mooring the Capri

rblett

New Member
Greetings, I would like to moor my 1978 Capri 14.2 but am concerned about using the existing bow plate for this purpose. Is it that strong? I will be keeping an eye on the boat and don't intend to moor in a storm but who knows what can come up fast. Would appreciate any suggestions, also length of line to mooring, chain etc. Also, would appreciate straegy for beaching on sandy beach with a bit of surf, usually on shore wind. thanx Ron [email protected]
 
Mooring

The bow plate is plenty strong for anchoring. Your main concern will be the right ground tackle. I'd suggest you do a Google search on anchoring techniques. Briefly, use a nylon line, not dacron, because nylon stretches, and will "give" in wave surges. The bottom ten feet or so between the end of the line and the anchor should be chain, to prevent the line from chafing on rocks, etc, on the bottom. You need a scope of a least 3:1. This means you need three times as much line out as the depth of the water. If the water is thirty feet deep, you need 90 feet of line. Minimum. More is better, especially if the weather is rough. Use a Danforth anchor - I think they make a 9 pound one that should be about right for a Capri 14.2.

The ground tackle is going to be expensive, but it's better than losing your boat. When I was a youngster I went off to college with my old wooden Snipe anchored in a somewhat exposed cove. When I came home for Thanksgiving the only part of the Snipe left was the deck. It had dragged onto some rocks and was destroyed.
 
Mooring anchor

For a mooring anchor which may be subjected to wind from a single direction (such as in the Caribbean) a Danforth style anchor would be great, but if the wind direction can change you need an anchor which will not foul on its own rode. A Danforth will do that in spades (no pun intended). The type of bottom makes a difference, but if it's sand or mud, I'd suggest a mushroom style anchor. You want something which will bury, has a decent area for holding but is non directional.

Ed's scope suggestions and recommendations for chain are right on the money.
Don't skimp on shackle sizes, make sure you won't have any chafe problems anywhere.

Here's a good primer on mushroom mooring anchors.

http://www.annesanchors.com/seating.html

Steve B.
 
Moor Point

One of my friends bought a 2006 C14.2 and it arrived with a bow ring on the stem, in addition to the forestay plate up top. This ring is used for winching onto the trailer and holding it there as is done with most trailer boats. Attaching a mooring line to the bow ring would have the advantage of reducing chance for chaffing of the mooring line, and would give a little different angle that would tend to keep the boat from dipping downward at the bow during a strong pull. Probably would be a good place to attach when getting a tow, too. I suspect if one can get up into the forward compartment like you can with my 1998 model, a bow ring could be added. RK
 
Bow ring

A bow ring is a factory option. So some C-14.2s have them, others don't. I agree it would be a stronger place to attach an anchor line, but not as easy to reach from on deck. I also agree you could add one if your boat has an open cuddy. Just be sure to caulk it real well.
 
Stowing the anchor

My new '83 Capri ser. no. 8 is locked in ice and snow at the moment. Planning ahead for spring, I'll probably opt for a mushroom anchor for light duty, but in light of the threads about capsizing, turtling, etc., where/how do you stow an anchor in the cuddy so that it doesn't damage the hull in an upset? I'm trailer-sailing if that makes a difference.
 
Thoughts I'm considering

I'm a Mod 2 owner and for now I'm stowing a 7lb locking/folding grapnel (rocky bottom lake) in a floating boat box in the cuddy compartment. I've been considering either opening the cuddy per another post and installing a "hopefully" water tight hatch door. Another thought I had was installing a 6" inspection port on the deck and using the 'unused' space in the bow for limited use items such as the anchor. My primary concern however is I'm a novice sailer and I'm unsure of the degree of watertightness of these ports, and if it would expose my mod 2 to the type of flooding in a capsize that they installed the bowbox to begin with. Also if a future project causes me to remove the bow box than the inspection port would be a useless hinderence.
 

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