Bowline to Mooring Ball

[endoftheroad]

Some mooring balls have nylon loops spliced at the top of the ball to tie your mooring lines to.
I currently use 2 lines with spliced thimbles with shackles used to attach to the mooring.
I often stress that my shackles could cut or chaffe the nylon loop (the loop has fire hose for chaffe guard) and am considering using the other end of my mooring lines with a bowline to the mooring ball.

I often see bowlines when tied to a mooring using a double wrap before the rabbit goes through the hole or tree or whatever.
Sorry but I dont know how the tale goes but I know a bowline very well.
In fact it was impossible for me to learn the bowline with the aid of the rabbit tale, once I gave it up I mastered the bowline. It just didn't work for me.

Anyway, my question is;
Is there a benefit to wrap the mooring ball loop twice with each bowline?

Thanks

[model 10]

I was under the impressioin that 2 turns would keep the chafe down.

[Kettlewell]

Taking a double turn before you tie the bowline spreads out the load over a greater area of line, and therefore it should be stronger. But, with the type of mooring you're talking about I suspect they are for day use on the reefs while diving, and I doubt you would be out there in high winds or storm conditions. So, I think it might be overkill for temporary use. A Bowline can come undone in a situation where there is off and on tugging, so it is worthwhile to throw a couple of half hitches on for good measure, or have a second safety line.

[Cotemar]

A Figure Eight would be a much better and stronger knot for that use.

Figure Eight Knot by Pro-Knot

[Paul Elliott]

I like to run the line from my bow cleat, through the mooring ball loop (and, yes, through the loop twice if I feel concerned about chafe), and then take the line back up to the cleat again. This makes it much easier to cast off, and I don't worry about the bowline coming undone.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

I like to run the line from my bow cleat, through the mooring ball loop (and, yes, through the loop twice if I feel concerned about chafe), and then take the line back up to the cleat again. This makes it much easier to cast off, and I don't worry about the bowline coming undone.

+ 1. Standard procedure on our boat. In a breeze, it could be difficult to pull the boat back up to the ball to untie the bowline, but we can always slip off a cleat knot.

[endoftheroad]

Originally Posted by Guy

I was under the impressioin that 2 turns would keep the chafe down.

Yes, as am I but I have concern for if the 2 turns could lessen the integrity of the bowline itself.

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

Yes, as am I but I have concern for if the 2 turns could lessen the integrity of the bowline itself.

I can think of no reason that this would affect the bowline.

[endoftheroad]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Taking a double turn before you tie the bowline spreads out the load over a greater area of line, and therefore it should be stronger. But, with the type of mooring you're talking about I suspect they are for day use on the reefs while diving, and I doubt you would be out there in high winds or storm conditions. So, I think it might be overkill for temporary use. A Bowline can come undone in a situation where there is off and on tugging, so it is worthwhile to throw a couple of half hitches on for good measure, or have a second safety line.

It's actually a city mooring field mooring ball.
Most people here are simply using bowlines and often using only 1 line.
And some are using the loop end of a dock line and others have crazy unsafe knots.
The moorings here used to have a shackle on top of the ball and it worked great to simply use a spliced thimble and shackle to tie up.
But a few years ago they changed them to this nylon loop.
I'm starting to feel uncomfortable with 2 shackles tied to the loop.
I could put one large shackle to the loop to attach my shackles to but that would drag weight encouraging entangling the lines around the mooring.

This is why I'm considering bowlines or double turning my bowlines.

[Kettlewell]

If it is for longer-term use I would use two dock lines with eye slices in the end, cow hitched to the nylon loop on the mooring ball. Like these folks do.

[model 10]

The City of Key West reccomends a bowline with 2 turns for their morring field, they should know what works. And this is an all wx morring field.

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

I like to run the line from my bow cleat, through the mooring ball loop (and, yes, through the loop twice if I feel concerned about chafe), and then take the line back up to the cleat again. This makes it much easier to cast off, and I don't worry about the bowline coming undone.

Add another to the list of folks who do this.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Taking a double turn before you tie the bowline spreads out the load over a greater area of line, and therefore it should be stronger. But, with the type of mooring you're talking about I suspect they are for day use on the reefs while diving, and I doubt you would be out there in high winds or storm conditions. So, I think it might be overkill for temporary use. A Bowline can come undone in a situation where there is off and on tugging, so it is worthwhile to throw a couple of half hitches on for good measure, or have a second safety line.

I was just going to say the same thng. In addition, that's more likely to happen if the line is wet or in the water -- and all that would take is a wave.

[Hydra]

A few years ago, I saw in Practical Boat Owner that a Fisherman's Bend or Anchor Bend is stronger than a Bowline. Of course, it isn't exposed to chafe and doesn't risk to come undone. Since that time, when staying for the night on a mooring ball, I make my mooring line fast to it with a Fisherman's Bend.

Generally, I make 2 bends, one at each end of a line. This way, my boat is protected from a single failure in my gear.

Of course, it takes a bit longer to get underway but I sleep better at night.

Alain

[sabray]

remember that use of bowline is probably cutting 40 percent or more off the working load of the rope. I am using a set up like the ne ropes cyclone pendent. where the stretch is provided in the 3 strand at the mooring and dyneema is taking the chafe point at the chocks. I have 2 1/2" dyneema lines attached to the boat. All lines are spliced. Other real nice thing I have noticed is the lines no longer foul under the mooring ball. Used to really bug me cause I could imagine the lines chafing away wrapped around the mooring.