Harness Creek

With my daughter heading off to college in a week, a last family outing was required, even though or perhaps because the home scene was getting crazy; it seems we are remodling the kitchen in the midst of extending the transoms, doing other boat maintanance, and of all this other transition. I needed a break from endless painting, sanding, plastering fitting.

Initially I had a cross-the-Bay trip to Cambridge in mind, but 2 days of bashing straight into 20- to 25-knots headwinds didn't feel relaxing. So we adjusted and picked a destination that would give us 2 days of broad reaching in the lee of land with few waves. 8-10 knots of boat speed without even trying. Much nicer.

 

An uneventful trip, which can be nice. A summary:

The Sailing. A moderate winds, 10-25 knots but protected. not intersting navigation; I've been there before.

The Crew. Our newest member didn't contribute much really, but he did keep folks busy. A 3-week old grey squirl found by a friend who was going in for surgery, we had no alternative but to bring the fella along. He hid away in his shoebox, all except for feeding times--sleeping in a fleece blanket, warmed by a heating pad to a perfect 100F. Feeding is no more than a few ml of special formula every few hours, with a longer break at night--I'll get up in the night for a small human, but a rodent will have to just hang tough a few more hours.

The Equipment. The genoa sheet developed an interesting failure, the Kevlar core failing from fatigue while the sheath

remains intact. The thing of it is, and the reason Kevlar core ropes have fallen out of general use, is that the fibers are prone to cracking when repeatedly flexed, such as the attachment to a genoa clew when it flogs during furling. I've used Kevlar very successfully for halyards, where the turns are gentle and there is little motion, but I would never chose it for a sheet or frequently adjusted tackle.

We got home with the bad spot cut out and bowlines. I expect the rope will last at least a few more years.

For the 3rd time, the Mantus chain hook spontaneously disconnected while lying on the bottom during a period of slack wind and tide. We returned from a dingy exploration to find Shoal Survivor anchored only by the chain, at the odd angle to the wind cats take when anchored to only one bow. When the wind came up in the thunderstorm that night, we would have skated all over the cove, possibly jerking the hook out. While I will continue to use the hook during the day as part of a Practical Sailor trial, it will not be used at night in the future. I will be using a girth hitched sling.

The Exploration. In the morning we anchored in Almshouse Creek, just 2 miles away, in order to make a brief visit to the London Town Historic Area, a nice park and garden area on the South River. Interestingly, the main brick structure in the old town--the only surviving building--was an almshouse (poorhouse) for the local area, after the town and the tavern in the brick house failed. This creek, lined with multi-million dollar houses, is named for the almshouse. Ironic. Bet the the houses wouldn't sell quite so well on Poor House Creek.

We also explored the park, the coves, fed the duck, swam, and enjoyed a picnic dinner on the foredeck on a perfect evening. Easy livin'.

And now I must return to work, to kitchen remodeling, and to packing my daughter for school. Sailing is better.

 

Credit Where Due

While preparing review articles I often get some help from manufactures and vendors. To defend our objectivity we avoid giving citation to those that have helped. However, in many cases these were just good folks, helping out, with no dog in the fight. I no particular order....

Atlantic Rigging, Deale, MD. Some new and old line for testing, and some antidotal expereince.
When asked about the occational practice of powerwashing lines, in their words, "some customers would rather replace a rope because it's dirty than because it needs it."

Canvas Conection, Deale MD. Some advise and some scraps for testing.
They built a new enclsure for me. Best price, on-time delivery, installed on the boat.

New England Ropes. Some new line for laundry testing and lab services (breaking line that we had exposed to bleach).
They actually replaced the first 100-foot donation with another 100-feet of line, after the washer destroyed the first samples. I think they were glad enough that we would publish proper washing instructions and relieve them of some complants.


Potomac Sailmakers, Alexandria, VA. Some advise and some scraps for testing.
I've been taking sails there over the years, for additional reef points, restitching, and UV covers. Always a pleasure to deal with and always timely.

Herrington Harbor North.
Though too pricy for me to keep my boat there, I have used it as my DIY yard for years, as their hauling and dry storage rates are reasonable and they are very DIY freindly. Have they ever made a mistake, over 25 years? Yes. But I've never seen them hesitate for 10 seconds in making it right. When selling my last boat there were 2 tasks (carrying the deck a short distance and lifting the mast onto the trailer) that were made reasonable by 10 minutes help of a travel lift crew; no bill. They've brought me extention cords when I was placed too far from power. They've moved the boat for me when they realized I might get spray from washing operations and I was painting. Once I hit a submerged dredge pipe that had drift out into the channel, damaging my dagger board. They only asked where my boat was. They hauled it, repaired it (and invited me to come review the repairs and offered a survey), and returned it in a few weeks.

Extended Transoms: The Process

rev. 10-29-2013

I am now the proud owner of a PDQ 34 Altair, the only one, from what I understand. Rather than rehash my reasons, I will refer you to a prior post. Was it worth it? For me, yes, but this is not a small project nor for those not very comfortable with fiberglass. Well, perhaps someone with time to read, fiddle around, and learn, though I suggest learning on something less ambitious first. Perhaps it could be a good step towards convincing you that building a boat from scratch is for the birds, when there are so many good used ones out there.


Preparations

The boarding ladder has to come off (the bolts are screwed into the threaded backing plates, so this is simple). The transom edging has to peal back (secured with polyurethane--not so easy). 500 pounds (as least it seems so) of tools must be delivered to the work site, including many that end up being of no use. The top side of the transom flange requires heavy grinding to produce the 12:1 taper required for bonding (the outside bevel will be ground after molding).


The Mold

A discarded 18-gauge aluminum (0.040 inches) sign provided the perfect flexible form, allowing me to match the existing line of the hull very smoothly, including the sharp turn at the chine (a little manual pre-bending was required at the sharper bends). Extending the form with furring strips allowed it to span the rudder and allowed lines tensioned by secondary winches to provide very firm but easily adjusted pressure, vital to the accurate positioning of the form. However, a ring of self-drilling sheet metal screws (1" x #8 of the sort with the drill bit in the tip--the plain pointed sort would not pull-up properly) placed along the flange was still needed to eliminate all gaps and to insure the form was tight to the hull form. Though originally I had figured on installing a false transom on the form and legs to the ground for support, with the sheet metal screws in place the form became quite rigid and no further bracing was required, even to withstand vigorous laminating roller usage. The form was waxed and coated with PVA mold release; the PVA was almost certainly over kill and I would not use it next time. Keep the PVA and wax away from the flange!


Laminating

Laying up the required amount of triax on the hottest day of the year (100F) was both painfull and a lesson in exothermic reactions. At times my daughter rubbed the back of the form with wet towels and ice while I worked fast. One of my favorite hot weather tricks is to keep the epoxy and hardener in a cooler with ice, so that at least the mix pot does not heat too quickly, and it also helps to keep the pot off of hot surfaces.

Triax seems to be the best choice to build strength and thickness when working with epoxy. Mat has a binder that dissolves in polyester resin, allowing the material to go limp, but this does not happen in epoxy resin. Roving is too lumpy and bonds poorly on its own.The triax wets nicely, goes limp, and conforms very well for its weight on all axis. My source was Jamestown Distributing.

I used 8 layers of 17 oz. triax for the basic lamination, with 3-4 additional 4-inch strips of triax over the joint and edges, sandwiched in between the large triax sheets. A natural lap also created a beam down the beam centerline (I used sheets for the right and left, rather than one sheet, for handling reasons and to better fit up to the existing transom).  In retrospect, this may have been slight overkill, but I've thumped the stern into a dock before and will again, since I back into my slip every time.

Use a grooved laminating roller to squeeze excess resin from the laminate and remove air. It is also very benificial to have a helper during the main laminating step, to mix epoxy and cut glass, particularly if things begin to heat up. If you like to work more slowly, use a slow hardener for this process.

No coring. The complexities and structural compromise makes little sense, to save a few ounces in such a small area with hardware mounting and impact potential.

Drill limber holes. I did not include a leak-prone access hatches, so there needs to be a place for air pressure to go, plus any possible water leaks from the hardware. I drilled a 3/4-inch hole for each extension at the lowest point, sealing the edges (curiously starboard was cored with Corecell, port with mahogany plywood). They have not leaked a drop, and if they do, it will be into a crash tank.


Pulling the Mold

Self explanatory; with just the slightest tug on one corner it falls away. The poorly wetted fabric is in the sections that I was planning to cut away. Somewhat wasteful of materials I suppose, but time efficient.

The form literately fell away. The port form hit the ground  before we could get a picture!

Trimming

At first I feared trimming a bit, since I would be cutting 1/2-inch FRP. However, I found that an 4 1/2-inch angle grinder with an abrasive metal cut-off blade goes through FRP like butter and is very easy to handle, the only down sides being that there is a lot of dust and the cuts must be straight (a series of short straight cuts can approximate a curve, and a grinder with a 25-grit disk makes it smooth). I can't imagine anything much better.

 I have ground the bevel on the outside of the join at this point and am ready to glass that in. The joint should be as strong as the rest of the boat; is is certainly far thicker.

Building the Steps

After bonding and taping, before final fairing

The steps were more like a carpentry project, but with fiberglass materials and methods. I purchased two 2' x 2' x 1/4" FRP sheets from McMaster/Carr and used these for the platform, riser and backing plates. 1" x 1/4" strips were beveled and bonded to the above hull mold in the same manner that cleats would be used to mount wooden shelves, the platform bonded and filleted in place, and then reinforced with glass tape at all joints, inside and outside. The taped areas were ground down both for better tooth and to provide space for the tape without leaving a bulge. All construction is FRP.

Do give the steps enough slope to shed water quickly. I matched the existing slope of the last step and that seems about right.

At first I sought the original PDQ vinyl trim, so that I could match it all the way back. I Googled a bit and learned that some boats reinforce with FRP instead, and that sounded better to me. Stronger. learned that the manufacturer wants a 100-foot minimum order. Perhaps if enough PDQ owners got together, but meanwhile it is simple not available. In the end trimmed the existing molding to fit and called it good. I did not want bumper trim dragging in the water.



Mounting Hardware

Glycerine makes a convinient tap lube that is easy to rinse off.

Without interior access using a simple washer and bolt would not answer. Additionally, since several of the fittings are highly loaded (cleats and bolt hangers for or securing light craft, and the boarding ladder) backing plates would be needed. For backing plates I simply bonded a 1/4-inch FRP plate in the appropriate areas, resulting in 1/2-inch total thickness. In place of a nut I simply threaded the FRP directly, which I have done on numerous occasions. So long as the FRP is greater than 1/2-inch thick (about triple the thickness of a nut) and the threads are well formed, the bolt will fail first. While I could have used nuts, I wanted removability without an access plate. If I am wrong I can always add an access plate later.


While I am a proponent of butyl tape for bedding large items that may require removal (hatches and winches), I prefer polyurethane for smaller items, as it adds to joint strength and helps keep the fasteners tight. The bond is not so great that removability is a problem. On the other hand, 3M 5200/4200 are too expensive, so I've generally switched to Locktite's PL S40 window sealant. Since I began using it 8 years ago, I'm comfortable with its durability in a marine environment. I used to patch a fishpond 6 years ago, and it is still doing fine.

Ready for paint. The trim conformed nicely. Note the inside edge is smoothed for sitting comfort. The bolt hanger (one on each side, only $3) is for clipping kayaks and tenders while at anchor; more compact and less painful to sit on; I heard stories of small cleats tearing very substantial holes in very tender places.

I had to cut 2 shallow indentations in the starboard transom rim for the ladder, to get the deployed angle I wanted. I had placed the step riser at a greater angle than prior because I liked the look better, the step is much lower, and thus the angle is different. With the indentations I got the ladder angle I wanted and the ladder gets side support. A 1 1/2-inch hole saw did a nice job, drilling from both sides.



Paint

The extension mold faired very well to the existing hull lines.

Nothing to disturb smooth flow or to increase transom suction.

Matching is the eternal challenge, made more challenging by stained gel coat. Match the lightest spot and it looks like a suborn clean spot. Match something more realistic and you better never compound the gel coat. Interlux's "off-white" turned out to be a fair match for my stained and faded gelcoat, as though a Chesapeake boat is ever going be without a few tannin stains; my marina is too close to the marsh for that to happen.

Then there is balancing solvent with temperature. Add considerable extra when hot or the paint will dry too quickly to self-level and maintaining a wet edge will be impossible. I started with a new "flagship" brush from West Marine, but went to an  old favorite varnish brush From Home Depot as the brush marks were less; a new brush seems to get finer over time if well maintained. Once you get it reasonably level, don't go back, you will only make it worse; have faith it will level if left on its own. Keep it thin on vertical surfaces and consider tipping off with vertical
strokes when working in tight places or really any time, as i feel like I get few sags that way.

Other than that, pretty straight forward. Three coats topsides, 3 coats bottom paint (normally I would only do 2 coats of bottom paint, but this is a fresh start). No barrier coat is required with epoxy construction.

Don't forget non-skid on the steps--fresh gloss paint is "slicker-n-eel-sh_t," as they say in these parts. Sprinkling coarse salt on a thick cost of wet paint (the salt dissolves in the rain leaving little holes) will take the shine off and add texture without introducing bathing suit shredding grit. The appearance and function is a very close match to the PDQ gelcoat non-skid treatment. A very traditional method, seldom discussed.

I may add some hull graphic or additional striping to further hide the transition, or perhaps simply to highlight her new tail feathers. I haven't decided.

Zoom as close as you like--no sags

Sailing

A few pictures tell the tail. The Results (below) put it to numbers. One thing we noticed immidieatly was that you can now hear the wake from the helm, as it is just a few feet further back. But is is quiet.

Very close reaching at 7-8 knots. The platform goes under a wave now and then, which hurts nothing.

 Broad reaching at 8 knots. Dry enough that I'm sitting on the other side to capture this image. At this point 2 crew members had moved onto the tramp, lifting the stern. Sitting on the port platform (no ladder) underway is very cool, though someone certainly ought to keep an eye on you.

The steps in summary form. I hope you get tired just reading this.

1. Pull boat and block.
2. Sand the bottom as needed and prep for bottom paint. Might as well do it at the same time.
3. Compound  (do not wax)  the last few feet of the boat or you will never get a good paint match (you won't be matching the true color).
4. Grind off 6 inches of bottom paint in front of transom.
5. Bevel the inside of the transom flange 12:1 with angle grinder and 25 grit disk.
6. Remove boarding ladder.
7. Construct metal form. Wax.
8. Install metal form. Tighten the lines with the secondary winches. Lots of screws to insure tight fit.
9. Coat form with PVA, just to be sure. Make CERTAIN you stay a few inches from the flange; the wax will be enough.
10. Mask the edge molding and the SS handrail. Way up, as epoxy loves to spatter.
11. Lay-up hull extensions with strips of 17 oz. triax. 8 layers average, with more on the edges, joint and rim. Depending on how fast you build this up the epoxy will exotherm, so be prepared to cool the form with wet towels as needed. If using West Systems, use 206 hardener in hot weather.
12. Pull forms. Easy. They practically fell off.
13. Remove mold release agent (water and scrub for PVA, xylene for wax).
14. Fill bumps left by screws in forms.
15. Grind 12:1 bevel at seam on outside.
16. Fill bevel with triax and 6 oz. cloth as needed to fill. About 6 layers. Cloth leaves a nicer surface finish.
17. Trim extensions to shape (grinder with cut-off wheel). Shape with course sanding disk.
18. Add 1/4" FRP rim to last 14" of outer edge. Grind to shape.
19. Rough-cut platform from 1/4-inch prelam FRP. Test fit and mark locations of supporting cleats. Make certain there is enough slope to shed water.
20. Add any backing plates required for boarding ladder and cleats. Bond with thickend epoxy.
21. Bond and tab 1"x1/4" cleats with thickened epoxy and glass tape. Short screws can be handy for holding while curing.
22. Trim platform and place on cleats in thickened epoxy. Smooth epoxy underneath (you will be tabbing over this and so need a fair surface).
23. Tab in with triax from underside. Not fun.
24. Add additional thickened epoxy and form filets on all corners and joints.
25. Repeat same steps for step riser.
26. More thickened epoxy to smooth joints. Like finishing drywall, but harder to sand.
27. Grind all transitions smooth. Go for your finished shape at this time, as the glass tabbing will be relatively thin and should not be ground away.
28. Tape all seams. There are lots of them; both sides, aft edges, platform to lowest step.
29. More fairing. Start using finer cloth on angle grinder and finish sander.
30. Paint. 3 coats Perfection using a fine brush and great care. Sand lightly between coats. 
31. Non-skid on the steps. Coarse salt in wet paint works very well.
32. Mount hardware. I chose to thread the FRP directly, as 1/2-inch FRP holds threads very well. Seal with polyurethane sealant.
33. Paint the bottom.
34. Tape boot top. Replace the whole strip if you have the energy. Xylene and a sharpened drywall knife.
35. Pay the yard and launch.
36. Go sailing. Compare numbers with the last time you had a clean bottom (doesn't sound right...).
37. Write blog post. Share the pain.

The Cost. While I didn't keep a detailed log, the rough consumption was this:

• 12 yards 17 oz. triax
• 3 yards 6 oz. cloth
• 2 gallons epoxy
• About $1200.00 in total "stuff."
• About 45 hours labor + 12 hours of helper. I labor at a kinetic pace and I made very few false starts; if you like to relax or if this is new to you it could be double or triple. 

I figure this comes to about $600/ft vs $3,125/foot for the entire boat. If you have to pay a vendor (I got a quote of $7,800) the economics are less appealing. If I count my labor at a standard shop rate and worked  slower (I would have if paid by the hour), I can see how they got there.


Things I would do differently (advice to the reader--a very short list)

• Use slow hardener if working in the summer.
• Countersink and fair the screws holding the furring strips to the form. Saves faring later.
• Mask off the hulls and trim better before starting. I was hot and my brain was cooked.
• Dimensions: Perhaps 30 inches, but no longer than that for docking reasons. There is no sailing advantage and I'm happy with 22 inches. Perhaps a few inches higher would be drier, and some might prefer to run the outside higher for appearance.
• Lay-up schedule; no changes.
• Materials; no changes. 

Higher Sides?

Would higher outboard sides be better, like those on the Seawind extensions? Perhaps the higher sides give a better line and they certainly make the boat look bigger, if that matters to you. However, since one of the primary reason for the extensions was to ease boarding by my elderly parents (and the rest of us when carrying things)from low docks, the higher sides are a non-functional impediment. As for the passage of water and waves, very few strike above the first step and I can see no hydrodynamic reason for the extensions to be any higher. Some mono-hull sailors have argued that sugar scoops make no sense for offshore work at all, but cat sailors have not found this to be true and it is certainly of no concern to the coastal sailor. Making the forms higher on the outside would be a trivial matter, only a little more glass would be needed and the fairness of the sides before I trimmed them down was very good. The difference in labor and weight would be slight, the major concern being more critical paint matching. As boarding/swim platforms and for cleaning up the wake, they work just fine.

Though they are clearly well out of the water at rest, at speed the boat drops several inches into a displacement wave "hole" and further yet if everyone is in the cockpit or aft. Another foot would be good.

The Results

The dingy is lashed to the hull at 2 points.
There are good reasons to cu the inside edge low.

• The hull form came off the mold true within 1/16-inch of anything I could have planned. Two thumbs up for the sheet metal mold.
• The finish and detail fairing deserves only one thumb up. I will revise this in 2 years when I haul for bottom paint. But I got a good color match and it passes from 20 feet and closer, perhaps, if your glasses are scratched. 
• Boarding is greatly improved. This is a major plus for family members with mobility issues. But even for the rest of us, loading the dingy with "stuff" is simpler and boarding kayaks is now a breeze, even in lumpy conditions.
• The ladder now lies flat on the bottom platform rather than up the steps.I hated having to work around the ladder when it was on the steps.
• Access to dingy and access to the water. This goes beyond simple boarding. Want to fish with your feet in the water? Wash out a pan? Work on the tender outboard or simply pull/replace the drain plug? Everything is easier.
• Pitching. Certainly it must be reduced, but controlled measurement is impossible.
• Weatherlyness. Any reduction in drag, resulting in better water flow over the foils, has to help. The net improvement in VMG is more than the sum of the parts.
• Speed. Motoring at full throttle we have increased from 7.3-7.4 knots to 7.5-7.6 knots (measured by GPS, average 2 directions, both times with fresh bottom paint). The waterline length increase would suggest about 0.25 knot increase is possible, but since the hull form was not changed, 0.2 knots is more realistic and is what we saw. A small improvement, but worthwhile. The fuel savings at a constant speed to should pay for the upgrade in ... about 120 years.
• Length vs. speed. Would even longer be faster? I don't think so. I have not changed the entry and the extended transoms are out of the water ~ 2 inches at rest with this 2-foot extension. Other boats with transoms that drag more, or cruisers that load more heavily may find additional length would help. But since the rudders are not typically relocated the affect on handling should be considered before going too long. Though sail boat extension are generally successful, there have been stories of extended power boats that lost steering control.
• Load carrying. Though most of my sailing to this point has been with a rather light load, when we go cruising I notice the drop off in performance as the water line is pressed 2 inches lower at the stern. I believe the streamlining will help even more when overweight. If I had a very over weight boat or cruised full-time I would go 30 inches.
• Docking. Since the extensions are 50% out of the water at very slow speeds, just sort of rounding the transom, there is perhaps a reduction in both yaw drag and backing drag. The docking length is not affected, as the dingy still hangs ~ 18 inches past the transoms.We can't feel any difference.
• Handling. We've noticed no negative affects. More speed means faster tacks (positive), any drag aft should lead towards better balance (positive--comes out of irons faster too), and we haven't noticed any negative affect in quartering seas. It seems like it might be inclined to surf a little sooner, but controlled observation is impossible.
• Irons. Seems less prone to getting caught and comes out more quickly, simply backing up with the helm over. I think there is clear improvement, the result of length aft.
• Weight increase. About 35 pounds each, or about 35 pounds per foot of water line (the over-all figure for the PDQ 32 is about 230 pounds). I over built them, but I envision backing into a few docks (note as of 10/2013; I have. the pilings have dents, not the boat).

Was it worth the time and money? For me, yes. Though the process was an exhausting mid-summer exercise (we picked the 3 hottest days of the year--stupid), everything went as smoothly as could be expected with very few surprises and with the level of effort I expected; not my first FRP project.

I always find it fascinating to watch a large pile of money turn into a large pile of glass, epoxy and disposables, and then into some rock-hard shape that we have beheld only in our imagination. Like so many projects, if you do it right the work blends in with the existing and somehow it seems like little was changed, like it was always that way; both the reward of good work and its curse. By comparison, mount some new toy, like solar panels, and in a few hours you can see what you've done, though even then the finer details are subtle or hidden entirely. But do something sloppy and it will be obvious forever.

Shackles and Angles

I've been working on another article--this one about anchoring bridles--which always draws me into the details. I've posted about energy absorption and the risk of not having any. This time the question is how to form the apex of the bridle.

A commercially-manufactured bridle was submitted to me for testing, a solid piece of work. It was made of 3-strand with the apex formed by making one leg with an eye-splice on each end, and then adding a side leg with a spiced eye, attached to the first with a side-splice (like an eye splice with the eye cut open). Certainly strong enough at shallow angles, but what about at wide angles, like when the bridle is shortened for use on a mooring ball? On cats it is normal to shorten the bridle so that the ball will not hit the hulls, and included angle of about 120 degrees being normal.

My current bridle consists of 2 x 25-foot legs of 1/2-inch 3-strand, each with a large eye on one end and a small eye on the other. The small eyes are captive in a 3/8-inch SS anchor shackle attached to a Mantus chain hook. There is chafing gear inside the eyes and over the splices. Because there are 2 legs, there is some outward pull on the shackle; what affect does this have on the strength? 

Looking at the below chart, at any angle less than 90 degrees I have 70% of rated strength... but the loads are higher because of the angle too. With 25-foot legs and a 14-foot bow cleat spacing my angle is only about 32 degrees and the strain increase due to angle only about 5% I'm probably about 80% of rated strength, or about 0.8 x 2400 pounds  = 1920 pounds Working Load Limit (WWL). 1/4-inch grade 40 chain is a little stronger than that (2600 pounds WWL). But really, with 25 feet of shock absorber, I don't see myself getting there. If I were designing from scratch I could chose a 7/16-inch shackle. But what will the rope hold? If the load is equally spread, (7500x2)/(105%)=14,000 pounds breaking strength or about 1400 WWL. If all of the load is on one leg the WWL is only 750 pounds, so we see the 3/8-inch shackle is a fair match after all. Why not design to match the chain strength? because I'm more concerned about keeping my anchor in the mud and like the softer stretch. It will take a pretty good blow to keep it over 1400 pounds for long.

But what about tying off short to a ball? If the included angle goes to 120 degrees the load rating drops to 60% and the strain doubles. In effect, each leg is carrying 100% of the load all of the time. Still, we remain within the same math; the rope is limiting. This, in a round about way, explains Crosby's advice to NEVER rig beyond and included angle of 120 degrees and generally less than 9o degrees.

_____________________________________________________

(borrowed from Crosby Shackles)

Side Loading Reduction Chart

For Screw Pin and Bolt Type Shackles Only

_________________________________________________________________________________

Angle of Side Load from Vertical  Adjusted Working Load Limit (WLL)

0°   (In-Line)                                       100% of Rated WLL

45°  (90 degree included angle)          70% of Rated WLL

90°  (180 degree included angle)         50% of Rated WLL

_______________________________________________________

But what of the side-splice at extreme angles? 

I made up a side-splice in a bit of 3-strand I had lying about and proceded to pull it apart in a climbing gear test rack I had left over from other days. Though I would call my testing exhaustive, A few things became appartent:

• Up to an included angle of 120 degrees there is little question it is a full-strength splice. The angles of the strands don't change apriciabley. While some of the turns become sharper, as in a rope-to-chain splice, the unlayd strands can better handle short radius turns than the whole rope.
• Between 120 and 140 degrees it depends on the lay of the rope; soft lay ropes adjust, while harder lay ropes tend to place more of the strain on certain strands.
• At 180 degrees the splice begins to behave like a knot. That is, inboard strands can no longer carry load. The splice efficiency rapidly drops to 50%, like a bowline. It will not slip but the strands will fail due to poor load distribution.

____________

The moral of the story, or at least my opinions until they change?

• Twin legs on a conservatively sized shackle makes a simple, safe bridle.
• A side-splice bridle is a poor choice for tying short to a mooring ball. It is a fine construction for a standard bridle, but because all of the load is on a single strand, it must be made one step heavier than separate legs, reducing stretch. Not my choice.
• If tying to a ball permanently make a very heavy single purpose bridle.
• If tying to a ball over night or for a short term, use 2 docklines, doubled back to the cleats; strong and easy to release). I find carabiners can be a pain to release if single handed or if it's blowing hard.
• Shackle angles over 120 degrees are a bad idea. So are splice angles over 120 degrees. Join such a bridle with a welded ring and shackle to that.

Eight Days in the Wilds of the Chesapeake

OK, only 5 nights were spent outside of cell and wifi range, so perhaps only those days count, but we had a good time anyway. After all, we wanted to reach civilization for the 4th of July.

The itenierary, which changed from the original plant but was good all the same. All tail winds, a rare occurance in itself.

• Tangier, VA (3 nights)
• Smith Island, MD (1 night)
• Solomons Island, MD (2 nights)
• Un-named Cove near Tilghman Island, MD (1 night)

I'm too tired to tell the story, so I'll just post some pictures, captions, and description where I feel so moved. Not literature. The office misses me and Practical Sailor Mag has me on deadline for several articles and I am thus distracted.

  This is what happens when you leave

 the head window open on a rough 

day; a minor flood of no consequence.

 
Day 1
Light winds, a lot of motoring... and then we hit a fall of 20-knots winds just north of Tangier, which made for some spirited weather work in big waves.  More importantly, we were nicely secured at Park's Marina before a major front charged through. There is really no practical anchoring in the area, and for a $1/foot with a nice bath house and rural quiet at the dock, who would want to? Parks is not the typical big city marina experience.

 Just in time

 

All settled in

Days 2-4, Tangier Island
I've got the activities all mixed up in my head and don't care which came first. Mostly we relaxed and un-hooked. You can get wifi at one lunch place, there are no cell phones, and what's the rush anyway? We swam, caught crabs, ate, explored, kayaked, read... and just hung out too.

 The fishing proved unproductive, but it seems Jessica can always round-up a bucket of crabs with a net and 30 minutes of effort. Crabs that have only been out of the water for 15 minutes are a whole other kind of fresh. 

 The "Uppards" are the norther island of the pair and are no longer inhabited due to erosion and general land subsidence. Nice kayak country.

 Over Tom's Hook

 

 East of Tom's Hook

 This is the main road, so small that a power outage blocks all traffic for the day. It's OK, though; there are smaller roads.

 A major industry is the shedding of pealer crabs into soft shells. The tanks have to be sorted every few hours, lest the soft shells turn into paperbacks any thus be released (pealers are generally too small to make legal hard shell crabs).

 A skiff on the beach in the Uppards. It holds water but just isn't worth enough to drag back the water, I guess. Soft in the bottom, perhaps.

Day 4, Smith Island
A roaring sail with a 20-knot tail wind, but all too short as the islands are within sight of each other. We kayaked, but didn't take cameras. We had the best crab cakes on the planet for lunch; Ruke's store is a hole in the wall, but they don't use filler and do everything right. The Smith Island 7-layer cakes are also obligatory.

Smith island is so quiet I would not recommend spending 2 nights unless it is simply a kayaking base camp.

Days 5-6
Another rollicking downwind sail, averaging over 8 knots for the passage, dock to dock. Chute up most of the time.

Solomons Island. Walked around town, ate, swam in the pool and watched the fireworks. Nice enough.

The Calvert Maritime Museum is well worth a visit, much different from its cousin in St. Michaels. More focused on life in the area (people and marine) than work boats, it is largly indoors, which is a blessing in mid-July. The screw pile light house is a twin to that at St. Michaels, but yet furnished very differently; the St' Michaels house was a spartan man cave for a pair of  watch keepers, whereas the Drum Point Light was virtually on-shore and was occupied by a family with children. The difference in furnishings (more bedrooms, less need to hoard supplies against the risk of issolation by storms) reflects the presence of a woman and is much more friendly.

  A fossil megaladon shark at the Calvert (Solomons Island) Maritime Museum. We wouldn't have mugged for the camera, but it REALLY looks like a comic book shark. My daughter found a fossil megaladon tooth 2 days later in Herring Bay. Big. She really has the eagle eye for fossil teeth and arrow heads.

  

We put miles on the kayaks, tested the Mantus chain hook a few times, ate, drank, watched movies, and stared at the heavens. Nice.

Day 7
Still down wind, but in a fading breeze, all spinnaker running.

The night was spent in an un-named cove off Harris Creek. A little shore line exploration and wading with my daughter. A nice picnic supper on the trampoline, facing into a cooling breeze, as temperatures fell and humidity fell. Our own private zen spot, not in guides, not visited by cruisers. We go there often.

Day 8
A brief stop at Dogwood Harbor on Tighlman Island to look at a pair of skipjacks. There is no anchorage so we tied to the town dock for 30 minutes, before the crabbers returned to off-load their catch in the early afternoon.

A nice slow reach across the Bay in a rising breeze to Herring Bay, where Jessica found the largest shark's tooth we have found to date (sand tiger, over 1-inch).  We anchored near shore for a time, packing up in the breeze rather than in the confines of the harbor.

---------

A nice family outing.

High Speed Realestate--Beach Overruns Metompkin Island Channel

When I first began exploring the Virginia Inside Passage (VIP) it was passable in smaller boats from Chincoteague to Cape Charles. In fact, the Coast Guard advised me that it seemed to be getting better and they were able to run the passage in their 40-footers at high tide. I'm sure extensive local knowledge helped.

The Wire Passage, near marker 70. 2005.

But several storms over the past few years have moved the beach so far the passage has vanished.

Wire Passage, Fall 2012.

Will this eventually turn into a new inlet, perhaps 5 years from now? Possibly, but I think probably not. Are there alternative passages that might be developed? No, all of the alternative guts are tiny. And still, the tides have to flow somewhere, so in 5 years I'm sure things will look different. For now, there is no inside passage from Chincoteague to Wachapreague. This is a very lightly used area, so the Army Corp of Engineers and Coast Guard will justifiably take no interest. Read this:

Coast Guard seeks public comment for disestablishment of Virginia Inside Passage

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard is seeking public comment on the proposal to disestablish the navigational aids along the Virginia Inside Passage inside of Metompkin Bay near Chincoteague during the next two months.

The proposed disestablishment is due to encroaching shoaling conditions, limited surveys and a lack of funds to dredge the passage.

Navigation along routes from east to west or the inlets that lead to and from sea will not be affected by the changes.

The proposal encompasses the disestablishment of 135 aids to navigation along approximately 100 miles of the Virginia Inside Passage from Chincoteague to the northwest side of Fisherman Island.

The Coast Guard is soliciting comments on the proposed disestablishment and the possible impact on business operations and navigation along the route.  It is also requested that the type of transportation used is included in the correspondence.

Comments may be sent to Albert Grimes via e-mail at Albert.L.Grimes@uscg.mil or by mail at Commander (dpw), Attn: Albert Grimes, 431 Crawford Street, Room 100, Portsmouth, VA 23704-5004.

It seems the markers for the inlets--Chincoteague, Wachapreague, Sand Shoal--will be maintained as these are used daily by the local fishing fleets. Thus, they will remain available as alternative harbors for sailor interested in the Delmarva route. However, for those that would like to run inside, it sounds like the time is NOW!

Tight Lines

What happens if the lines are too tight when the tide drops?

Possibly this. The boat had been in the water only 3 days.

Mooring Bridles

6-16-2016, Rev.7-8-2015, rev. 8-1-2024


Why the post? Mantus Anchors has given me a bridle and chain hook to test for Practical Sailor Magazine. The quality of construction and detail work is exemplary; good splices, good hardware, and good chafing gear well secured with stitching. The design of the hook is both simple and elegant and may be the new "best"  design at any price. I will spend this summer finding out.

At the same time it is apparent to me that there is no single right answer for the bridle itself. While the Mantus construction is absolutely first rate, every situation has a best answer. They have made conservative design choices, and I respect that.

______________________

For monohulls, a bridle is often used to take the chain load off the windlass, the surge load off the roller, absorb the wave shocks that chain can't, and perhaps keep the boat a little better into the wind. For catamaran bridles are a daily essential, since moored to a single bow they sail at anchor.

The Basics

The Need

• Multihulls must be moored on a bridle or they sail all over the place. With a bridle they sit steady like a rock, the long legs providing the leverage required to keep the nose right into the wind.
• Multihulls with all-chain rodes need the shock absorption. They often anchor in water more shallow than monohulls; a relatively short rode and steeper waves increases the tendency of steep waves to snap the rode tight, creating forces far beyond anything the gear can handle--boats have been lost this way. To prevent this, the legs must be long and sized correctly.
• Some bottoms provide poor holding and anything that can reduce forces will help keep the hook in the bottom.
 

The carabiner hook is for moorings.

The Requirements

• The legs must be at least 1 X the beam or they can be difficult to rig in rough conditions. It is good to have the option of working from either bow. This is also a good minimum for keeping the boat straight.
• They must be adjustable if needed. When tying to a mooring ball it can be very handy to shorten them, to hold the ball between and away from the hulls. If the waves are coming at an angle, for example around a point of land, it can be helpful to angle the bow.
• For permanent moorings they only need be strong. Nylon will stretch enough.In fact, often it is desirable to limit stretch to reduce movement in the chocks and chafe. Polyester and even Amsteel can be good choices.
• For anchoring they need be long enough and thin enough to provide stretch. One size lighter than the anchor rope is probably a good starting point, since there are 2 legs carrying the load (though there is some angle). Even smaller can make sense and give a smoother ride, if they are longer (1.5-2 X beam) and replaced more often.
• 3-strand, braid or even climbing rope. Braid and climbing rope have considerably better fatigue life when loaded heavily, particularly in smaller sizes.
• Chafing gear.
• A means of attaching the bridle to the chain that will NOT fall of when the chain is bounced slack on the bottom (back to that shallow draft thing). Ordinary chain hooks can and do come off. A plate is a good method. So is the Mantus chain hook. Or rather I will find out. 
• Rolling hitches and cow-hitched slings also work well, for attaching the bridle to the chain and have advantages: easy to release, feed through rollers better, easy on the chain (no wear on the galvanizing) cheap, and totally dependable. I prefer a hook simply because it is a little faster, but that doesn't make me right about this. I use these methods when setting a second anchor (to connect the rodes) and have never had a problem.
• The best method may be a Dyneema soft shackle through the chain. This has the advantage of being retrievable over the roller.

The Engineering

What line, how long, and how strong? Like most things, there is not one answer, but I will describe what makes sense for me. Your situation may differ.

For permanent moorings--something I very seldom use--the answer seems relatively simple; plenty strong, at least as heavy as the anchor line but more likely up one size, any rope type, and just sort enough that the ball cannot touch the hulls. Lots of chafe gear. If storing my boat on a mooring I would favor over size line and preferably limited-stretch line to limit movement in the chocks. But like I said, I have no extended real world experience.

The Mantus bridle package. Heavier line than I use on the Chesapeake, but better for durability and rough use.

For anchoring in open areas. I avoid them, and avoiding them is generally easy on the Chesapeake.

• One size smaller than the anchor line (if rode is 1/2", use 7/16" bridle). The load is shared by 2 legs and we can use some stretch. Has to be strong enough to endure full chain working load,  but remembering that it is backed-up by the chain and will be replaced every few years.
• Minimum 1X beam length per leg, and preferably more. If there is ANY risk of serious swell in shallow water, 2X beam is prudent. While the chain can absorb gusts and veers, only the bridle is available to absorb a quick rise of the bow caused by waves during gusts that already have the chain straightened out or effectively straight. The chain may not be in a completely straight line, some few feet may even remain on the bottom, but further strain provides no significant lengthening in the few seconds it takes for a wave to pass.  If this bow rise is 4-6 feet, then the bridle must stretch perhaps 1/2 of this, or perhaps 3 feet. Thus, at least 25 feet of bridle are needed.

For anchoring in soft mud. An even softer catch is needed. By far the most common anchoring hazard of the Chesapeake Bay, dragging is common and rode failure is VERY rare. Additionally, this soft catch makes setting the anchor easier, even with new-age anchors; I have a Manson Supreme and previously used a Delta. While chain help keep the shank down, the extra cushion of rope helps too, particularly in shallow sets.

• Two sizes lighter than the anchor line with separate eyes for each leg. Where I might use 1/2-inch anchor line, 3/8-inch is perfectly acceptable for a bridle/snubber. I've used old rock climbing lines and been very satisfied, replacing this every 100 uses or so. Alternatively, a longer bridle will do the same thing with greater strength.
• Replace more often. This is not just for wear. The ability of line to stretch fades after a few thousand hard cycles. When the line stiffens noticeably and it is time for replacement. The change in hand is often apparent.

What about strength? The apex is formed by an eye-splice with a thimble and then a Y-splice about 16 inches further down, all professionally executed and covered with hollow webbing for chare protection. The question is, how does a Y-splice react to broad Y angles? While I'm sure it is 100% strength at shallow angles, when shortened for mooring balls what happens? Given that the Mantus bridle is conservatively constructed this is only an engineer's curiosity.

And what about double braid? The apex will then be formed by either a figure-8 knot (80% strength at low angles, 60% strength at 90 degree angles) or a seizing.

What about 2 legs joined with a shackle? This is quite prone to failure as the angle becomes too wide. I'm sure many of us have destroyed a shackle when it shifted such that the load came on cross-wise and the threads stripped. Two legs to a plate is tough on the plate but can be designed for. Mine is.

______________________

So do your own math. Your anchoring habits may differ.

Rev. 6-16-2013

Initial testing.

• Deploying. the bridle can be fed through the roller to the chain and deployed from on-deck, no problem. It will not bounce off going over the roller; I tried this repeatadly and it never shifted. No tendancy to hang-up either.
• Flipping the hook off accidentally while lowering. I violently flipped the chain every way I could think of, repeatedly. I lowered the anchor in every sloppy way I could think of. It seems unlikely in the extreme that the hook will ever come off while deploying, and FAR less likely than a conventional hook.
• Flipping of when setting on the bottom. Improbable in the extreme.
• Retreaval. While it's possible to flip the hook off with just the right sequence of flips, reaching over may be easier. It is not generally practical to bring it up through the roller, at least not on my boat; jamed every time. But it comes off very easily if I reach over with one hand.

Rev.  7-7-2013
After 8-day trip.

• Hook is fast and easy.
• I spliced a new bridle from 1/2-inch medium lay 3-strand (the Mantus unit was 5/8-inch hard lay) and for my purposes it is much better; easier to stow, shock absorption better matched to the boat, and is still plenty strong enough (the stock anchor cable is 1/2-inch). I did use 2 independent eyes at the apex to slightly increase strength. I used 25-foot legs (I had 15-foot legs before); these definitely gave better shock absorption in open anchorages, greatly reducing the load on the anchor and the passengers.
• Though I'm not a fan of 3-strand, it certainly seems to stretch more than double braid (generally) and that gives it the nod in this application.

I'm not yet certain I would use it on a mooring for permanent attachment, for months unattended. I think it would be fine, but I prefer the 100% security of a chain plate with a latch. But for typical cruising, I think it is my new favorite.

Rev. 7-12-2013
Yup, it does come off on its own. The 50th trial. And then it came off 2 more times, always when lying on mud under very light to zero winds.

I'm sure it was a very specific anchoring scenario, but I went to up-anchor and the hook came off while the chain was still on the bottom. I still like it, I still use it as my primary, and I have a number of designs available to me. Just sayin.... I believe that unless the hook rests on the bottom the chance of it coming off is VERY nearly zero. Would it have come off if we were not weighing anchor? I doubt it but only time will tell.

Rev. 8-10-2013
Yes, it will come off on its own. Yesterday we came back to the boat only to find the boat hanging from the chain. It had been on, since we power-set the anchor.

Rev. 8-19-2014
I've been testing the new plastic retainer for the hook since fall 2013. The new retainer easily locks on and off with the thumb, allowing easy one-hand operation and complete security. Problem Solved! 

 

  

 

Maybe. The Mantus MKI chain hook has two shortcomings:

• It weakens the chain (breaking strength) about 30%. We're not sure if this applies to the WLL as well and how serious the problem is when used on a snubber. 
• Does not scale up well to chains larger than 1/4-inch. The wonderful one-hand operation goes away.  Thus the recommendation is now either a bridle plate (below), a prusik hitch, or a soft shackle.
  

 

Rev. 7-8-2015
I've switched to an 8mm climbing rope snubber, 35' long, attached to the chain buy a 3/16" Amsteel soft shackle. A very soft ride, less stress on the anchor, and the soft shackle is easily deployed over the rollers. Because of the skinny line, I have 1" tubular webbing covering it at all vulnerable spots.

Exploring a Muddy Creek

Just an uneventful trip report.

June 8th

After a friday filled with torential downpours and with the a Saterday prediction of light winds and drizzel until noon, I thought a short solo trip to the Rhode River was in order. There were some paddling grounds I wanted to explore and ther area is generally so crowded on summer weekends as to be unpalatable.

By noon I reach my destination, anchored near Big Island, and set off to explore the Smithonian Research Center marsh. I was alone, with not a boat or person in sight.

While certainly ecologically diverse, this day it seemed lacking in asthetic charm. But a nice paddle. Perhpas the most interesting feature is the 500-foot long fish fence at the mouth of the creek with a sole and rickety 6-foot entrance gate, 12 feet when both wings are open. Fish thrashed all along the fence, confused by this manmade obbstruction. Useful for survey work, but perhaps harmful in the process, as wittnessed by the carcasses trapped in the fence.

I paddled back to the boat, ready for a rest and a beer, rounded Big Island... and found over 20 anchored boats were now scattered about. By evening this would swell to over 40. So much for solitude.

The guide books tell of the three islands of Rhode River Bay:  High Island, Low Island, and Big Island. High Istland, so named because it had a sharp little summit 30 years ago, slipped below the water about 10 years ago, leaving a large sandy bar only a few inches below the water at low tide. Relaxing to wade about and get splashed by the leaping wakes breaking over this sudden upthrust bottom, I'm surprised it is not a kid-magnant. But I never saw any other person vist. Perhaps they expect the standard Chesapeake mud bottom instead of hard beach sand. Their loss.

Low Island has a nice beach, which the geese and dogs visit to the point of abuse. Partyers with 18-foot run-abouts and bow-riders flock. I don't see the charm.

Big island is only briefly mentioned as "inhospitable." I don't think they ever tried. There are a few moder ate beaches on the southern tip, backed by inpenatrable wetland. There are tangles on the west. But there are many small beaches, both at the edge of clifs and along the east side that quickly lead to a broad sumit of open forrest and mountain laurel that is simply spectacular in early summer. A delightful retreat to the forrestes of the blue ridge, hiden in a crowded Chesapeake river cove. 

I went back to my private mountain retreat a second time later in the afternoon. The sounds are so different from those on a boat, as though I had traveled hundreds of miles in 30 yards. I had to marvel at the fact that in the midst of all this relvery and clammer, that I saw not one foot print or brokken stick, not one empty can or any sign whatsoever of man. Only a few game trails. I've hiked off-trail for miles in the Shenandoah seaking trackless country, and here I found a wonderful patch, hidden by limitied guidebook authors. Now you know.

Western shore of Big Island, Rhode River, with Contes Warf in the distance.

June 9th

A lazy sail home in light winds. I could have hoisted the chute, but I had only a short distance to go and a desire to make it last.

There was one other place I wished to explore, but the lack of convinient harbor had prevented any visit to this nearby creek, just 1/3 mile north of (not so) Deep Creek. In fact, The water shoaled so quickly to 3.5 feet that I was forced to anchor nearly 2/3 mile offshore, in the open. With a hard sand bottom, this presented little risk. The more serious risk is that the dingy outboard would get stuborn, and to row against wind and tide for that distance is impossible. In retrospect I should have towed my kayak, which would have had several advantages:

• Better exploration abilities.
• A way back to the mother ship. The tide and wind would pose only minor irritation.
• A way to tow the dingy back. While this seems funny, the paddling ergonomics are so much better that towing is quite practical.

But I didn't.

As I entered the mouth of this un-named creek a bald eagle lifted from a dead and broken snag, always a good omen. I went the first 24 years of my life never having seen one of these birds, yet this spring alone I've seen 6, the result of time spent in the right habitat and a reflection of their remarkable recovery. Just inside the inlet the water quickly became too shallow even for my dingy and I returned to the mother ship rather than risk a broken sheer pin. But I will return, either by Shoal Survivor or by car-top if I can identify a convinient put-in. The creek and the shoreline thereabouts deserve further exploration.

No pictures. In addition to forgetting my kayak, I forgot the camera. Dunce.

Runt Steps

As near as I can tell, the helm of my boat was intended for a 7'4" helmsman. That's how I see it.

Our delivery trip included bashing up the Chesapeake in gale conditions (35 knots but not too many waves as the fetch was minimal); a harsh way to get to know your boat. It didn't take long to realize that my feet were 6 inches from the floor and that every time I turned the wheel left my body would rotate right. The following week I built a simple a runt box. It was a temporary affair that worked well enough that I didn't revisit the subject for four years. Other PDQ sailors have similar runt boxes. It has become the standard cure.

I often cruise the cast-off piles at local marinas. A few years ago a Prout owner threw out a heavy 3/4-inch floor section of mahogany/holly laminate; solid wood in alternating strips. Nothing wrong for the most part, but there was  split and some damaged edges. I took it home for the scrap heap. I've cut a few projects from it.

I cruise blogs, often seeing projects that spawn other ideas. An interior nav station project made me think of this. About 2 hours labor to trim to size, finish, through-bolt in some mahogany cleats for it to rest upon, and caulk into place with polyurethane.

I think it turned out very well, indistinguishable from a factory effort, perhaps better.

• Better footing that the box since it cannot shift
• Nothing can fall behind it
• An inch higher and a little wider
• More storage space

The non-slip finish is an experiment, based upon a post by Windborne. The last coat of varnish is laid on thick and sprinkled with course-grained salt from a grinder. When dry, the salt is washed away leaving a non-aggressive non-skid finish and is easy and easily redone when worn. Not for steps or other critical high-impact areas, but it look better than sand-varnish, is simpler, and is more simply redone. So far I like it.

Epilogue: The old runt box has not been retired. It is a member of the crew and serves too many other purposes, among other things, supporting the pilot berth. It will retain a well-earned rank of honor.