Easier way to access bow eye on H23 for mooring?

[isaksp00]

I moor my H23 and find it cumbersome to reach the u-bolt to hook or unhook the mooring line. I have to lie flat on the deck and reach down through the pulpit to reach the eye. I'm looking for a more convenient approach. I don't like the idea of using the pin in the anchor locker as it seems as if it would put pressure on the pulpit stanchion.

Does anyone who moors have a design?

All I've thought of so far is to hook a 2 to 3 ft piece of mooring line with a thimble and shackle at the end attached to that bow eye, and have the mooring snap hook attach to the thimble on the other end. The line would be kept up against the bow using a 5 or 6 ft thinner (like 1/4 in) line while sailing. I'd grab the mooring painter, snap it to the upper (or outer, depending on how you look at it) end of this "painter extension", and then cleat the bitter end of the thin line so it is loose and thus never has any tension while moored. Seems sort of complex, but maybe better than lying down all the time.

 

[carboman]

I agree, a total pain! My bow eye came loose and I was about a week away from my boat going its merry way. For the interim, I have a cleat on both sides, just behind the anchor locker doors. I teid 3 or 4 feet of line to each to make a "V". The end of the "V" is a loop which I hook to a stainless steel hook with a spring. There are companies that make a cool system and a hoot you are supposed to be able to hook and unhook from the decek. It's slipping my mind right now.

 

[MrUnix]

Are any of them easy to reach?!?

I moor my H23 and find it cumbersome to reach the u-bolt to hook or unhook the mooring line.

I agree, a total pain!

I have never had or seen a boat that didn't have a u-bolt that was hard to reach from the deck.. does any exist that are easy to reach? I dunno.. but this problem isn't specific to the H23! I always considered it only for attaching the trailer winch hook to, and use the bow cleats/guides for mooring

Cheers,
Brad

 

[isaksp00]

The mooring line I bought is overly stout - like 3/4 ". It is too thick to be cleated on the bow cleats. I guess I could create a bridle of 2 smaller lines hooked to a single front shackle, using the cleats. I don't want to rely on one only, as it could fail - I'll have to see if I have access to the underside to check for backing plates, at least, to see if it no less robust than the bow eye. The downside of that is that I do often use those cleats to tie to a dock (to load the boat once unmoored) so I'd be removing and reattaching the bridle. Trying to make more practical use of the eye gets me around that.
Thanks for the tips, Peter

 

[Benny17441]

Not only is the usual mooring line overly stout but it is usually full of slime and marine growth which makes it undesirable to bring on deck. The use of a bridle to be tied to the boat's cleats is the solution. That "U" bolt on the bow sported by most trailerable boats was not designed to hold a boat in a mooring. They are usually just set in fiberglass and purposely do not sport a backing plate. They are not intended to and will not hold the same force as a cleat. The purpose of this "U" bolt is to help guide the boat unto a trailer, not pull the boat on a trailer but to help guide and float the boat on the trailer and secure it for transportation.