Break Another Little Piece Of My Boat - Episode 291 - Acorn to Arabella: Journey of a Wooden Boat
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
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Winter preparations continue with the diesel heater installation. Then, Arabella's trip south begins with a short hop from Camden to Rockland, where a storm adds to the list of repairs. ⛵❄️🔧
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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Living on a wooden boat, wet is a way of life
Surprised you did not use double wall vent pipe. You can use rigid sections or flexible Type B only requires 1 inch clearance to combustibles. I use it for my shop diesel heater.
Obviously I am not Steve, but my profession is in the hearth industry doing sales, installs and service. The reasons why you would want to use single wall over double wall is that you actually get more heat off of the stove that radiates from the stove pipe. That is why it is very commonly used in hunting cabins, off grid living or boats like this. Also, a lot of woodstoves that are older like this one are not compatible with double or triple wall pipe. Also, B-vent is not to be used with solid fuel burning appliances such as wood or pellet/biomass. That is defined in the NFPA 211 US national codes and standards.
@@Zeekstuff, it’s not a wood stove, it’s a diesel heater.
@@johnnunn8688 and heat from a wood stove differs from a diesel how? Do you think a tonne of feathers is lighter than a tonne of stone?
@@johnnunn8688 okay, I got the fuel type wrong. It is still not approved for B-Vent
because the exhausts exceeds the macimum 500 F limit. For what is classified as a "oil fired" appliance, it would have to be stainless single wall venting or what is known as L-Vent which is double wall which both are ridged and not flex. Having a single wall in there not only cuts costs but also has the same radiant heating benefits I described earlier.
@@Zeekstuffmacimum?
Maximum?
"It's not just a job, it's an adventure."
Quite a few tons of boat pulling on a 2×6 railing is not surprising it broke. (If the appature is closer to the standing brace it will lessen the lever arm.) But it's a great lesson to learn in a safe place.
Akiva, "And I helped!"
Good afternoon and A2A day everyone from Plymouth UK
Good morning (2:07 a.m. HST).
It’s good to hear from someone in the Old Seadog’s home port. 👍
I would never install a cleat on the bulwark for he very reason you just experienced, the loads can rip them apart. The deck is much stronger.
Spent a morning tied to a trawler which was tied to the whalf in a gale her 4 spring lines were 2 inch, never seen ropes under so much load ,we were being tossed like a rag doll.. humble advice. Get a bigger spring line cleat , room for fwd and aft spring lines bolted through the deck , through blocking which spreads load to deck beams, well done Steve .
Watching this while drinking my Aeropress coffee. Thinking about getting an Aeropress Go for camping.
Wrap a muffler hot heat shield around the stovepipe. That's the safest and best choice. Plus it will look a lot cleaner.
When you pour the water into the aeropress have the plunger just into the tube and pour the water from the filter side so that u can steep it. Works much better
Thanks for the tip!
Good morning, 'bella fam! Happy Friday! ☕
Akiva chasing bunnies in his sleep - LOL
As a small boat shipwright, I did notice one thing and something that no one in the comments has commented on regarding the toe-rail cleat breaking, as I usually read a good selection of comments before I do comment to see that it's not doubled up too many times.
That is, it broke where you had a join in the timbers with butt end joints on the outside and the backing plate of timber on the inside which you had the cleats fastened to and a hole through for the line to exit... it came apart due to only the backing plate holding it fast where a single rivet was top and bottom(weakest point) and when that separated then the aft section of timbers broke near the stanchion with all the sideways force acting on it as you can clearly see at 25:21.....
1. I would never put a cleat or set of cleats on a butt joint. 2. I would never use a line at 90 degrees to a cleat with that amount of force acting on it, always fore and aft only. 3. Always run lines from a cleat in the direction of the line from the cleat IE from the cleat in a straight line to the tie-off point with as little angle as possible.
I have been building and sailing on dinghies, small boats, keelboats and large tall ships for the best part of 40 years.
We all have a learning curve and this is a thing that you can learn from and know not to do in the future, and seeing that you both do not have any sailing experience you are learning first hand whereas you would have learnt this and many other things previously. I am not trying to knock you down or anything like that but just to say that you have many many things to learn and will experience them on your boat Arabella, instead of on smaller boats or those belonging to others and the knowledge that comes with sailing on other boats.
I love what you have achieved and watched every video you have made and you have come a long way since starting this project. Well done, fair winds and following seas.
you know you got it if it makes you feel good
For squeaky fenders - use some dish soap or covers, I like fleece or boat blanket.
Just be glad it happened then and not under bad conditions.
Hey Steve, so I have the FG version of your boat - Alujala 38. The tried and proven method on these cutters is to run your roller furl lines with the toe rails or using the station base by using small blocks. This keeps the deck free when you’re in heavy weather and is way safer.
2nd on the double wall vent pipe. Same for the wood burner. They also make triple wall pipe.
My first thought in seeing your mooring lines was “you are trying to tie 2 pontoons/floating docks together” with that setup! More fenders next time and don’t worry about keeping her from touching.
IF you're going to do something like that; dynamic lines/rope would probably be best.
I think the problem with just adding lines there gets a point where one line is the shortest and then the whole strain goes to that line (like picking a lock). Just spring lines and breast lines is best. That way no one line is holding the whole boat.
I second leaving slack and using spring lines, the boat has to be able to move
It is important that lines to the boat have flex. Usually this is accomplished by making them spring lines, i.e. bow to the back of the dock and stern to the front of the dock. Sorry that you had to learn this at the expense of your bulwark.
upside down brew on the aeropress is the way to go!
It's amazing to see the weathering of the boat on the outside after such a short period. Shows how brutal the ocean environment is. I know it is just superficial, but still pretty incredible.
Another small piece of experience... Put a bowline over the dock cleat horn, then a simple figure eight, and keep as much of your line on-board. that makes leaving the dock in a hurry a lot simpler. One can unhook the bowline from the deck with a flick if the wrist. Less line to foul the prop.
Lots of advice from us armchair sailors. It's all fun. Enjoy your lovely toy.
Or try maybe learning how to sail?? Crazy!! I know.
Seems like the electrics on the boat is not a simple operation. Kudos to Steve for figuring it out, with help.
It can be, but it doesn’t take much to add degrees of complication and it’s a matter of having an organized, thoughtful, and clean installation, which Satchel did with great care!
I'm surprised the shotgun blast of shattering oak didn't wake you!
I know you guys are learning as you go, trust me, we have all been there. But... 4 lines and 4 fenders, all you ever need to tie up next to anything solid. Bow line, stern line and 2 springs, all separate pieces of rope, never make one rope do two jobs (as my Dad used to say). As long as everything is made off properly and the ropes are in good condition you will see out the worst conditions. There was a reason that the locals all buggered off once they saw the weather coming in - always pay attention to the locals, and make a note in the log for next time you are in the same location.
Keep going, it takes a lifetime and every day on a boat is a school day.
To me this damage is a "bad strategy" problem not a "bad weather" or "bad boat" problem. Had they just left the boat tied to the dock as usual I think they would have been fine. That said maybe moving the midship cleats onto deck instead of on the rail itself isn't a bad idea? It would definitely make them stronger.
Totally agree. Also pays to watch where fishing boats anchor when bad weather strikes. Working skippers tend to know where the bottom holds best in any given situation in their patch. I once helped salvage a beached and badly holed yacht whose skipper figured he knew better.
I disagree, Nigel, there are times when you simply cannot afford to be making contact with the dock. There might be overhanging ledges to get caught under, rusty or broken steel projections (bolts left behind when pilings or cappings rotted or broke away), ladders, protruding cranes to "interact" with the shrouds or spreaders, even sharp shellfish to mince your fenders - or any of an unlimited number of other traps. Springing away from a windward dock is a valid strategy in such cases, but this clip provides a useful demonstration of a couple of the (great many) things which can go wrong.
The key lesson, I think, is that contrary to what a person new to sailing would expect, the failure was in the lines which (in static terms) see no load, and even in this dynamic case, (wave action being the problem) they see no direct loading from the wind. It is the kinetic energy imparted by the waves (and less importantly, by variations in wind strength) to the mass of the hull which broke that toe rail.
In this case, two lines were angled and one was perpendicular, meaning there was not even sharing of loads. It would have been better to have all the leeward lines at a similar angle off the perpendicular, and an even number of lines, all of similar length, half angled ahead, and half angled astern. Even outside those times, as a bare minimum, you need one or two fender boards, and if the cleats ashore are not strong, you need to double or triple each line and tie off to multiple points ashore. Finally, the structural design at the point of the toerail which broke might be strong enough for spring lines, but clearly not for breast lines.
@@northlandrider5396 Perhaps you missed the fact that the fishing boats were not constrained by draft in the way Arabella was? She was perfectly safe where she was, and the line whose attachment failed was clearly not crucial. Per my other post, I personally feel the detailed execution of the strategy and the detail of the boat structure were the only problems with the choice Steve made.
@@Gottenhimfella - "there are times when you simply cannot afford to be making contact with the dock". - That is why you have suitable fenders deployed. Maybe this is a 'different sides of the ditch' issue - I would never teach anyone to run lines across to the other side of a bay in that way - apart from anything else think of the possible carnage if someone was trying to get in to moor late at night in the dark in adverse weather conditions.
Journey's End! great yard, just got re-propped there in Ausgust, exact same dockage and lift. sv Nautilus (you rescued my dinghy and I think we are leading parallel lives), but in Florida now crossing to Bahamas soon so no cold cruising for us. too old for that S#!T
as a CFC alumni, i spent many days in downtown Camden, Rockport, and Rockland. check out the museum in Rockport... and definitely take a day trip to the messler gallery to see some of the finest woodworking in the world.
Thanks for the recommendations!
Good luck with the weather Sunday night
Whip it real good!
Aww the dog wanted to help. And Steve explained why he cant. Some people just cant stop teaching.
A Dog on a boat is more than wrong. except you wanna eat it. Think about!
May be you get an Idea how to treat creatures the right way MusicMike the dumbest ive ever seen.
The spring line cleat breakage, looks like that steep cliff, up on Baffin Island! I look down at my bare feet.
For starters, use double wall vent pipe (B-Vent). It'll keep the exterior off the exhaust pipe much cooler.
WOW!! It took a lot of force to tear out that much oak! But it happens. Fortunately there’s a great shipwright close at hand! How wonderful it must be to have the tools and material close at hand.
I suspect, after a few years Robin may be posting videos of Steve sitting on deck, during a hard blow, spray all about, wrapped in sealskins, being somewhat dry, muttering rambling incoherent tales about rounding the horn, all whilst contently mending a sail with his sewing palm, favorite sail needle, and waxed six cord held in his teeth, startling even himself with sudden, quiet loud shouts of ARRRR! Tis a sailors life fer me!
Poetic.
Or maybe Steve will be like Lieutenant Dan on Forrest Gump up the mast in a storm cursing god.
“Sounds like the boat is farting” Made me chuckle
best holiday wishes. especially for peace and strength god bless.
Merry Christmas to you, too.
Akiva has taken to boat life so well.
I think Akiva would have a better life on land
That dog has a very restricted life on the boat. It should not be kept on the boat.
Haul it, strip it empty, put back only what you NEED, paint the bottom 6” up, and think, lighter, lighter, lighter. I built and sailed this design 20K miles. Floating higher will make you sail much better. Stuff can be too strong (too heavy). Having less is best for the INGRID.
I approve of your new sponsor!
Mooring in storms I’d suggest deck mounting the cleats and feeding through toe rail rather than tying to toe rail as your current setup is essentially doing. Mooring compensators will also help to reduce shock loads through mooring and spring lines. Finally, as mentioned by others too, tying up to two ideoently moving objects, in this case the pontoons, is not something I’d do myself either.
Hello, May i suggest two things :
1) On each "low friction ring "" (as user of it!!) you have to do a very "tight splice" in order to have a good use of it.
2) For the mizzen boom and just over the rudder, Have a folding " X" (with long legs) to fit under the boom that it does not moove at any time and bystiffen the sheet fermely of this sail.
3)The Ascending and Descending guards lines coming from pontoun must be moored upwards at the Front and downwards at the Rear (those areas are generaly more strong!) and
in principle cross outside the boat to improve their functions .
Nice video .
Bon courge and stay safe.
Sorry 3 things and hope my words are the good one.?????
For the low-friction rings, a nice tight Brummel Splice of 3, 4 or 5mm SK78 Dyneema would be very tidy.
You could then also splice the other end.
Goodnight from Guam!
Happy tomorrow, friend! Thanks for watching.
Been following “Salt and Tar” videos since the beginning of their build and now their sailing adventures. They rigged a safety line fore and aft on either sides of their boat. It adds a huge dose of safety and is a useful hand hold when moving foe and aft. Thanks for letting all of us witness this adventure.
That's because Garret knows how to sail. Because idealism was the key factor. No. Don't go learn how to sail! What a waste of time that would be??!! While you're building a sailboat??? I would've been sailing EVERY WEEK!! Not my channel.
Agree with the safety lines from forward to the stern. Clip on BEFORE leaving the cockpit in any kind of rough weather. this is especially true as you don't have guard rails. I always rigged my spring lines from the transom forward and the bow aft crossing in the middle. the bow and stern lines are then used to keep the boat close in. It does need long spring lines though.
Good one! Maybe its wise to seal the end grain in your through holes in the deck and housetop, for example when we are fitting a sink in a wooden table top in a kitchen its good practise to seal the cut out or end grain in case there is a leak the wood wont swell. - im just an electrician, not a boat builder!
This I thought also. Condensed water under the cold deck will enter the end grain and rotten is soon the result. All your cut openings lack this.
Going forward in the future, if you want to have that lovely structure of the deck and upper hull visible behind the diesel stove, you could put some lagging in that area. Each end of the lagging can be held secure with a clamp ring, so the lagging does not need to extend the entire length of the chimney pipe. Another potential option that you probably already have thought about is cutting that backer board to the shape of the structure instead of it being one flat piece across. You said you plan to make it look nice, so whatever happens, I’m excited to see what you choose to do with it!
The toe rail looks like it has failed largely because there is an unsupported joint at one end - notwithstanding that doubler piece. If you are going to the trouble of scarphing in a new piece, carrying it past the mounting brackets at each end might help prevent this from happening again.
It will take Tally-Ho ten years to weather this fast. But, still, you guys did a big thing here.
*part of beautiful handcrafted boat breaks off*
*doesn’t panic*
*finds good in that the line and cleat held*
This is the kind of chill everyone needs these days😂
We’ve got a good amount of chill here.
@@AcornToArabella 👌😂👌
Two things that resonated with me and delighted on this video. 1. You seem so happy just the two of you in your home on the water. 2. Akiva, what a beautiful beast he is.
Robyn cuddles and the dreaming clip. Lovely ❤
There is an edge to life and you appear to be cruising toward it comfortably. I have really enjoyed the construction and woodworking aspects of your build and I can appreciate the ongoing challenges of living aboard a relatively small vessel, and the challenges seem to be endless. I don’t know that living aboard a board a sail boat is for me but please keep us posted on your latest adventures.
Happy Friday from Rochester, WA! Sorry about your toe-rail... Dang.
Happy Friday!
Very cool design philosophy. Nice .
Maybe you can try heat tape for the pipe. it is used a lot on motorcycles and hot rods to keep exhaust pipes from burning or melting things. also have you ever thought of using one of those tow behind power generating impellers? I know you have the solar cells but this would generate electricity while you are under sail or moving with the motor and wouldn't be bothered by storms or clouds?
on another note maybe do a clip video woth a counter "how many holes has steve put in his boat?"
A double wall pipe would help too
May I suggest to you one of those wood stove fans to put on top of your diesel heater, pointing at the stove pipe? Not only doesn't it require any electricity at all, but it will blow the heat in the entire space, and while doing so it prevents the stove pipe from getting too hot or scorching any wood, and it will also reduce the diesel consumption because it will spread heat from the exhaust pipe that otherwise would go to waste outside the boat. It will also feel much more comfortable inside the entire boat.
In your smart shunt go to settings -> battery -> battery SOC on reset -> keep. This will get you more than you expect. I know from experience. Edit: if you have a wired in bmv instead of a shunt I don't think you have this option unfortunately.
Wow there must have been a lot of force on that rope to pull that structure apart. A redesign might be in order.
Mount a piece of stainless steel sheet stock (16 gauge) about a distance of 0.25" spacing between the cement board and S/S sheet.
This will provide a very safe heat shield between the stove and the boat.
Toe rail RUD (Rapid Unplanned Disassembly): a testament to the strength of the rope. Wow!
I have used copper pipe cut the the depth of the space put over the screws. The pipe will keep the board set off the surface. Neat look.
Shear force is no joke. I'm impressed the failure was so isolated. Great design, good woodwork.
I got used to seeing Arabella in a new, pristine, as built condition. It is a bit of a surprise to see how quickly she is becoming “her authentic self”. I’d be a bit concerned, but I bet you see it as developing character. Beautiful boat and the greatest admiration for you and your team.
Ben flexing his Gen X status. You’re the man, Ben, and you add the flavor to this adventure!
The mid ship cleat broke because of the fittings in the cutout weakening the wood. Too little material there to put fastenings into IMO
So, has the weather gotten bad enough that you have taken a hotel room to give your belly a break from all the motion? Wow! That really sucks! I wonder just how much pressure it took to break the toe rail like that. Continued prayers for your mom and everyone's safety. Akiva really looks comfortable and living his best life. See you next week.😊😊😊
The Jib roller line is a trip hazard because it is too high above the deck. It either needs running lower or, I think preferably, next to the toe rail. Good luck, lovely boat.
GM.... That locus is tough.....lots of load took it out.
Smooth sailing moving forward.
Steve you sound happy that you are going to do some woodworking!;) sorry you had an Owie, but you will make it right and beautiful once more.
Thanks for sharing the ups and downs of your project. Great decision to put the boat on the hard. The punch list seems to be gaining on you. The yard is the best place to finish that boat properly with the least amount of stress to your life.
Couple of things, using three strand rope for mooring lines puts spring into them and they then do not snatch which is what broke your scuppers. Also the black springs on the starboard side were giving that cleat an unnecessary a hard time. To stop fenders squeaking use washing up liquid to lubricate.
Good morning Akiva 🐺 and Crew 😸😺
Happy Friday!!
what a great product sponsorship, perfect for people who watch this show
Whip it, whip it good.
If you guys find yourselves on the lower cape and want to stop by and see a very old, very similar boat to yours, let me know. My kids and I would also love to see Arabella. This channel is one of my primary inspirations for saving Maverick.
Happy friday everyone !!! have a great weekend, And Please don't forget to like and share the video......
😂 that's all that HI-QUALITY WORKMANSHIP 😂😂😂😂
It definitely sucks that it broke, but fortunately, since you built it. I have all the confidence in the world that you will be able to fix it.
Which is why it broke
I would advise the use of exhaust wrap on the flue for the diesel heater. Keeps it almost touchable...doesn't look too ugly, either.
I’m a coffee nerd and I can confirm that aeropress is a great brewer. Highly recommend. Mostly useful for one cup or maybe two, but there are some tricks to get more.
Arabella is looking like a well worn ship already.
the colder end of youtube boatlife vids.
Like, weather-wise? 😊
@@AcornToArabella yes most channels just show folk basking in the sun or even quit living on their boat for the winter.
A small fan in the upper corner blowing on the exhaust would have diverted the heat and moved heat around the cabin. A small metal shield over the one piece of wood turned color.
Hey steve/Arabella crew,
I know these videos are about a couple weeks out of sync (if I remember right), its really cool to see you have the heat worked out, one less thing to stress about! Speaking of stress...the holidays are upon us, the party line is "its such a happy time of year!!" But as a parent of 5 kids they are also a huge source of stress that we usually feel we cant share with others, so given everything you have shared with us this year, i really mean this, i hope your holidays are as stress free as possible :)
Sorry about the damage but at least you’re prepared to repair it and you’ve learned a bit more about your boat’s limits.
It has never been a good idea to put the mooring buttons in the gangway, they should preferably sit in the deck with something stable underneath. And ideally the rope should go as straight through the opening as possible, that is to say the two on the land side would cross each other. But you learn from your mistakes. 💕😄😀
*- Yup, "straight through the opening".*
*- My construction/rigging/physics instinct would want serious cleats screwed/bolted to stout deck framing...attached to the diagonal brass rib strapping anchored into the keel...if I correctly recall this boat's build for storm anchorage.*
I guarantee Steve is analyzing this and will come up with the best fix suitable for his needs. I think the choices are: 1) Mount the cleat(s) on the deck instead of on the toe rail. This may require reinforcing the deck in this area and adjusting the fairlead's location so lines transfer minimum stress to the toe rail. 2) Extend the backing board beyond the two toe rail brackets, making sure the deck is adequately reinforced in this entire area. But beware of possibly setting the toe rail brackets up for failure. 3) Repair it as it was, and be VERY careful in the future about the direction of loading in the conditions that are expected. White oak is very tough stuff, but in extreme conditions this boat can easily generate higher dynamic loads on lines than these toe rails will withstand. With high latitude cruising in Steve and Robin's plans, Arabella must be capable of handling extreme conditions. I look forward to seeing Steve's solution!
You could use triple wall pipe instead of cement board. It would work better and be safer.
2:00 Such a good helper! ❤😂
A couple of rough days there, and a few lessons learned. I'm curious, why didn't you run the furling line straight from the bow sprit? Your dock lines now have to be threaded under the furling line which is one extra step. a couple more of those loops shouldn't add too much extra effort in pulling it in.
As an Italian, I get shivers down my spine when I see how you prepare coffee...😜😁
That was a blunder! Think ahead!
Alta/Snowbird got 15-24 inches last night. Comforting to note a new, custom boat has as many bugs as an old one.
Excellent stuff bro
Right. Aeropress are great. After years the rubber seal wears and can be replaced, and then after more years the body eventually bowes and it's time for a new one. So I've had one for work and three for home in 16 years.
Listen to Ben going all techno in the intro😆😆
In regards to the heater exhaust pipe trying to burn your home down.
Have you considered using double wall pipe?
Happy Friday from sunny(today) Normandy...richard
The reason you broke the rail is because you should not have had a 90 degree angle from the cleat. The highest strength of the cleat is in the line of the cleat (e.g. parallel). It would be better to run the lines from the stern forward and from the bow aft. That also gives you more spring in the lines.
You can also put snubbers on the lines to reduce the shock loads.
Those are neat gadgets but as you mention, the lead would make the difference. -Anne
@@AcornToArabella
I have used a breast anchor on more than one occasion when there was no suitable structure available to leeward to hold me off a dock to windward, in cases where wave action -- and/or nasty dock features such as protruding rusty bolts -- meant contact with the dock was not an option. My preference is not to cleat it off but to lead it over a big roller (a large "anti friction ring" could be improvised from suitable raw materials, but in my case I happened to be carrying a very large metal sheave snatch block as used on trawlers which I had repaired for a mate) and have a large weight on the other end of the line.
In my case, the anchor had about a 6m shot of heavy chain, which I simply turned most of into a very heavy multistrand chain, by judicious use of short lashings.
The resulting weight was hung below the leeward topsides of the boat, in the water, to keep the breast rope tight. The closer the boat came to the dock, the more chain lifted off the bottom. The snatch block was also underwater, to provide a flat scope for the anchor.
Someone I knew who did this regularly on his own exposed dock, used what used to be called a "flopper stopper" in lieu of a weight. This is like a flat sieve on steroids, suspended in the water from four or six lines equispaced around the ring (it's a bit like an upside down tambourine, with a heavy metal mesh instead of a skin, and lines attaching where the little cymbals go on a tambo). His was about a metre in diameter with a galvanised steel rim and mesh. A rubber circle lay on top of the mesh, cut into four quadrants like petals so that the water would flow freely upwards allowing the device to keep the breast line taut whenever it tried to slacken, but there was a "check valve" effect where the petals slapped shut on the mesh the moment the boat moved towards the dock and the line began to tighten again. This provided a resistance force in proportion to the speed of motion, like a vehicle's shock absorber, which is exactly what is wanted. At no point does the line stop paying out, provided the rope is a suitable length for the situation.
Unwieldy to stow, but much lighter to deploy, and has a nicer action than the weight I mentioned above and have personally used.
The weight is a pain if there is much of a tidal range, but the sieve is fine with a large tidal range as long as it can be kept off the bottom at low tide.
His remained rigged all season, hung below a buoy situated a suitable distance from his dock so it could be easily picked up whenever he returned to it.
Steve, it actually looks like an issue that demonstrates the weakest link principle. Mounting those cleats, meant to hold a rather heavy boat, to the toe rail, rather than the deck, with a substantial backing plate below, will likely result in failures down the road, with potentially far more disastrous results. Ask around for other sailors opinion on this matter. You will see that most cleats meant for securing the boat will be mounted to a far more substantial part of the boat, such as the deck. A rather substantial backing plate is included below deck. I'm talking steel plate and through bolted. Lastly, you are correct in minding the direction of the load on the cleat and its foundation. Good luck.