Best line for permanent mooring

[lrak]

Hi All

Just wondering what the best line is for a permanent mooring...

I have been using a cheaper 3 strand nylon job and have had chafing issues... I plan to replace all the mooring lines and am considering using the braided docking line - at huge expense - and running plastic tube over this to stop chafing...

Is there anything that stands up well in this environment - without rot, algae etc... or is there no miracle solution.

Look forward to hearing what works well for all.

[celenoglu]

Chafing will continue with braided docking line also. It is not a good idea to use plastic tubing over te lines. They will cause chafing and also te lines will be over heated when under changing loads.

[lrak]

celenoglu - thanks - what would you recommend as an alternative?

[sailingdog]

lrak—

Are you talking about a mooring pendant? If so, check out the ones made by Yale.

If you're having chafe issues, you really need to figure out what is causing the chafe and fix it, rather than just putting chafe protectors on the line. Hose isn't the best chafe protection since a major cause of failure for mooring, anchor and dock lines is failure from high temperatures caused by internal friction. Using hose as a chafe protector prevents water from getting to the rope and lubricating/cooling the rope fibers.

[sailaway21]

While agreeing that chafe is the leading cause of mooring line failures and indeed, most line failures, I'd be highly interested in any study that has shown either heat or a lack of water lubrication is a major cause of line failure.

You can place chafing gear over the potential wear spots on your mooring lines or your dock lines and rest easy that you'll be doing far more to keep them from chafing and parting than any risk from heat might concern you. The chafing gear can be any number of materials including canvas, leather, or garden hose in my case.

Dacron is the most abrasion resistant of line materials and has less stretch than nylon with nearly the strength. I'd recommend a construction like Pli-moor which is similar to Brait and other braided lines. Note that these are not 2-in-1 braided lines which have a core and a cover but the ones where the actual strands of the line are braided. 2-in-1, or double braid, is not as abrasion resistant. The advantage of the braided lines is that they are torsion neutral under rotation. Laid lines used for mooring pendants tend to hockle under rotation and load.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by lrak

Hi All

Just wondering what the best line is for a permanent mooring...

Are you talking about ball to mooring or boat to mooring ball??

From the mooring to the ball = Chain

From the boat to the ball = Yale Polydyne mooring pendants..

[sailingdog]

The Yale Polydyne pendants have a polyester cover but a nylon core, so have the best qualities of both, by using each for what it is best suited for.

Originally Posted by sailaway21

While agreeing that chafe is the leading cause of mooring line failures and indeed, most line failures, I'd be highly interested in any study that has shown either heat or a lack of water lubrication is a major cause of line failure.

You can place chafing gear over the potential wear spots on your mooring lines or your dock lines and rest easy that you'll be doing far more to keep them from chafing and parting than any risk from heat might concern you. The chafing gear can be any number of materials including canvas, leather, or garden hose in my case.

Dacron is the most abrasion resistant of line materials and has less stretch than nylon with nearly the strength. I'd recommend a construction like Pli-moor which is similar to Brait and other braided lines. Note that these are not 2-in-1 braided lines which have a core and a cover but the ones where the actual strands of the line are braided. 2-in-1, or double braid, is not as abrasion resistant. The advantage of the braided lines is that they are torsion neutral under rotation. Laid lines used for mooring pendants tend to hockle under rotation and load.

[pdqaltair]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

lrak—

Are you talking about a mooring pendant? If so, check out the ones made by Yale.

If you're having chafe issues, you really need to figure out what is causing the chafe and fix it, rather than just putting chafe protectors on the line. Hose isn't the best chafe protection since a major cause of failure for mooring, anchor and dock lines is failure from high temperatures caused by internal friction. Using hose as a chafe protector prevents water from getting to the rope and lubricating/cooling the rope fibers.

Sailingdog is right. I have used hollow webbing (1" up to 7/16" line, 2" over that) from rock climbing stores for years. Chafe goes to zero. Let the webbing float as much as possible.