[ham] [Rhodes22-list] Mooring Pennants

Mon May 12 23:13:23 EDT 2003

Michael, I have a question on the effect of the swing on the buoy with no 
current on the lake . Should the board be up or done? It seems to me down 
would minize the swing. Would that not be safer?

b dobson
s/v Kel-Lee

>From: "Michael Meltzer" <mjm at michaelmeltzer.com>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Subject: Re: [ham] [Rhodes22-list] Mooring Pennants
>Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 13:34:37 -0400
>
>The reason you do not see much is that it depends on local conditions, 
>generally harbor master(i.e an old salt for the area) will
>layout what is need in the area. I give you what I know but it might be far 
>from right for you.
>
>
>1)Can not use a concrete for the bottom block, concrete weighs allot on 
>land but it density is near water, the size block has to be
>very oversized to work for a boat and is way to heavy to manage(i.e. also 
>why bodies keep floating up, not to mention the body fars
>apart :-)
>
>2)I am sure Steve will tell on old cast iron engine block being chained 
>together and used on a small lake, it works for the area.
>
>3)for my area is in a mud bottom, very salty, so a cast iron mushroom is 
>the standard, the harbor master recommends 11 pounds per
>foot of boatlenght, minimum, or 242 pounds I rounded it up to 300 pounds, I 
>did not think thing he gave me enough scope. heavier is
>better.
>
>4)A mushroom anchor has a long shaft and get allot of the holding power by 
>being stuck in the mud, it best to bury them, infact they
>will hold better after a few sessions, the other problem is the long shaft, 
>it might stand straight up on you, like 3 extra feet of
>water might be needed from a spring low with a storm(as keep the shaft off 
>the boat), most people never get that much so around me
>you pay the anchor guy to set it.
>
>5)BTW the highest working load numbers I have seen is 1100 pounds for a 
>rhodes22(from wind), but remember their is still wave :-).
>
>6)now for some chain :-) they give use around 3:1 scope for the chain, or a 
>real example 4 feet spring low, 12.5 feet spring high,
>16.5 storm surge. so 16.5*3=49 feet, now this is only scope to the top of 
>the water you should add another 2 feet for the bow cleat,
>(But you will not now get it around me :), that one of the reasons to use 
>bow eye(plus I think the bow eye is stronger). Now most
>people(and Chapman) recommend using a heavy bottom chain to add 
>weight(better cattery effect please riding) and to help with
>"wearing" of the chain on the bottom. about 1.5-2(I got the surge room so I 
>used 2) of the scope or 33 feet of chain, 3/4 is the
>biggest I find locally but it pricey, allot of people use 5/8, now this 
>stuff weight from 4-5.5 pounds a foot adding 180 pounds to
>the system. what it is doing is absorbing the first 200lb+- of the 
>wind/wave load being "soft" on the boat hardware keeping down
>peek loads. add a swivel and connect on 17 feet of 3/8(a little oversize 
>for wear), it a trade off, if the riding chain is to heavy
>it will sink the buoy and to light and it will have no long term use.
>
>7)the use hard shell buoys around me with the chain passing thought the 
>center, believed to be safer with the pendant on the chain
>and at year end they detatach the buoy and lets the chain sink to the 
>bottom with a float and messenger line, they call it "picking"
>it, the system wears less in the mud over the winter, so they claim.
>
>8)the pendant around me are 5/8 or 3/4  stretchy nylon, the chain will get 
>rebar tight after 200+- pounds of force so you want to
>use 5/8(which is a little to large, but safer long term)
>
>the pendant is 15 feet, like I said before I like the bow eye with a back 
>up to the bow cleat with a large snap shackles(only that
>will work on a windy day), adding a "swimming pool" inline float to the 
>pendant helps when the line falls in :-) a boat hook is a
>must have, and I used a "whip" float with a short line that I shackled  the 
>pendants when I left.
>
>Around me every 5 year the system has to be pulled/inspected/replaced as 
>needed, wire the shackles, tiewrap the pendant/buoy connect
>shackles(yearly replaced), make sure the metals match(stainless with 
>stainless and galvanized with  galvanized).
>
>9)now the other nasty problem, just because you do everything right, does 
>not mean the next person did, around 5 boat a year break
>away around me, as client eastward would say "feeling lucky" and they 
>pinball around the mooring(going fast because it generally in
>a storm). The other issue you have to watch out for, both wind and tides 
>effect a boat swing, rarely do you get and 100 foot circle
>to your self, because the boats move together the circle overlap, now the 
>problem, the rhodes22 does sail at anchor and with the
>center boat up(which is a must so the center board does to push thought the 
>cap) it acts more like a power boat, put next to a fixed
>keel sailboat it can crash right into the side(the keel is reacting to the 
>tide, the rhodes22 to the wind)
>
>
>Their more and I sure typing skills have butchered this and made it 
>complete non understandable but should get you started.
>
>MJM
>
>PS. what is right for me, might be complete wrong for your area, not 
>kidding here and if and when your boat breaks loss(from a bad
>system or simply age) you can only blame yourself, no one garrintess these 
>things. And the salavge laws kick in which mean you
>loose(pay) 20% of the boat.
>
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Robert Dilk" <Robert.Dilk at TRW.COM>
>To: <mjm at michaelmeltzer.com>; <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 8:24 AM
>Subject: Re: [ham] [Rhodes22-list] Mooring Pennants
>
>
>I have never used a mooring. I looked in all the books and there seems to 
>be a variety of mooring setups. Would you want to describe
>the different moorings you have seen and how to pickup and hook up the 
>mooring lines.
>
>Thanks
>
>Bob
>S/V Knot Necessary
>
> >>> mjm at michaelmeltzer.com 05/11/03 01:49PM >>>
>stainless snap shackle to the bow eye (5/8 3 strand with SS thimble and a 
>real splice, you need a galvanized thimble for the mooring
>ring), the boat will ride good from it and easy to deal with.  The backup 
>is an independent system(i.e back to the ring/chain)
>thought chock(chafe guard here) and to the bow cleat loop, the second one 
>is made to be loose and will only come into play if the
>bow eye fails systems fails. you could make the bow cleat a double system 
>but that a little much.
>
>BTW you might want a float pole to make pickup easier
>
>MJM
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "David Walker" <david.walker5 at attbi.com>
>To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2003 12:02 PM
>Subject: [ham] [Rhodes22-list] Mooring Pennants
>
>
>Windswept is almost ready to get wet in Salem Harbor.  This is the first 
>time I will be mooring her.  What's the consensus - attach
>the mooring pennant to the bow cleat through the chocks, or use the bow 
>eye?
>
>Dave Walker
>S/V Windswept
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