced at each end (bow eye going through one end) to moor to the pickup chain, but am unsure what the best fitting is to actually make the connection with the chain.

I was thinking about using a snap shackle like this one at the mooring end of the rope strop....



I'd replicate this again so I had effectively 2 rope strop setups between my boat's bow eye and the pickup chain giving redundancy (until the bow eye fails!). Anyone have any experience with fittings to use for attaching to swing moorings?

Any advice very welcome.

[Nasher]

Having never trusted a Bow eye myself, but having only ever used the painter to tie up to a mooring temporarily, I always tie the painter to the mooring buoy rather than loop it through, and then tie the bitter end to my Sampson post in the bow.
The theory being that if the Bow eye pulls through the hull or breaks the boat is still attached to the buoy.

If I was in your position I’d be doing something similar.

Nasher.

[GuyC]

You could try looking at or calling these people. I seem to recall trying to minimise fraying is the biggest issue with longer term moorings.

https://jimmygreen.com/767-mooring-s...centre-section

[beamishken]

Dont use chain to your bow eye use a rope junk between the mooring & the bow eye. Your bow eye shouldnt fail its designed for dragging the boat onto the trailer where it has to pull the weight of the boat & overcome friction, the load on it could be pretty substantial. Your junk could be permanently fitted to one end either the boat & tied back when not in use or to the mooring side. Folk think there will be snatch loads but in reality the pull is more gentle than you think. Having spent a few unpleasant nights on a mooring in our cruiser during storms the shock loads are actually less than you get from ropes in the marina.
Personally I'd try to avoid those quick release clips in favour of a standard shackle, either the type with a nut & split pin which is a bit of a pain or the type with an eye in the bolt you can mouse with a tie wrap or similar.
Dont underestimate the chances of a quick release being inadvertently released

[Iron Dials]

I used a swinging mooring for a couple of years with 6.5m rib.
Being a pessimist I wouldn't trust a snap shackle arrangement, you want absolute peace of mind when you leave your pride and joy (in so far as you can at least)

Instead I used Stainless Steel shackles, both to fix strop to bow eye and to attach to the ring on the mooring. It had a buoy with a metal ring above the floatey bit, very easy to use and you don't even get your hands wet.
The shackles were the type where the pins wouldn't fall out. My knife had a shackle key in the blade so opening and closing tight was easy.
I cable tied the shackles closed each time, pessimism again. I used bright coloured cable ties, so easy to spot if one had failed, even from a distance if you haven't been out to the boat in a little while.

Just make sure your bow eye is properly tight and has double nuts or self-lockers and check regularly.

Ribs hunt around in the wind a bit more than other boats on a mooring so make sure you have adequate space.

[breezeblock]

snap shackle has got disaster written all over it I would tie onto bow post as well as front loop

[willk]

Originally Posted by 560242

Hi all. I have a question about the actual equipment people are using to tie to a swing mooring....

Any advice very welcome.

Hi you too.

I use a 3.5 ton Kong snap shackle to secure the 3 ton love of my life to a pickup chain - you'll be fine (don't mind those lads ).

There are a few gotchas however, which I'll address in no particular order and I'm happy to blether on about mooring if anyone feels energetic.

1. The snap shackle. Buy something decent and large - it's easier to work with when you have cold wet hands. I ALWAYS secure the release pull ring with a light cable tie - to act as a comforter and guard against that bizarre chance pull.

2. The Bow eye - absolutely fine as the Primary attachment. No good as a backup as if it fails, all fails.

3. Backup attachment will likely be your anchor cleat or eye. IMHO this is where you may go astray, because in my experience the big hassle starts when you have two strops going to different attachment points.

4. Risk: My experience has been multiple frayed and severed strops. As mentioned, light boats tend to dance around moorings and get all tangled up. Bare rope will not be OK! I've seen 16mm Dyneema vanish in 48 hours.

5. My setup: I use two Dyneema lines for mooring. Both are spliced to a single thimble and attached to the pickup chain. They then run inside a reinforced plastic hose to the bow eye where one is spliced to the Snap shackle (which is the Primary hold) and the other runs through the closed end of the snap shackle and continues up and over the tubes (again in a tight hose) until it arrives at the anchor cleat where it ends in a spliced loop that forms the secondary hold. The advantage here is two attachment points and no loose lines to wrap around the mooring buoy and fray on chain.

6. Your vessel: Is very light and will not have much pull in sporty conditions. That said, when lines wrap around chain - bad things happen.

7. Whoever said (GuyC?) to not use chain only is bang on the money - you want a bit of elasticity.

[ShinyShoe]

Would a snap that is easy to 'accidentally' apply and 'difficult' to accidentally remove be better?

Something like: https://www.s3i.co.uk/wichard-safety-snap-hook-hr.php

Your example has a swivel. Do you need a swivel there? Swivels have a reputation for being a weakness.

The WAFIs usually use oversized nylon multiplait rather than dynema - it has more 'bounce'

[lakelandterrier]

Consider how easy it will be to tie untie (or clip / unclip) from the mooring and your bow-eye - you don't want to be hanging over the bow - esp if solo.

[Ceejay]

I used a snap shackle for six years when my RIB was moored at Port Appin. I still have the same 14mm nylon 3 strand line with snap shackles at each end and it shows no signs of deterioration.

[560242]

Thank you all for your recommendations, this is a great forum. Seems there are plenty of ways to do it and I'm going to go for an oversize multiplait nylon strop with spliced thimbles at each end. Connection to pickup chain with a chunky snap shackle like the Wichard one (no swivel) and moused with a cable tie. Connection to bow eye with a SS shackle, moused with wire. The loose chain from the pickup will be pulled into the bow and padlocked to the rear loop of the bow eye inside the boat to make it even more difficult for anyone trying to pinch my pride and joy. I'll be mooring single handed quite a lot so ease of attaching is definitely a key factor. Thank you all.

[_monkey]

Originally Posted by 560242

Thank you all for your recommendations, this is a great forum. Seems there are plenty of ways to do it and I'm going to go for an oversize multiplait nylon strop with spliced thimbles at each end. Connection to pickup chain with a chunky snap shackle like the Wichard one (no swivel) and moused with a cable tie. Connection to bow eye with a SS shackle, moused with wire. The loose chain from the pickup will be pulled into the bow and padlocked to the rear loop of the bow eye inside the boat to make it even more difficult for anyone trying to pinch my pride and joy. I'll be mooring single handed quite a lot so ease of attaching is definitely a key factor. Thank you all.

Ballistic attach a mooring stop to the bow eye (wire with carrabiner), which is pretty secure - see

[jambo]

Originally Posted by _monkey

Ballistic attach a mooring stop to the bow eye (wire with carrabiner), which is pretty secure - see

Yep I’ve used large locking carabiner for years on my swing mooring in the West of Scotland.

[mikehhogg]

now that you have all this fancy gear for mooring all you need to do is inspect the mooring itself.

[Bushrider]

Originally Posted by willk

I use a 3.5 ton Kong snap shackle to secure the 3 ton love of my life to a pickup chain

@willk
Tried to google a 3.5t Kong snap shackle but could not find any .
Do you have a link ?
Thanks .

[mikehhogg]

the use of a mooring chain in this day and age to moor a rib shows a total disrespect for the sea and sea bed\habitat. As a diver I see first hand the total devastation caused by chains dragging the sea bed.There are lots of eco friendly ways to moor a rib without causing any damage.

[paintman]

If hiring a mooring you are unlikely to be given a choice, you will be tying up to what's provided.
What alternatives do you suggest - bearing in mind the operator/harbour authority renting out the moorings will install something based on longevity & ability to safely moor a variety of users.

In respect of normal anchoring what's your position on the use of chain as part of the rode?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by paintman

If hiring a mooring you are unlikely to be given a choice, you will be tying up to what's provided.
In respect of anchoring what's your position on the use of chain as part of the rode?

Or navigation bouys

[Fender]

Originally Posted by mikehhogg

the use of a mooring chain in this day and age to moor a rib shows a total disrespect for the sea and sea bed\habitat. As a diver I see first hand the total devastation caused by chains dragging the sea bed.There are lots of eco friendly ways to moor a rib without causing any damage.

OK.........

But I'd also suggest there's numerous other practices that are far worse than a fixed mooring chain in a small localised area, like dredging and trawler fishing which decimates massive areas of the sea bed.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Bushrider

@willk
Tried to google a 3.5t Kong snap shackle but could not find any .
Do you have a link ?
Thanks .

They're not listed by strength, but size - soz

https://www.chmarine.com/kong-snap-s...-swivel-125mm/