Noise from bobstay

[Old Forum]

Ben Fraser
Username: Ben_fraser

Registered: 10-2008
   
Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2010 - 04:22 am:      
Does anyone have any suggestions for how to moor/anchor so that the chain, rope or mooring buoy doesn't grind along the bobstay?
On a pleasant note it was great fun meeting Colin and Jane Firth with Jenyatan at the scottish traditional boat festival. We enjoyed largely sunny weather and a fresh breeze in which Mudlark managed a steady 5.5 knots with the wind on her quarter. Although on the return trip to Lossiemouth we had to admit defeat and turn into Findochty as Mudlark was making little progress beating into the wind and waves under a double reefed main and a scrap of jib. It was a perfect reason to add a day to the trip!

[Old Forum]

David Cawston
Username: David_cawston

Registered: 03-2007
   
Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2010 - 12:45 pm:      
Roger introduced me to a great system whilst down at Milford Haven. He has a line about 6ft long with large snap shackles spliced on at either end. One end is fixed to the eye on the hull where the bobsay is attached, the other is brought on deck until required. On mooring up, the on deck end is attached to the mooring buoy (the simplest way) or passed through any strong loops on the buoy and attached back to the same bobstay eye as the other end. This does require hanging over the bow but is perfectly possible. A slack safety line can also be used, just in case anything fails. But as this is slack it does not grate on the bobstay. It worked brilliantly when I borrowed it from Roger for a few hours.

[Old Forum]

Ben Fraser
Username: Ben_fraser

Registered: 10-2008
   
Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2010 - 07:10 pm:      
Hi David. Thanks very much. That sounds like a sensible and simple solution and it will be good to practice making eye splices. I'm looking forward to some peaceful nights afloat. Cheers!

[Old Forum]

Julian Swindell
Username: Julian_swindell

Registered: 03-2007
   
Posted on Friday, July 23, 2010 - 10:10 am:      
I have seen this this idea of a line attached to the bobstay eye bolt a few times. I often wonder how easy it would be to unclip it if it was at all bouncy and you were single handed? I never liked the idea of dangling over the bow and hoping I could scramble back up in time to get back to the helm before something nasty happened. I would also say you must use a second safety line if leaving the boat on a mooring. I wouldn't want to rely on a snap shackle never opening. Things do catch them and pull the plunger out.

I used to put a hose tube around the mooring chain so that it just slid past the bobstay. Not silent, but it stopped the twanging and banging. When at anchor, I always paid out enough so that all of the chain was overboard and the rope tail went over the bow roller and rubbed quietly against the bob stay. The bobstay itself was covered in a plastic sheath used on dinghies to cover their shrouds to protect jib sheets from chafe.

[Old Forum]

Ben Fraser
Username: Ben_fraser

Registered: 10-2008
   
Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 12:27 pm:      
Thanks Julian. I think you also make good points. I would be using lockable snap shackles and taking chain/rope loosely back to the bow cleat as a back up. This would also mean that when getting under way you can un-clip the shackles in no hurry as the boat will still be held by the bow cleat. I'm interested to know what methods others use for a quiet night or if they simply put up with any noise and chafe

[Old Forum]

Martin_cartwright
Username: Martin_cartwright

Registered: 04-2008
   
Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 10:35 pm:      
I have a block on the end of the bowsprit with a line shackled to the bobstay running through the block and back along the bowsprit. It can be tensioned or released from the deck. When released (not fully!) the bobstay can be tied up out of the way, to the bowsprit. Important to remember to tighten it again before sailing off.

[Old Forum]

Julian Swindell
Username: Julian_swindell

Registered: 03-2007
   
Posted on Monday, July 26, 2010 - 10:31 pm:      
Martin's technique for slackening off the bobsaty is traditional on cutters, where you have a forestay to the stem head. It shoudl work fine on a Winkle Brig solong as you remeber to tighten it up befoe you sail. Ben's use of a snap shackle part way along the mooring chain is clever and should do the trick and act as a back up. You might still have to dangle over the bow to unclip it though.

[Old Forum]

David Peck
Username: David_peck

Registered: 04-2008
   
Posted on Thursday, August 26, 2010 - 12:21 pm:      
The mooring rope described by David is at least, as I have been told, called a 'Snot Rope'.
I have been mooring using this method for a number of years now without any problems.
Cockle has sat happily on a mooring through a fair number of 6-8 Northerly winds on a North facing anchorage in Nefyn Bay, with its large attendant waves with the wind in this direction.
However I have fixed the 'Boat' end of the Snot rope to the ring on the bow for the trailer winch shackle, deeming this to be a stronger fixing than the Bob stay ring.
This often leaves the spectator wondering how the boat stays put as the whole thing is under water!
On approaching the mooring, using a retractable boat hook, the mooring buoy is grabbed and pulled onboard until the bridle on the mooring riser is on the deck. The Snot rope mooring end shackle is then attached to it. The whole lot is them slung overboard. (Whilst sailing, the mooring end shackle is clipped to suitable lanyard fastened to a cleat on the foredeck, see picture of the bow of Cockle on the WB gallery).
I reckon this method of mooring a boat with a Bob Stay and Bowsprit is not to be sneezed at! Sorry I couldn't resist.