looks like I need to replace the smaller chain section on my 21 month old mooring, it is on sand and the most active section. Is this the expected condition in 21 months.
Where do people buy good quality chain in Sydney or around Nowra. Would I be better with a particular type of chain on sand.

Strewth mate!!! Why do you need chain like that to hold a 27 ft yacht?? Why not go Super Dan 20 mm floating line??

It has about a 6 tonne working load strength and guess what?? it does not corrode or erode and is good for at least 5 years.

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cisco said..
Strewth mate!!! Why do you need chain like that to hold a 27 ft yacht?? Why not go Super Dan 20 mm floating line??

It has about a 6 tonne working load strength and guess what?? it does not corrode or erode and is good for at least 5 years.

Not sure, guess that's how mooring contractor built it. And that's the 4 metres of smaller chain, there is 1.8 metres of thicker stuff that's goes right down to block ;-))
So are you saying you can run rope all the way from boat to block? Interestingly a new boat just near me does that, thought it looked strange. Where do you get the cushioning effect that a chain has.

Bullivants for chain. I've never bought any from them but they are the suppliers of quality chain. bullivants.com/

I would recommend about 3m of quality chain from the block with Chinese shackles and swivel and a rope riser. I use 1 inch 3 strand nylon. Change the shackles and swivel regularly and mouse with electrical ties. Depending on how thick that large chain is on the bottom a rope rode from that would do. I have nylon from the large chain up to a swivel 1 metre up so it stays off the bottom and them nylon to the boat. Nylon will handle a lot of stretch and absorb the shocks that will happen on moorings in JB. The only down side is it sinks so not quite so handy as polyprop when you are picking up your mooring.
This is a photo of a mooring on sand and strong current and pretty sure the same contractor. The problem is self evident.

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Ramona said..
Bullivants for chain. I've never bought any from them but they are the suppliers of quality chain. bullivants.com/

I would recommend about 3m of quality chain from the block with Chinese shackles and swivel and a rope riser. I use 1 inch 3 strand nylon. Change the shackles and swivel regularly and mouse with electrical ties. Depending on how thick that large chain is on the bottom a rope rode from that would do. I have nylon from the large chain up to a swivel 1 metre up so it stays off the bottom and them nylon to the boat. Nylon will handle a lot of stretch and absorb the shocks that will happen on moorings in JB. The only down side is it sinks so not quite so handy as polyprop when you are picking up your mooring.
This is a photo of a mooring on sand and strong current and pretty sure the same contractor. The problem is self evident.

Yeah ok, but wouldn't that just make the larger chain more active and it would cop the erosion/corrosion. And I thought the last place you would want movement would be the on eyelet cast into the block.

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keensailor said..

Ramona said..
Bullivants for chain. I've never bought any from them but they are the suppliers of quality chain. bullivants.com/

I would recommend about 3m of quality chain from the block with Chinese shackles and swivel and a rope riser. I use 1 inch 3 strand nylon. Change the shackles and swivel regularly and mouse with electrical ties. Depending on how thick that large chain is on the bottom a rope rode from that would do. I have nylon from the large chain up to a swivel 1 metre up so it stays off the bottom and them nylon to the boat. Nylon will handle a lot of stretch and absorb the shocks that will happen on moorings in JB. The only down side is it sinks so not quite so handy as polyprop when you are picking up your mooring.
This is a photo of a mooring on sand and strong current and pretty sure the same contractor. The problem is self evident.

Yeah ok, but wouldn't that just make the larger chain more active and it would cop the erosion/corrosion. And I thought the last place you would want movement would be the on eyelet cast into the block.

Hi, the most important part of Ramona's suggestion is to ensure that the swivel is one metre off the bottom, never should the rope riser sit on the bottom when there is a boat attached.

Having been on a rope only fore and aft mooring for the past two years I can attest to the use of superdan (once you get the scope right). I had my moorings lifted and moved late last year and the lines were as good as new. However with rope only moorings the boat moves around a lot more at low tide than with chain and rope and I would not be comfortable with rope only on a swing mooring, even with floating line the likelihood of chafe and tangling are just too great.

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keensailor said..

Ramona said..
Bullivants for chain. I've never bought any from them but they are the suppliers of quality chain. bullivants.com/

I

Yeah ok, but wouldn't that just make the larger chain more active and it would cop the erosion/corrosion. And I thought the last place you would want movement would be the on eyelet cast into the block.

Use quality chain and crappy shackles. The shackles are sacrificial. The shackle I have that attaches to the main chain has a polypropylene spacer on it. I machine a boat roller that slides over the pin of the shackle with a deep vee that centres the link. I had to make this in two pieces to install underwater. I recess one side so that the electrical tie can not come into contact with the link This keeps everything separated and I have not noticed any wear as yet. My chain is probably 10 years old and is as new.
The chain in your photo looks like electrolysis damage. The shackle in my photo shows what happens with SS/monel mousing [same contractor I bet]. Severe electrolysis on the shackle and some links. The chain is showing what happens with chain on sand bottom with strong current after about 3 years.
This yacht came off it's mooring a few weeks after the contractor checked it. allegedly he checked the mooring next to it by mistake.

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Ramona said..

keensailor said..

Ramona said..
Bullivants for chain. I've never bought any from them but they are the suppliers of quality chain. bullivants.com/

I

Yeah ok, but wouldn't that just make the larger chain more active and it would cop the erosion/corrosion. And I thought the last place you would want movement would be the on eyelet cast into the block.

Use quality chain and crappy shackles. The shackles are sacrificial. The shackle I have that attaches to the main chain has a polypropylene spacer on it. I machine a boat roller that slides over the pin of the shackle with a deep vee that centres the link. I had to make this in two pieces to install underwater. I recess one side so that the electrical tie can not come into contact with the link This keeps everything separated and I have not noticed any wear as yet. My chain is probably 10 years old and is as new.
The chain in your photo looks like electrolysis damage. The shackle in my photo shows what happens with SS/monel mousing [same contractor I bet]. Severe electrolysis on the shackle and some links. The chain is showing what happens with chain on sand bottom with strong current after about 3 years.
This yacht came off it's mooring a few weeks after the contractor checked it. allegedly he checked the mooring next to it by mistake.

yes, it looks like electrolysis. Different contractor to the one you are thinking of, this guy is from Batemans Bay, he has used High carbon steel bolts and nylon lock nuts with stainless split pin.

The good thing with your mooring is at low tide you can pull that expensive array of shackles clear of the water to inspect the first few links of chain. I would be keeping an eye on that plastic pipe over the silver rope too. UV will sharpen up the edges and it can cut through the rope. Fortunately there are plenty of people moving past there that will notice when the strands hang down.

That bottom photo is interesting for the varying grades of steel in direct contact.