mooring boats and ships

[Hugh Norwood]

Help form an old sea dog required.

How are boats and ships tied up at dock sides (I've been told it's not a simple case of a couple of ropes)

Also, I've got several to be tied up on Angst; it's a river (sort of); would the vessels all be pointing the same way? and if so would it be upstream or downsteam?

Thanks very much.

[Graeme Dunbar]

I remembered it involved something about bits of ropes at an angle to stop the boat moving backwards and forwards along the quay, but Wikipedia is your friend!



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooring_(watercraft)

I'm not sure about the other bits...

[Hugh Norwood]

Many thanks. I've now got to source or make some bollards!
(cue for a Goons joke)

[pilotfriend]

see
http://www.009.cd2.com/members/how_to/collier.htm  scroll down for more accurate information

[Isle of Stoner]

Langley do some nice bollards... ooh er missus! ;D

John W

[tedp]

I remembered it involved something about bits of ropes at an angle to stop the boat moving backwards and forwards along the quay, but Wikipedia is your friend!



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooring_(watercraft)

I'm not sure about the other bits...

With my seafaring background, I think I may be qualified add some information about using mooring ropes.
In practice, breast ropes (2 and 5 in the diagram) are little used. They are too short to be any use in tidal conditions where the ship moves up and down with the tide, or during discharging when the ship rises out of the water. Their main application is in strong offshore winds, or possibly when they are used in conjunction with self-tensioning winches. If the angle of a head or stern line (1 and 6 in the diagram) to the shore is wide enough (25-30 degrees) the tension in the line will exert enough force to hold the ship against the quay. In big ships the number of head and stern lines may be 4 or 5, and two bow or stern springs (3 and 4 in the diagram).

Finally, there is absolutely no rule about ships being tied up bows into the current or stern into the current. Usually the current direction in a river changes four times a day, with the tide running in or out!  ;D

[Hugh Norwood]

A futher query!

I've made up some mooring ropes for Angst, but how were these fixed to the ships? Were there be large cleats on deck? or drums? Many thanks in advance

[tedp]

It depends on the size of the ship. If I'm correct you would need bollards for a sailing coaster or a small steamer. These would look like one of these (disregard the highly polished look of the first specimen - most of them were cast iron or steel):

http://www.seaborne-fartygsmagasinet.com/bilder/bollard1_komprwebb.JPG
http://www.colourbox.com/preview/1583773-38041-sea-sailing-vessel-rope-moored-to-nautical-bollard.jpg

There are some good examples in the earlier post by Pilotfriend. See his web page here:

http://www.009.cd2.com/members/how_to/collier.htm

The image I refer to is here:

http://www.009.cd2.com/images43/34.gif

[Tigger]

Finally, there is absolutely no rule about ships being tied up bows into the current or stern into the current. Usually the current direction in a river changes four times a day, with the tide running in or out!  ;D

Whenever we took a narrowboat out onto a river we'd always moor bows upstream basically because it was easier to control direction against the current and it saved digging all sorts of detritous out of the prop when we opened up the weed hatch on the following morning!  It was also easier to control when casting off.  However, these rivers were not tidal.  It wouldn't matter on Angst - I didn't think there was any current - unless it all happened under the crust!  ;D  (We were also quite professional about things and even coiled the ropes properly.  Sorry - I digress!)

[Hugh Norwood]

Good-oh!
That gives me a good idea what to work to.

There are certain abiguities with the books - one of them being that there is a docks area, but also that the river can be walked over. Presumably the constant moving of shipping in and out of dock keeps that part of the river surface broken up (?rather like ice?)

(I'm still looking for a set of four runners between whom I can rig a small rowing skiff to have the UU "browns" out practicing on the river!)

[Tigger]

Thanks Hugh.  That's now a rather scary image in my brain.  Ships ploughing through a nasty crunchy crust and UU Browns breaking their oars on the more solid bits!  It'll take ages to get to sleep with that image in my mind... ;D

[Hugh Norwood]

In my mind the browns are running over the surface, carrying the boat between them....

[Tigger]

Until they fall through the thinner bits and ...

UURRRGH!!!

[D J Mason]

Old sea dog just joined 009

ropes 2 & 5 not needed

ropes 1 & 6 should be slightly loose

fwd rope 3 should be attached to quay  @ 5

aft rope 5 should  be attached to quay @ 3

these lines cross and would be as tight as possible this is to hold the boat away from the quay if the wind is offshore

there is a well known layout in S scale (South Lyn) that show a correctly moored barge

[Hugh Norwood]

Welcome, DJ.

I got round to mooring Bounty with four "ropes", but unfortunately I don't have a photo (yet). It hadn't been done by the time I went to Shepton, which is why the ship is adrift in RM. On my "to-do" list is mooring the other two boats.