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Pile mooring lines


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It is time for the mooring lines are ready to be replaced. The regular inhabitant is a Townson 32 on a pile mooring. What diameter line, what type of rope and how to attach to the ring. How to prevent chaffing especially where the rope meets the ring.

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You called Sir?

 

Use 3 strand laid polyester rope. Cheap, has some nice elasticity when pushed, has good abrasion resistance, won't go hard wire-like as Nylon does over time. You could use other ropes if you like but the only benefit would probably be only cosmetic rather than anything structural and all at added cost. DO KNOT use a Polyprop or Polyethylene, sometimes called 'Silver'. Cheap yes, nasty Oh yes, prone to failure under cyclic loads Hell yes. DO KNOT use Dyneema, Vectrans and the like, no elasticity so shock loads are likely and they will hurt something sooner or later.

 

Size. 16 or 20mm, maybe 24mm if it's a big boat in a more exposed area. A T32 in most places would be fine on 16 but I'd use 20mm myself as it leaves more reserve if something goes bad and you get chafe action. The sizes are plenty strong enough so the largeness is more due to that chafe reserve than much else. When you pick what you do think 'So it's 3am and blowing it's titties right off big time. What size would make me happy in that situation?'. Generally most use 20mm. Chafe is the main reason for rope failure in this situation, either make sure it'll never happen if if there is a chance build in a little reserve to allow you more time to notice it before any failures.

 

Splice a loop onto one end of the rope and reeve that onto the floaters lug i.e. put the spliced loop around the lug and pass the other end of the rope thru that then pull it tight. Once tight chafe is damn near impossible. DO KNOT use shackles and thimbles, they are only for people who do want problems a bit down the track and those who don't mind having to replace the $5-600 floater in 1/2 the time of those who use reeved loops.... even if the council provides the floats as the rate payers pay for those. In the pic the rope is reeved onto the shackle. Once that is pulled tight, the boat will do it itself, it'll never move meaning no chafe.

 

Easy peasy.

 

Post or PM me what the boat is and where the piles are and I can get a tad more specific if you like. Some pile sets need slightly different sizing than others due to local conditions i.e. The Tamaki River is nicer on a size larger than the Whau River due to wind angles and tidal flows.

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There is no set time limit on it really w44. Like most ropes they are made of plastic so have a 1/2 life similar to a nuclear reactor. So if they look all good they usually are. Note I'm knot talking about higher tech ropes here even if the same also applies to them. High tech stuff also has some additional issues the lower tech doesn't.

 

BUT if you see any of these things I'd be thinking about swapping them out for new -

 

Chafe - how much chafe you are willing to live with is up to you but that generally means there are issues somewhere and if unfixed it'll only get worse. Also the ropes loads do drop at a faster rate than the chafe would suggest i.e. 10% worth of chafe will drop the ropes break load by more than 10%. Lose one strand in a 3 strand rope i.e 33% of it, and the load left will probably be only 50% at best. The construction or formation of a rope does give some strength, a bit like an egg. It's basically very weak but if pushed from certain angles it's seriously strong due to it's shape.

 

Powdering - rub your hands on the rope and a powder sort of thing comes off. That's the out layers being hammered by the bright shining UV pushing out thing we used to see in the sky back in the days we had a summer. Like the above chafe thing if the top layer is UV rooted the lose of strength will be higher than the amount of rope lost. This is usually age thing i.e you have a real old rope but these days many ropes are made cheap to be sold cheap which often means something has been left out of it which is commonly the UV additives. Below is an example of that and it's becoming more common. The rope looks sort of like most others to the untrained eye but it has serious issues. One being no UV additives so you can see the cover has broken down fast due to that and 2 being that while it looks like good stuff on the outside the core is only rolled up paper. The rope in the photo is only 14 months old, totally rooted and weak as a real weak thing. So watch for those, they are generally the shite hardware shops sell but it is turning up more and more in marine shops, probably due to lack of knowledge or too much influence by an accountant as the margins this crap can be sold at are very high. Generally all these ropes are manufactured only in the east. There are boats in Westhaven today, and others most likely, who have this as their lines. It's a tad scary as I doubt any of the owners know that or if they do the owners are the scary thing.

 

Got a stiffy - If the rope has gone hard 'n stiff, all most wire like as some can, it means that you may have a Nylon. Most of the average grade nylons in the market place today are brought on price knot performance, which is fine for most applications but knot all, and those do go hard with age, it's just a nature of the beast sort of thing. Or you could have put big loads on the rope and that can also make ropes go hard over time, that does include almost all fiber types. There will be knot a lot of strength lose, assuming nothing else scary is involved, but it just means you'll have lost 'a bit to a lot if knot all' of the elasticity, commonly called (even if slightly incorrectly) stretch. So in gusts, waves, wakes it means shock loads can cop your cleats etc and to much of that can lead to issues developing. A stiffy can also be caused by using a smaller rope than a larger as the smaller it is the more it works and a hard working rope does tend to become a stiffy faster than a just cruzing rope.

 

So apart from the above there isn't really much else to worry about that would be easily seen and if you can see a yucky it usually means it is a yucky that needs to be sorted ASAP. Occasionally a SHE* will happen but you just can't plan for those nor see some coming generally.

 

* - S**t Happens Event.

 

There ya go 44, have fun with that.

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No worries at all SS, happy to help when I can. I like to say why or why knot as that bit usually gives people a better easier to understand picture so it all makes a bit more sense to the knot so topic knowledgeable. It also adds transparency, which the industry is severely lacking at the moment.

 

Now measuring up lines, yes a little tip or 2 for that also. This also applies to marina lines.

 

Set the boat where you want it using whatever ropes or if the old ones are fine all is already good. You don't want the boat being able to 'slop around' on the ropes as that only causes wear on the boat, the ropes, the floater and the piles. So make the lines a firmish fit but still easyish to get on and off.

 

Marina lines only comment here - Once you have the boat set up temporarily push it hard all ways to ensure it can't hit anything, specifically that frecking pain in the arse little triangle bit on the inside end of the fingers where the join the main pier. This doesn't usually apply to pile moorings but you can do the same if you like. Also check to see the boat is sitting straight in the marina as if it is sitting crooked it just looks yucky.

 

Once set where you want it, measure from the lug to the back of the cleat. That lug could be the ones on the floater or the marina, it works the same on both. If using 20mm rope add 125mm to that length or 100mm if it's a 16mm rope, that allows for the reeving. If the lines are spot on the length you may find they get too tight if you don't allow that little extra. Don't forget the splice will also shorten the ropes length a tad but you don't need to allow for that as it will be offset by the initial use little stretch all ropes like this have.

 

Splice a loop one end about a 200mm long loop is good. That will be the floater/marina end loop.

 

Once that's done pull the rope firmish by hand but don't get your 150kg mate to pull hard out sort of thing. Measure your length and mark that spot with a bit of tape. You could use a pen if you like but yucky and some pens will run which may make the rope look yuckier again or bleed onto your boat, way big YUCKY if that happens.

 

Bend the tail of the rope around and mark around 300-400m down that, this will be come the boat end loop. 3-400 is usually more than enuff but can be bigger or smaller if you like depending on cleat size and just where the slice itself will sit. If the rope has to bend thru hawsers or over gunwales etc the splice maybe in a place that becomes a pain in the arse so watch and if necessary allow for that by making the loop longer or shorter. The length of the loop has no strength input so don't worry about that. DON'T make the loop a super tight fit over the cleat, that can take out fingers if parking wild wild conditions and you aren't on the ball as you drop them on. Also remember it's manys Wives or significant others who put them on while you drive so be nice to them please. But be aware if you make the loops real long it can look a bit like 'Numpty goes a splicing' and people like me will have a sly giggle at your handwork and a photo of them may end up on our 'Wall of Horrors'. Once you have your loop sorted splice away. 5 full tucks in a 3 strand splice please. Shorter is OK but knot ideal, longer is knot needed and you run the Numpty risk again ;)

 

BUT BUT BUT watch for any potential chafe points and if you have them it is usually worth sliding some protection over that point. A good UV stabilised hose is often enuff and the But But But comes in as getting that on after you have spliced each end is often knot a happening thing so put it on before you do the 2nd splice.

 

A good hose to use is a farmers wash down hose as they are usually reinforced and good in the sun. Some hoses can go all sticky fast in the sun and that's nasty. That clear non-toxic stuff is usually knot good as it goes hard and cracks then falls over, sometime very fast. So it's worth hunting for a good hose. You could also put leather or something like that on those spots or even some of the newer chafe products, which generally can be put on afterwards. Old fire hose is OK as well but it is big so can look yucky.

 

Fingers crossed if you've measured it all OK the lines will drop on nicely. If they are a little tight, but knot 'I need a tractor to pull them enuff to get them on' tight, that's OK as the lines will lengthen a little once the boat hangs off them packing the splices away, the reeve down along with taking out the little manufacturing slop they normally have. So if they are tight give them a little time to settle and they will often become 'just right'. You can accelerate that by bouncing the boat on them a little.

 

NOTE

- On pile moorings especially the fore 'n after ones it's best to have a little slack in the rope so add another 100-150mm to the length. That allows for the boats on the other side of the floaters to move OK and both boats don't end up strangling the floater to the pile.

- In marinas you don't need to do that so don't.

 

Hook up your highlines and then sit back with a cold stubby and inform anyone around do they realise they are in the presence of a legend :lol: :lol:

 

The Highlines are sometimes called pick-up lines. They are the little lines used to hold the main lines up to keep them cleaner and easier for the missus, you are shouting at, to grab.

 

So when you measure up you need to add -

The measured length of each rope between the floater/marina and the boat plus 1mt per rope to allow for splicing and that stuff. Buy those totalled up in length and you should be fine. You will leave a little on the deck afterwards but it'll be bugger all and the ropes are pretty cheap. If you get to specific in the purchased length you will find it's harder to do and you'll waste more beer drinking time than beer tokens spent to get that extra meter of rope.

 

Generally an average marina 4 corner set up only uses 15-20 mts of rope, often less, all up so we aren't talking about needing to get the wife out onto a street corner or sell one of the kids.

 

If putting up highlines DON'T buy cheap plastic blocks as they will be working 366/24/7 and they will wear out fast. Ronstan RF149's are good and only $14-18 each. Highline rope only needs to be 6mm. Again don't buy polyprop, use polyester, 3 strand is fine there also.

 

There will now be a pop quiz at 6pm, get ready :lol: :lol:

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Now measuring up lines, yes a little tip or 2 for that also. This also applies to marina lines.

Thanks for the lesson, just what I needed as this will be the first order of business once the boat is at GH.

 

In a marina berth will 16mm size mooring line be sufficient for a 26' assuming I put some chaffe protection on?

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Awesome advice there thanks KM.

 

Ogre, maybe this should be made a sticky?

 

I have a question now :).

 

We use clips to attach the mooring lines to the amas. The thicker (16mm) lines we bought to replace the thinner ones we originally got, will not fit through the clips. So I bought a couple of shackles to attach to the clips, which will take the 16mm line.

 

Question: Do I splice the boat end, or attach with a bowline to the shackles?

 

Thanks KM :D

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In a marina berth will 16mm size mooring line be sufficient for a 26' assuming I put some chaffe protection on?
It would be no worries at all, 16mm is the size I'd use if it was my boat. You may knot need chafe protection, about 50% don't, so just take a close look and add some if you think there is a chance of chafe, don't if you don't.

 

Generally if your cleats are very close to the gunwale it can be hard to get chafe gear on so you may need to put the chafe gear around the loop rather than on the main line. If that's the case you'll have to be a bit more fussy in what you use so everything goes around the cleat nicely. If the rope goes over something smooth it's generally OK without chafe gear, watch for screw heads if you have a metal rubbing strip, they can be sneaky little bastards.

 

One other reason for chafe gear is knot to protect the rope but to protect the boat from the rope. Some with cleats inboard can have the rope leading over bits of the boat so after a while the rope can do naughty things to the paint/gelcoat etc.

 

Awesome advice there thanks KM.

 

Ogre, maybe this should be made a sticky?

KM doesn't like being sticky. Mind you a good sized bit of plastic sheet and 5lts bottle of baby oil usually stops that ;)

 

We use clips to attach the mooring lines to the amas. The thicker (16mm) lines we bought to replace the thinner ones we originally got, will not fit through the clips. So I bought a couple of shackles to attach to the clips, which will take the 16mm line.

 

Question: Do I splice the boat end, or attach with a bowline to the shackles?

Yeap, I know exactly what you mean. Either way you like Meg. 16mm is way bigger, structurally, than your fine beast needs so no strength issues if you tie a knot. About the only thing I'd worry about there is 'does it look OK?'. Yes even us mere males have times when that is needed to be asked. But I'd splice if I could, it just looks nicer.

 

Or of you wanted to get real trick what you could do is long splice onto the end of the 16mm a short length of 14mm and then splice that 14mm to the clip. A bit of time but it would look so sexy on many levels.

 

It may pay to bind or tape up the shackles to the clip if you can. Just stops them all flopping around by your nice paintwork. That self amalgamating tape is good or if you want to sexy it up you could get a small rectangle of leather, punch a series of holes down 2 opposite edges and lash that over them. Or you could get a short length of hose, split that and fit it over that bit. Knot critical but often it's those litt things that stop annoying niggles down the track.

 

OH F**K... You just reminded me there's a pitchfork I never finished the lines for up here. Damn, forgot clean about that, Bugger Bugger Bugger!!! Damn, that's a right shocker KM.

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[.

 

OH F**K... You just reminded me there's a pitchfork I never finished the lines for up here. Damn, forgot clean about that, Bugger Bugger Bugger!!! Damn, that's a right shocker KM.

 

 

Said owner is a very patient man.

 

Although the paint designed to be protected is now sadly rubbed off the owner does not complain.

 

In fact it has got to the point where we were all just waiting to see how long before you realised (mostly because you also forgot to send the owner a bill !)

 

Classic stuff KM !

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Yeah I'm patiently waiting on some lines too.... tick-tock.... :)

 

I guess in that regard KM is a bit lkike ACC. VIPs (or in this context Superyachts) get preferential service. :lol:

 

KM - did you think all this time that AC is 35 feet? She's actually 35 metres.

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Said owner is a very patient man.
Isn't he just.

 

Ah yes, deepest apologies fella. No idea what happened there, a pure A Grade Export Quality brain fart. I was coming to the end of that post for Meg and something started niggling my head, then Bingo followed by a f*ck f*ck f*ck!!. Twill be sorted next week. You'll like the bill as a rope company gave us some rope to try so it won't cost ya. Actually they haven't said anything either so in the interest of deflecting I'll blame them :?

 

No worries AC, those 45mm Lloyds Register Approved lines will be ready this arvo :thumbup: Stand by.

 

It's rather crazy here at the moment. It appears everyone doing china has whacked their prices up making our good gear at the cheaper of the spectrum. It's causing issues..... or it could just be me, hard to say. We currently have on order 1.5 times the gear we would normally have in Sept/Oct i.e. when building up for the summer season. It's bizarre but then it's also a sign the industry is still working and with the increase in demand, building back up again so that's a good thing. The drums are beating quite a bit more actively then they were 6 months ago.

 

OYSTR - We can but we can also do it a cheaper way for you. Stand by and I'll tell you how. I need to sit for a Crew.Org PM catch up session and as the Wa is still on the mend, but doing 100% all good, I'll try and squeeze in time over the weekend.

 

Oh to be so loved by so many Meg, it's a scary thing :lol: :lol:

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OYSTR - We can but we can also do it a cheaper way for you. Stand by and I'll tell you how. I need to sit for a Crew.Org PM catch up session and as the Wa is still on the mend, but doing 100% all good, I'll try and squeeze in time over the weekend.

Cheers. No hurry on my account, certainly not on an Easter weekend. Boat won't be parked up there until late Monday anyway.

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If putting up highlines DON'T buy cheap plastic blocks as they will be working 366/24/7 and they will wear out fast. Ronstan RF149's are good and only $14-18 each. Highline rope only needs to be 6mm. Again don't buy polyprop, use polyester, 3 strand is fine there also.

Sorry that should have been a RF469, the 149 isn't a block...Doh!!

 

Sweet on that OYSTR.

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Does anyone on here make up mooring lines I need two 3.3 metres long with loops on each end ,I would,nt have a clue how to splice loops on rope,or can you buy them made up to lenght somewhere.

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