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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

Upgrading mooring cleat

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yamahapacifi
Deckhand

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USA
4 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/18/2010 : 16:31:17

Hi all,

We acquired a mooring for our 250 last year. The factory mooring cleats are too small to accept the pennant line (3/4" thick) legally required for the 250.

We came up with a hack solution last season involving the bow-eye (it wasn't pretty but it worked) but this year we'd like to upgrade default cleats.

I was able to update the chocks (I just installed some new ones a few inches behind the existing ones) but am not sure how to handle the cleats.

It seems like the options are:
1.) Remove the existing cleats (which are glued to the deck with a strong adhesive)
2.) Find a different location (perhaps between the hatch and the font window)?

Thoughts?
Thanks,
Paul

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2010 : 11:33:31

If I were mooring for days at a time and leaving the boat, I would rig up an anchor bridle/snubber that attached to both bow cleats.

This diagram shows all chain rode, but you could adapt a snubber in many ways. With an all chain rode it is advisable to have some 3-strand nylon that can stretch and take some of the shock off the bow roller. If you make your own snubber you can use line appropriate for your bow cleats.

[url="http://www.bosunsupplies.com/snubber.cfm"]Here [/url]is more info on how to make one.

But I have not made an anchor snubber for my boat yet, and I haven't used moorings very often, so maybe others could give their input on the pluses and minuses of that kind of setup.

Edited by - JohnP on 03/19/2010 20:46:55

Jack Schafer
Navigator

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USA
112 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2010 : 17:38:59

I have moored on our lake for 10 yrs. and have had no trouble with 1/2 inch mooring lines. Are you sure the cleats are only glued on? My cleats are through bolted to embedded bolts. Our lake gets very rough at times with wakes from power boats and heavy winds. Are you on a mooring Ball? I normally run separate pennants from the cleats to the bottom of the mooring ball and for extra safety run a pennant from the bow eye to the top of the ball. I just drape the eye of the pennant over the cleat snub them tight with short 1/4 inch rope to keep them from flipping off. I keep the cleated pennants slightly tighter than the safety line. Of course you need swivels at the Buoy.

Edited by - on

SEAN
Admiral

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USA
772 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2010 : 19:31:40

hey paul ,

I am on a mooring i use 2 5/8s lines to the cleats ..i had to make the
chocks bigger , the cleats were fine .
then a 3/4 safety line to the bow eye ..

one bad storm both 5/8 lines chafed through ..
the safety line was fine .

now if a storm comes i use a 4th chain back up ..to the bow roller ..
so far so good .

Edited by - on

yamahapacifi
Deckhand

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USA
4 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 06:59:54

Thanks for the suggestions, all. Yes, the cleats are bolted, but when you remove the bolts you find that they are also adhered to the deck (probably epoxied).

Scroll to the bottom of this page and you will see our setup: http://www.portlandharbor.org/mooringappmaster.htm

So, our pennant is 3/4" 3-strand with a loop around the end - intended to be run through chocks to a (properly sized) cleat. Reducing the size of this line isn't an option (legally), but perhaps some alternate method of hooking up to the existing cleats would be acceptable.

Any recommendations for removing the existing cleats and installing larger ones?

Edited by - on

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 08:58:48

Maybe I'm just a sloppy reader, but I can't find the part where it says the pennant has to be 3/4". In fact, it seems to specify everything EXCEPT the pennant diameter.

Have you talked to a few different inspectors? Maybe you can get a different opinion about adequate size/material/rigging that would fit your existing cleats.

Edited by - TakeFive on 03/21/2010 08:59:21

frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 11:28:35

Concur, the only specification is for the length not the diameter. Here in hurricane land, We used 1/2 inch from the chocks to the mooring. Our length was the same as yours (2.5 X). During hurricane season we added 1/2 chain shackled below the mooring ball with swivel at 2.5 X plus one foot then shackled to the bow eye. These were the Navy's requirements at Jax Navy Marina.

Edited by - frog0911 on 03/21/2010 11:29:24

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.