S2 7.9 Meter Class Association

I'm getting ready to move my 7.9 from a slip to a mooring. Question: which is better, two 1/2" painters run to bow cleats on each side or a single heavier painter run to the bow eye? The boat has always swung considerably at anchor -- how does that affect my decision?

Jim Kloss
s/v Ambivalence
S2 7.9 #8

Several years ago I read a good article on mooring and one of the most important thing I found was the location of the bow cleat. Some boats have a large cleat in the middle of the foredeck and use fairleads or chocks at the bow. They are prone to chafe because the stretching of the line between the cleat and the chock can be significant if there is a persistant chop. Several boats had problems but I did not because of the close proximity of the cleat to the bow.

My boat was always moored on the Delaware river with switching tides, limited scope and we get our share of bad weather. I lived 45 minutes away and traveled frequently so I needed peace of mind.

I always used the cleat - not the bow eye. The mooring lines at our club were too large to double wrap so I used to keep a 3' length of 1/4" line handy and I used to tie the mooring line to the cleat. The only other thing I would consider is to run two lines - one to each cleat.

To prevent swinging I used to lash the tiller down: I kept a dock line in the cockpit and I wrapped the line around the back of the boom then I pulled it tight to the starboard stern cleat. After going around the stern cleat I pulled the line across the cockpit, looped it around the tiller and then tied it off on the port stern cleat.

The final thing I did was to pull the traveler to port and tighten the main sheet. That held the boom off center created a tight triangle to prevent the boom from flopping around and it held the tiller rigid in line with the keel. In all the boat spent 10 years on the mooring and I never had a single problem.

One big improvement I made was to install two 5W solar panels on the deck in front ot the plexiglass companionway hatch. I never touched the battery during the final 4 years that I owned the boat (Summer or winter). It was the best $175 I ever spent - the battery was always ready to go and the battery lasted a lot longer because it was never drained too low.

Ours is on a mooring from 01 March to 31 December every year. It is in a semi-sheltered basin with a number of other boats similarly moored.

We used two moorings, one forward and one aft, with a pick-up line run between the two. It is affected by both tide and wind, but this system has worked well for the past 6 years and we use the cleats on the bow and stern, normally stbd since that is the side to the prevailing wind.

I was on a mooring for 2 years at 2 different locations. The first was a VERY sheltered cove, here I used the bow eye only (not a good idea). The 2nd location was not as sheltered, plenty of wind. Here I used the bow eye too but added an additional line from the bottom of the ball to each cleat. I braided a "Y" line and had no tension on it. It was just for peace of mind. I never had a problem in either location.
I'm in a wide slip now, much better for me.

We've added a riding sail from a kit by Sailrite. My wife sewed it on a regular machine with no trouble. The boat still moves more than I'd like when the wind is up, but when she's moderate, she just sits like she should.

Jim Kloss
s/v Ambivalence
S2 7.9 #8

on page 268 of the new West catalouge is something the "sounds" usefull, and slightly expensive to those 7.9ers who moore there boats it's a Taylor Made bridle mooring bridle swivel plate check it out???

Hi, I have just got my 7.9.


I am on a mooring buoy. In what position should the rudder be when left tied to the mooring buoy. Up or down ?

Any way to completely lift the rudder out of water Short of pulling the whole thing off?

You want the rudder down. If you've ever tried to steer your boat with the rudder kicked up even a little, you'll know that you don't want to put those loads on the transom and rudder assembly 24/7. The blade can't be rotated up high enough to completely clear the water, especially if there's any wave action.

I have thought of lifting the rudder off entirely and probably would do that if my boat ever had to ride out a hurricane while on her mooring.

Jim Kloss
s/v Ambivalence
S2 7.9 #8

Something else you can do to reduce the swinging is to make a small triangle of sail cloth to hank on, or lash to the topping lift and boom at the aft end of the boom. 10 - 15 square feet will be sufficient.

The reason the boat swings so much on the anchor/mooring is because of its flat bottom. This "sail" will help keep the bow into the wind.