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I frequently use public mooring buoys which are free to use even on overnight stays. My problem is the rope from the mooring is usually about 1 1/4 inches in diameter and will not fit around the small cleats on the . I plan to swap them for cleats that are taller. Has anyone done this? Do the current screws thread into fixings attached to the deck or are they just loose nuts on the other side? I cannot see how to access the cleat fixings from inside the boat?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Take one of your dock-lines and loop the eye around the mooring line eye (like a slip-knot). Then cleat off your dockline. Much easier than replacing cleats.

Besides…adding taller bigger cleats will only induce wind resistance and increase drag

Had another good look at the cleat fixings today and tried to loosen one of screws but it held fast. I am going with Mastreb's suggestion and use my existing docklines. Too many other pressing jobs on the boat to take the harder route

You might take your oldest dockline and shorten it to 3' to make it quicker and easier. This is what my brother-in-law (who lives on a mooring ball in a 33' Ranger) does routinely. Works well.

Keep the required scope in mind. Typically, mooring balls are attached to the bottom with very short scope - a dock or other line looped through the mooring ball's tag line is required to provide the necessary scope. Normally you wouldn't tie the tag line off directly to the cleat anyway. My charter boats in the Caribbean always have this issue - we're 150-250 tons and use our moorings successfully, but visiting yachts occasionally pull them loose by tying off directly to the taglines.

- Clay

We do as Mastreb suggested. Bow dock line looped through the eye of the mooring line and then tied off at the cleat. Neat, clean and very quick to release: untie, release loop from cleat, and the mooring line falls away. All good.

Plus load is distributed onto both bow cleats

Dock line should be shorter than bow to propellor distance in case it gets loose and you have to start engine in a hurry

One thinig to consider I've heard repeated several times regarding 'pop-up' style cleats, is they tend to have sharper edges and can wear through lines quite quickly or catch sails. FYI

An Old Sailor once told me.. Bigger is NOT Better... NEW is Better JSYK West Marine has 40% off ALL Bulk Line untill IIRC Sunday and Midnight.

mastreb wrote:You might take your oldest dockline and shorten it to 3' to make it quicker and easier. This is what my brother-in-law (who lives on a mooring ball in a 33' Ranger) does routinely. Works well.

Usually mooring bouys have one or two bridal lines that are for larger boats and best to have your own.
Have a 1/2 inch bridal line that connects to both Port and Starboard Bow cleats and mounts to Mooring Bouy line with slip knot.
This keeps the Mac from most of swing as it is attached to both sides and keeps nose to wind.
Also puts force on both cleats in a blow.
This style is also used in many white buoyed markers on off shore reefs in Florida were anchoring is prohibitive.
Sometimes the Mooring bridal line is so built up with barnacals I use a U toggle stainless steel to secure my bridal to mooring line.
To prevent Chafe.
Dave

innervations wrote:I frequently use public mooring buoys which are free to use even on overnight stays. My problem is the rope from the mooring is usually about 1 1/4 inches in diameter and will not fit around the small cleats on the . I plan to swap them for cleats that are taller. Has anyone done this? Do the current screws thread into fixings attached to the deck or are they just loose nuts on the other side? I cannot see how to access the cleat fixings from inside the boat?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[quote="Divecoz"]An Old Sailor once told me.. Bigger is NOT Better... NEW is Better

Makes me feel better knowing that, hope Teresa doesn't trade me in for the better.
Since you made your life in SW FL, you may find other things that crank your tractor.
Enjoy your retirement and go Sailing. Be right behind you in two weeks.
Sail the Wind,
Dave

Two bridles with a spliced loop at the ends connected to the bow cleats is the standard procedure in the mooring fields in this area. A good redundancy to have in the event of a storm. I would be somewhat perturbed if I saw someone mooring around my boat (although I don't moor my boat at this point) using only one.

A float with a 5' fibreglass whip mast keeps the loops together while away sailing, and makes retrieval easy when returning to the buoy.

Green slime buildup on the lines is the issue later in the season in fresh water- I normally remove my sailing gloves for this task- my hands don't get musty, and wash off quicker and easier than gloves!

Maybe a dumb question Dave , but I will ask it anyways.. Would This Bridle system work to reduce sailing at night when only using a single anchor??

DaveB wrote:Usually mooring bouys have one or two bridal lines that are for larger boats and best to have your own.
Have a 1/2 inch bridal line that connects to both Port and Starboard Bow cleats and mounts to Mooring Bouy line with slip knot.
This keeps the Mac from most of swing as it is attached to both sides and keeps nose to wind.
Also puts force on both cleats in a blow.
This style is also used in many white buoyed markers on off shore reefs in Florida were anchoring is prohibitive.
..
Dave

Could be a couple more months for me Dave ...But I am getting closer and closer every day.. every completed project , I am that much closer .. See Ya Soon as I can

DaveB wrote:

Divecoz wrote:An Old Sailor once told me.. Bigger is NOT Better... NEW is Better
Makes me feel better knowing that, hope Teresa doesn't trade me in for the better.
Since you made your life in SW FL, you may find other things that crank your tractor.
Enjoy your retirement and go Sailing. Be right behind you in two weeks.
Sail the Wind,
Dave