chafe guards

[Marian Feldman]

Have a typhoon and she ran aground last season. Want chafe guards that fit under the chocks. any recommendations? thanks



Mojo49@aol.com

[John R.]

Have a typhoon and she ran aground last season. Want chafe guards that fit under the chocks. any recommendations? thanks

Fire hose........damn tough! I've been getting it from fire service companies. You can also try your local fire department, they will give it to you free rather than having to purchase long lengths from commercial sources.

Any of you folks in the hurricane belt such as here in Florida best get a hold of this stuff. Best anti chafe I've ever found. You can use a grommet punch, hammer and an oak block to to punch lashing holes in the material. I lash with heavy wire ties or leather lacing. The leather lacing will get very tight after becoming wet.

A decent commercial product is the Salisbury chafe guards. They are made of a white rubber (not sure what the compound is) and they hold up pretty well, are easy to put on and remove. Aren't cheap. Take up a lot of space inside a chock so running multiple lines such as storm lines can be limited when using them.

[Brian W.]

Regarding the white rubber chafe guards, there has been talk of the fact that when they undergo considerable stress (the chafing they're designed to guard against) there can be signifcant heat buildup from the friction. Since the white rubber forms a tube around the line, the heat inside can APPARENTLY be enough to melt a line. Don't know this first hand, but I have read things to this effect. For this reason I would opt for the fire hose idea, or a leather chafe guard.

Have a typhoon and she ran aground last season. Want chafe guards that fit under the chocks. any recommendations? thanks

Fire hose........damn tough! I've been getting it from fire service companies. You can also try your local fire department, they will give it to you free rather than having to purchase long lengths from commercial sources.

Any of you folks in the hurricane belt such as here in Florida best get a hold of this stuff. Best anti chafe I've ever found. You can use a grommet punch, hammer and an oak block to to punch lashing holes in the material. I lash with heavy wire ties or leather lacing. The leather lacing will get very tight after becoming wet.

A decent commercial product is the Salisbury chafe guards. They are made of a white rubber (not sure what the compound is) and they hold up pretty well, are easy to put on and remove. Aren't cheap. Take up a lot of space inside a chock so running multiple lines such as storm lines can be limited when using them.

[David Brownlee]

Over the years we've had very good luck with heavy cotton canvas (salvaged from split deck-chair seats) which we wrap around the mooring/dock line and lash into place. The sew-on leather chafing gear kits wear through with astonishing speed. And the white rubber guards can develop a vulnerable-looking kink when sharply bent (for crossed stern lines, for example.)

Ann and David Brownlee
CD 31 #1 "Windrush"
Havre de Grace, MD



dbrownle@sas.upenn.edu

[Richard Stephens]

Marian,

My mooring is in an exposed location... here's my experience.

As the boat places varying loads on the mooring rode, the length of nylon between the bow chock and the cleat will stretch, so there is always rubbing motion between the rope and the chock. I have been through all kinds of durable materials to withstand this rubbing, but they all wear through at the pinch-point in a couple of months.

A while ago I decided to change tack: I got some SOFT vinyl hose 3/4 internal diameter (which wedges nicely in the chock so it won't jump out) I split the hose and slipped it over the rode (1/2 inch three-strand nylon), but I did not attach it to the rode. The rode was at that time already bound in duct tape, creating a smooth surface. The soft vinyl sticks to the chock, and the relative motion is between the smooth, slippery surfaces of the inside of the hose and the duct tape. I placed a binding on the rode a few inches either end of the hose to keep it approximately in place when the boat is off the mooring. That setup has lasted two and half years, and is showing no sign of wear.

I made a new rode this year, and version two of my scheme is as follows: First, I put the vinyl hose on the rode before splicing the ends, so there's no need to split it. Next I did away with the duct tape, and I sprayed the rode and the inside of the hose with McLube Sailkote (amazing stuff!). I'll let you know in two years how it is doing...

Regards,
Richard (Typhoon "Blue Diamond")



richard@memory-map.com