Bow Eye Strength

[Vipersdad]

Would the bow eye be the best primary mooring point on a permanent mooring buoy or would the bow cleat be better?

How strong is the bow eye?

Right now I am planning to use the bow eye with a thimble and shackle for my primary pendant attachment and the anchor roller and bow cleat as my secondary line attachment point.

Any suggestions or comments?

Thanks.

[MacGyver]

Viper,

Just my opinion purely that the bow cleat would be better, the amount of glass it would have to shear and the pull position, etc to me would be harder to do than the bow eye.

If it is a big issue, or something I would do, to ensure safety I would run off the main cleat, and run a safety line from it to the bow eye. That way in a case of catastrophic failure, it would have a back up pull point.

In all my years of working at the marina, and repairing boats, I have never had to repair a cleat pull out except once but it wasnt from that, it was user stupidity.
Bow eyes though, I have done probably 6, mainly from tearing out from trailer winching, etc. 

Hope this helps you out.

Mac

[Pacman]

The bow eye is there for securing the bow to the trailer, nothing else.

Use pennants on the deck cleats for mooring.

[skip1930]

Deck cleats for mooring. And forget you even have a bow eye.

I TIG'ed up Sampson post to replace my deck cleat out of scrap and drops of aluminum-bronze fuel line from a Palmer Johnson Yacht.

skippy needed more height than the cleat provided for more bow and spring lines.

Sorry for the dirt but I had just removed the bow sprit wood.

[Vipersdad]

Skip:  I agree with the "more height needed".  That is why I wondered about using my bow eye as well as the bow cleat.

Did you add a larger or additional backing plate?

[Bob23]

Vip:
   I agree with the other dudes. Use the bow eye only to secure to the trailer. I moor my 1985 23 using the bronze cleat on the foredeck and she's been out in 60 mph blows. I didn't sleep but the boat weathered the storm, pun quite intended.
   I know others who use the boweye and maybe they don't deal with the wind and/or tides that I do. Maybe they're on a lake in which case it might be ok.
   Another reason I use the cleat is that I have 2 mooring lines, 1 through each chock. It seems to minimize swing a little bit but I like the insurance of 2 lines. The steadying sail cuts the swing in half, which eases some of the tension on my mooring tackle.

Bob23

[skip1930]

Yep. Made a 10mm backing plate to match the fwd cleat bolt pattern.
Let's review.

We have 10mm backing plate, 3M-5200 slow set, fiberglass boat top-o-cabin [inside], factory wood boat reinforcement, more fiberglass boat deck [outside] and the Sampson post.
I dare it to pull loose. I'll bet I could pick the 2000 lb boat up with a crane using just that post. Of course it would be hanging funny.
Used the same fastening hardwear as the factory cleat.

skip.

[Vipersdad]

Skip:  Thanks for the detail.

Vipersdad

[Bob23]

Skip:
   I bet you might be able to pick it up. But I also bet in a big blow there could be more than 2000 lbs. of force via windage on the hull and rigging not to mention wave action. Just my amatuer engineering mind at work again.
bob23