Subject: [Catalina22] Turk's Mooring Pennant

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 22:08:38 EST

Turk et al:
 
Turk your mooring set up is superb, however, as that is how I do it (even  
down to the clove hitch onto the three strand by the double braided) it figures  
I would say that.
 
Nevertheless, the length of your three strand looks about five to six feet  
from eye center to eye center.  Mine is only three feet so that the overall  
length with the double braided line clove hitched onto the “upper” eye with the 
 two eye ends then sticking out is about six feet.  I am sorry if my  
instructions did not indicate this, however, they may have and you made the  three 
strand the longer length on purpose.  Nevertheless, I think you will  find you 
only need it about three feet eye center to eye center.
 
Please note how Turk will attach this three strand line to the ball.   He 
uses a thimbled eye and a shackle.  The metal thimble is necessary to  avoid 
chafe from the shackle.  The shackle should also have wire in the  small hole in 
the pin wrapped around the shackle to prevent the pin from  turning, and the 
boat going slipping away.  Shackle the pennant onto the  stationary eye on the 
float with the chain shackled to the same ring.
 
Turk has one of those balls that have two rings on each end.  One ring  
usually swivels about a pin while the other is stationary.  Now despite  that the 
manufacturer puts the blue strip onto the ball so that one should  attach the 
mooring chain to the swiveling ring and as such provide some  swiveling action 
for the chain, this is a bad idea that only serves to sell  mooring balls.  
That swiveling eye will eat through its pin and that  expensive ball will float 
away.  So, shackle the pennant and the mooring  chain to the stationary pin.  
This will last far longer than the pin with a  swiveling eye on it.  In that 
way one connects the chain and the pennant on  the same ring, which being 
thick, is quite secure.  Does this despite what  others say about the swiveling 
action.  You don’t need swiveling action  that high up.  Only about mid way in 
the mooring chain.
 
Finally, Turk has some chafing covers on his doubled braided line.  If  he 
pushes the eyes of the double braided line through the open base of standard  
Catalina cleats positioned on the bow gunwales, this should not be  necessary.  
The gunwales and rub rail of the Catalina 22 are very smooth  and should not 
induce any wear on the pennant.  I have used this set up for  years and have 
not experienced any chafing. 
 
Bayard Gross
C-22 #9911
Baby Blue
Greenwich, CT