How to Make a Snubber-Bridle Question

[RabidRabbit]

Eye splices are just super fun to make and I put'em everywhere.

[Vasco]

Except for cats I think a single line snubber is more effective and more easily deployed. The strain is never even on a double one on a mono.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by 67Therapy

Ah...For some reason I had it in my mind you meant side to side adjustable and I couldn't understand why anyone would do that. Duh. Ha!

Sometimes a side to side adjustment can help on some boats. Slightly cocking the boat can help reduce sailing at anchor. Also it might be possible to take one side of the bridle to midships and cock the boat so it lies better to the swell, reducing roll.

[Kettlewell]

People make snubbers way too complicated. Get a hunk of 3-strand nylon and tape or whip the ends, tie one end to something on the boat so you don't lose it (usually the base of a cleat for me) and then use a rolling hitch to the tie the other end to the chain or rope, adjust length, and cleat off. If you prefer, splice it or use a bowline to tie it to the chain hook. Never had one fail. Tieing the chain hook on means you can refresh the end once in awhile in about 30 seconds if you are worried about chafe.

[67Therapy]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Except for cats I think a single line snubber is more effective and more easily deployed. The strain is never even on a double one on a mono.

Do you run the single line snubber through the bow roller?

Originally Posted by Paul L

Sometimes a side to side adjustment can help on some boats. Slightly cocking the boat can help reduce sailing at anchor. Also it might be possible to take one side of the bridle to midships and cock the boat so it lies better to the swell, reducing roll.

Ah...(again). I see...smart. Thanks.

[67Therapy]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

People make snubbers way too complicated. Get a hunk of 3-strand nylon and tape or whip the ends, tie one end to something on the boat so you don't lose it (usually the base of a cleat for me) and then use a rolling hitch to the tie the other end to the chain or rope, adjust length, and cleat off. If you prefer, splice it or use a bowline to tie it to the chain hook. Never had one fail. Tieing the chain hook on means you can refresh the end once in awhile in about 30 seconds if you are worried about chafe.

I really didn't mean to make it too complicated. I mostly was hoping for a small project where I could learn some rope work...but I do have a tendency to overcomplicate according to my better half....

[Kettlewell]

Sorry, I didn't mean to be critical, but I think of a snubber as a piece of sacrificial rope that will get renewed pretty often, and I suspect if I made mine too fancy I would be tempted to hang onto it too long. They live out on deck in the sun and probably should be replaced fairly often. Plus, the plain and simple length of line is easily adjustable.

[RabidRabbit]

I just made a new snubber days ago, heres what i did. Took a 40' long 5/8" line and spliced a hook directly to one end (2 strands through one way, 1 strand the other way) and spliced in back onto itself 8 inches, then put a eye splice in the other end just cause its super fun. Then took another 40' 5/8" line and unlayed 18" and put a tiny constrictor knot to keep it from unraveling more. then measured 18" down from the hook on the first line and spliced in the second line, at roughly 10" down the line you come to the end of the hook splice and now are splicing into 3 lines for 8" or so until the bitter end of line 2 sticks out by the hook. I have not scene this in a book.

[glenn.225]

Reguarding the Y-splice. If started properly and a long enough splice the legs are identical and of equal strength.

[Kettlewell]

Too heavy as a snubber on a 32-footer. You want something like 3/8" nylon, and only one strand for that size boat. You want some give in it.

[67Therapy]

Originally Posted by RabidRabbit

... just cause its super fun.

This is what I was going for..."super fun." When we get to Key West, I'll send you a note for a splicing party. I want to learn how to do this well.

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Too heavy as a snubber on a 32-footer. You want something like 3/8" nylon, and only one strand for that size boat. You want some give in it.

I was wondering about line weight. For my boat (49'), I think 3/4" dock lines are about right and was going to use 5/8 on the snubber, but was wondering if it would have enough stretch.

[Kettlewell]

I wouldn't go over 1/2 inch on a 49-footer for a snubber. You want it to have elasticity.

[klem]

Regarding a single line versus two, it really depends on your bow setup and how badly the boat sails at anchor. If your boat tends to sail at anchor, one of the best ways to deal with this is to have the snubber come from a point as far forward as possible. On some boats, there is a good fairlead there that works well while on others, you need to come from cleats or chocks that are several feet aft of the bow. On these boats, having a bridle can help a lot even on a mono as it effectively moves the pivot point of the snubber line forward.

I agree with the other posters that a simple snubber is best if you can get away with it. Chain hook versus rolling hitch is really about personal preference. A bridle is only necessary if you have no other good fairlead near the bow.

If you are asking about a snubber, I would assume that you have an all chain rode or enough chain that you often don't have any line out. For sizing, I like my normal snubber to be sized so that it will start stretching around the time that the chain catenary starts to loose its effectiveness as a shock absorber. For a 32' boat, something along the lines of 1/2" would work well for this. If it isn't providing enough stretch, then simply let out a few more feet. I also like to have a storm snubber which has a much larger safety and is similar to what a mooring pendant diameter would be which would be 3/4" for a 32' boat. If used in lighter airs, this would have extremely little stretch so you would need a very long length which is why this is reserved for storms.

[Bash]

If you're set on using a bridle rather than a simple snubber, the easiest way to do it is to seize a thimble into the middle of a light piece of line, and then whip each end. That way, you'll use cleat knots rather than end splices to attach the bridle to the boat.

If you go this way, consider using the lightest nylon line you can get away with. You want a snubber to stretch.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Except for cats I think a single line snubber is more effective and more easily deployed. The strain is never even on a double one on a mono.

+1. If you've got 20' of rope, make two 10' snubbers. Simplicity is your friend on a monohull, as is redundancy. I don't even use a thimble on mine anymore. Just splice the chain hook onto one end, and whip the other.