Bow eye backing plates?

[wuwhoya]

I'm in the process of replacing my bow eye for the second time. I had been using the eye as the point of attachment to a bouey, but after Irene came through NC, I learned this is not the best method. For the last repair, I used a piece of treated 4x4 lumber for my backing plate. The bow eye bolts ate through this pretty quickly (pictures to follow soon). Anybody have recommendations on the best material to use for the backing plate? I've seen hard woods, flat stainless steel plates, and even a steel pipe that ran along the seem of the bowl. Thanks for any thoughts or advice,
Almost There...

 

[Jackdaw]

As it seems you have seen now, the bow eye is NOT the way to attach to a buoy. Use a bridle of 3-strand rope around deck/bow fittings to attach to the buoy line. Protect all from chafe. This will handle the sideways loads MUCH better than the bow-eye would, which was designed to be pull on from straight ahead only.

 

[OdayDave]

The previous owners had a leak from the hose to the anchor well which rotted out the backing plate on the bow eye of my O'Day 25. I took the plastic material from a cutting board, cut three pieces (about 6 inches long) and to the width of the little channel in which the original one fit, and then used those as backing plates. I got everything sealed up with 5200 chalk and after it had set up, I tightened everything up. It doesn't leak now, and I check it a few times a year to make sure. But if a leak does occur, at least it won't rot out the wood again.

Concerning the mooring attachments, one thing I did last year was to attach a swivel to the two pennants from the mooring ball so the lines don't get tangled when the boat rotates. It worked like a charm all year long.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25