by GreenLake » Sat May 22, 2021 6:36 pm
As John writes, bow eyes aren't recommended. This is mainly because they are not strong on side loads, and the single bolt ones in particular have a way of parting suddenly after years of service. For the same reason, they are really not ideal for docking either - except for very temporary tie up in an area free of wakes.
My DS has a central cleat on the foredeck and a fairlead in front next to the forestay. Both are bronze. (Which models used Nylon?) The foredeck cleat attaches to a part of the foredeck that is reinforced. If I were to contemplate mooring, I would review the state of that, although it seems fine when used for periodic docking.
A DS isn't all that heavy, about 1/2 the displacement of the Rhodes 19 that John describes. So 1/2" would be oversized, but therefore have a bit more reserve in case of chafe. If you go up too far in size, the line doesn't stretch as much for the same load, so, with the DS lighter, any forces would be transmitted more abruptly - but that only starts to apply when the loads are large enough so that the entire system, even the mooring cable, is stretched taught. So, that may be more of a theoretical concern.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~