[ham] [Rhodes22-list] Mooring Pennants

Mon May 12 14:34:37 EDT 2003

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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