Stern Tie Gear Choices?

Hi folks,

We're hoping to spend most of the summer of 2017 cruising the PNW (San Juans, Gulf Is, BCVancouver Is. coast) in our Grand Banks 32 (17,000 pounds).

I'm trying to figure out the best choices for stern tie gear, so have a few questions, as usual!

1. How much? Waggoner suggests 600 ft. Any experience re: having more or less?

2. Size? 3/8 in would be easier to store, but too light? Is 1/2 in. overkill for this purpose?

3. Yellow poly for sure, but 3-strand or braided? Braided will presumably be easier to handle, but is more expensive. Any experience either way?

4. I'm thinking of spooling it onto a Home Depot-style plastic garden hose reel. Thought and/or experience on the reel issue?

5. Any other thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help. This forum is the BEST!

Oldersalt
GB 32 Pacific Star, 1990-834
San Francisco.

"Everything on your boat is broken. You just don't know it yet."

Re 1. Yes I would go with 600'. Though many achorages have the stern quite close to shore, the extra length is well worth it when setting the lines. We have managed to avoid total keystone cops situations, but short handed in a cross wind I certainly appreciate having lots of line!

Re 3. We use 3 strand. Not as good to be sure but a lot easier on the boat budget.

Re 4. Any you will see many garden-hose-reel variations when cruising. Again, all due to ecomonics. I personally made something with an old rope spool from the Chandlery. There are number of posting online about using PVC tubing to make up a bracket too.

There is a lot of great cruising up here. I expect you will love it!

I agree entirely with nmuir. Braided is nice and looks good but is way too much money. My three-strand (600') has lasted for three years so far and has not shown any signs of deterioration. I have 200' or more of 1/2" spliced to 400' of 3/8." The lighter line is easier to wrap around the bridle (I don't do trees) and the heavier line does the work once I pull in the slack. I use an old rope spool that I got out of the dumpster at the chandlery.

Get 6' or so of old chain and put a large shackle on one end. The shackle gets dropped into a crack in a convenient rock and the other end you pass your stern line through. No grief to the trees, no scrambling up a steep slippery bank to find a tree and you get to set the chain exactly where you want it. If for some reason (storms) you cant retrieve it, minor financial loss.

Xsbank said:

I agree entirely with nmuir. Braided is nice and looks good but is way too much money. My three-strand (600') has lasted for three years so far and has not shown any signs of deterioration. I have 200' or more of 1/2" spliced to 400' of 3/8." The lighter line is easier to wrap around the bridle (I don't do trees) and the heavier line does the work once I pull in the slack. I use an old rope spool that I got out of the dumpster at the chandlery.

Get 6' or so of old chain and put a large shackle on one end. The shackle gets dropped into a crack in a convenient rock and the other end you pass your stern line through. No grief to the trees, no scrambling up a steep slippery bank to find a tree and you get to set the chain exactly where you want it. If for some reason (storms) you cant retrieve it, minor financial loss.

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I have seen many successful ties using 3/8 yellow poly. Most spool it up after releasing it, onto an old rope spool. Fatter line is friendlier on your hands in the middle of the night when you are re-arranging, but the thin stuff is strong enough.

I use 1/2" 3 strand nylon, my old anchor rode from my sailboat days, so no extra cost involved. It drops into yellow milk crates, 200' at a time, for easy storage and easy deployment. I have't tried XS's shackle and chain trick, but it sounds like I should. I usually carry a yellow box of line ashore, pass it around a tree, rappel back down to the dinghy and have both ends at the boat. Occasionally, I take so long getting ashore that the boat has drifted to the end of a 200' line, so having the extra 300 ft allows me to get back to the boat, then pull it in and settle with a single 200 ft piece in use.

Xsbank said:

Get 6' or so of old chain and put a large shackle on one end. The shackle gets dropped into a crack in a convenient rock and the other end you pass your stern line through. No grief to the trees, no scrambling up a steep slippery bank to find a tree and you get to set the chain exactly where you want it. If for some reason (storms) you cant retrieve it, minor financial loss.

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I like the chain idea. Thanks! A boom chain might be just about perfect.

Xsbank,

Chain and shackle - good idea. T.y.

A boom chain is too heavy, unless you're 20 years old! Think about sliding about on slimy rocks dragging a giant chain.

Anchor chain is fine, paint it a bright colour in case you have to leave it. Actually, the smallest chain tha you a a can fit your stern line through so it doesn't bind is ideal.

Please don't use trees unless it is very remote or it is an emergency. In a park or similar multiple users will eventually ring and kill the tree.

We use 377 feet on our flat rope and reel. Only once have we even come close to needing that much (325'). I've seen all manner of "home made" stern tie systems with satisfied owners. In the end, you'll just be happy having the ability to easily deploy a shore tie if necessary.

And IF you decide to splurge and purchase one of the Quickline reels, TF members get free shipping:

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s57/tf-discount-quickline-stern-tie-w-video-26192.html

You may want to cosider duble duty with stern anchor. Need chain leader.

The W
ashington waters almost never stern tie, mostly that is farther north desolation sound and some of the gulf islands. Spools are common

We use 200 feet of 1/2 " yellow poly on a Home Depot hose reel adapted to plug into a gunnel rod holder. Poly line is cheap, it floats, and it stretches a little under load. Yellow is easy to see and reduces the chance of someone in a dinghy getting 'clotheslined' passing between your boat and the shore.

Ken E. said:

Yellow is easy to see and reduces the chance of someone in a dinghy getting 'clotheslined' passing between your boat and the shore.

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That ALMOST happened to us in Shallow Bay on Sucia Island. A raft of four boats had one "white" line stern tied. It was actually a gray color at dusk when we were running right at it. Saw it at the second-to-last second. Still had time to swerve and throttle down. Of course, we weren't going all that fast, as I had my wife and daughter in the dinghy and we were in a crowded moorage. It would have hurt or at least dumped one or both parents. Worst part was a bunch of people on the stern/aft decks of the rafted boats partying. No one said a word or warned us...

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/stern-anchor-shore-tie-line-24250.html

A link that has a bunch of info on Stern Ties,

Cheers

I was asking the same questions in the thread that Crusty linked. I ended up copying an idea from Irene in post #113 of that thread.

I bought a 600' spool of 3/8" Sampson MFP Floatline and then made a holder for the spool similar to the photo in the link above. I used about 100' of the line for lines for my kayaks etc so left about 500' on the spool. This meant that even after playing it out and then putting it back on the spool, all 500' still fit on the spool.

We used it last summer and it worked great. The flatline reel that Darren mentioned would be super nice, but I didn't feel that flush to buy it.

BTW, I really like the idea that Xsbank had about the chain and shackle. I will consider that for the future. The only downside is that it means that you have to go to shore to remove it.