Mooring bouy bridle

[ron ll]

Probably will be overkill, but I want to sleep better and not worry about line chafe in the middle of the night. I have a large center deck cleat on the bow. Thinking about a large diameter line with eyes at both ends for the bow cleat and chafing gear at set distances for the two bow chocks.

What would be the best way to attach to the buoy ring? Chafing gear at the center with two or three wraps thru the ring then back to the cleat? A large locking caribiner siezed in place at the center of the bridle? Leaving it run free thru the ring usually ends up with the buoy banging on one side of the bow all night. (I usually pick up the buoy with a bow line and caribiner then rig a bridle, leaving the single bow line and caribiner on as a safety.) What's your favorite method?

[paladin]

I always mounted two large bow cleats about 5 feet back from the bow of the boat, rigged a bridle to center about 10 feet in front of the boat, and used old water hose as chafing gear where the line went through the hawseholes....then tied the ancor line off to the center of the bridle....the bridle was heavier than the anchor line, as I sometimes hung two anchors on it set 45 degrees apart.

[Ian McColgin]

Firstly, be sure the ring atop the mooring ball is designed for this service. Most are not. Around here, some mooring balls have a tube and the chain runs up through it to a shackle large enough to keep the chain up and accept the pendent.

All balls I've seen with a rod and eye at each end are not up for any duty other than keeping the chain suspended. The rod's too thin and the eyes are only welded, thus not a substitute for the chain-pendent connection.

The main pendent should have a thimbled eye for the chain end and a soft eye at the boat end. Some people make bridles by two full length pendents but this often produces chafe due to the pendents tangling with each other. Better to either splice in the other half of the bridle or make a seperate bridle that can be fastened to the pendent.

The bridle should be deep enough that it comes together ahead and clear of the boat's bow, bobstay and whatnot but not longer than necessary.

If securing a bridle to a pendent's soft eye, just pass a centered bight of the bridle through the eye and then the legs of the pendent through that bight. As you draw it up, make sure the bridle's bight goes over the legs and not over the pendent's soft eye in a kind of square knot. Sieze the legs and you're done.

Since the pendent itself takes no chafe, this means that you can replace the bridle (2-3 seasons) without the expense of the whole pendent, which should be good for 5 or 6 years at least.

[ron ll]

The mooring buoys around here are mostly State Park or DNR buoys that are generally well maintained. They have a 6" steel ring on top to attach to. That ring is directly attached to the chain that runs thru the float down to the anchor. The ring is strong, but sometimes may be rusty which could lead to rapid chafe if the bridle moves thru it.

What would be a disadvantage, if any, of having a large locking caribiner at the center of my bridle and siezed in place? The caribiner is then attached to the ring on the buoy. (For overnight, I would always have a secondary line, slightly slack, as a safety.)

[Hughman]

The main pendent should have a thimbled eye for the chain end and a soft eye at the boat end.


Using a steel thimble with a rope to chain connection in salt water is not to be recommended. The thimble quickly erodes, leaving a knife sharp edge against the spliced eye, which can (will) turn, cutting the eye..

Better to cowhitch the rope to the top link for a double pennant, or a chain splice for a single. serving the rope might be appropriate.

[Hughman]

The mooring buoys around here are mostly State Park or DNR buoys that are generally well maintained. They have a 6" steel ring on top to attach to. That ring is directly attached to the chain that runs thru the float down to the anchor. The ring is strong, but sometimes may be rusty which could lead to rapid chafe if the bridle moves thru it.

on strange mooring gear, haul the chain up to get a look at it below the floating gear. put your own rope pennant through the chain and sleep easy.

What would be a disadvantage, if any, of having a large locking caribiner at the center of my bridle and siezed in place? The caribiner is then attached to the ring on the buoy. (For overnight, I would always have a secondary line, slightly slack, as a safety.)

Is this salt water? try to stay away from any steel parts that need to be relied upon to thread/clip/slide or otherwise move.

If fresh, use neverseize. The down side is the mess. Rope is cleaner.

[Dave Hadfield]

I use chain, period, led over the end of my wide, plank bowsprit and onto a shackle over the eye of the buoy (which is plenty strong, to my eye).

I don't want my boat held by anything that will chafe.

But, if I had no bowsprit, yes, I'd do the bridle, made from very thick stuff.

Before I leave, I snap-on a thick 30 ft floating line with sections of pool noodle threaded on, onto the buoy. Then I cast off the chain. (It's dead easy to get back on the buoy when the target is 30 ft of floating line.)

Dave