Fairlead, Right or Lefthand?

[Tractor]

Having 'bashed' a fair-lead for center line, port side; I now have a new set, LH and RH.

Question please, what makes the difference between Left Hand and Right hand, and why?

Many thanks

[Mike Coombes]

15 minutes ago, Tractor said:

Having 'bashed' a fair-lead for center line, port side; I now have a new set, LH and RH.

Question please, what makes the difference between Left Hand and Right hand, and why?

Many thanks

 You perhaps, for leading the centre line, have got symetrical ones, not shaped R or L ones.

 

All you need is for the fairlead to keep the line from sliding bacl and forth on the roof edges/handrails.

[matty40s]

If you look at these 2, the top one is the port one, which naturally let's the line go from the centre point, and then bend without stressing the line, to the rear of the boat.

The bottom one likewise does the same on the starboard side. 

The pointy bit over the line holds the line in the fairlead.

[Mike Coombes]

I know that, but it seems to be an uneccessary complication when basic non handed ones would be easier the get the line in.

[Tonka]

Just now, Mike Coombes said:

I know that, but it seems to be an uneccessary complication when basic non handed ones would be easier the get the line in.

If you buy 2 sets you can put a l/h and a r/h on the port side and use one for when the centre line goes to stern and the other for when centre line goes to bow

[Mike Coombes]

3 hours ago, Tonka said:

If you buy 2 sets you can put a l/h and a r/h on the port side and use one for when the centre line goes to stern and the other for when centre line goes to bow

 

I have non handed bronze fairleads for the centre line. They seem to work both ways as they are.

[pearley]

I didn't have fairleads fitted so no problem with port or starboard.

[Stroudwater1]

4 hours ago, pearley said:

I didn't have fairleads fitted so no problem with port or starboard.

We don’t either but it does rub the paint a bit the way we use the centre line.  On the other hand being red rails it’s a toss up between paint rubbing or paint fading. 

[Mike Coombes]

46 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

We don’t either but it does rub the paint a bit the way we use the centre line.  On the other hand being red rails it’s a toss up between paint rubbing or paint fading. 

 

I shall, no doubt, have the same issue! Red handholds, fading already!

[Tonka]

Is the paint fading or being rubbed off

[Stroudwater1]

20 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Is the paint fading or being rubbed off

It’s a choice between the two as to which wins. Ideally attaching sandpaper onto the centreline at rail level will allow sanding down prep for free. 

[Tam & Di]

On 14/03/2026 at 18:37, Mike Coombes said:

I know that, but it seems to be an uneccessary complication when basic non handed ones would be easier the get the line in.

It depends on the size/type of line and how/when you use them, but if it is easier to get the line in then it as also easier for the line to jump out.

[Mike Coombes]

48 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

It depends on the size/type of line and how/when you use them, but if it is easier to get the line in then it as also easier for the line to jump out.

 

Keeping a little tension on it seems to keep it in place on our boat.

 

TBH, after the myriad of ropes needed on our previous boat, a 12.5 metre Ocean Going Motorsailer with a Bermudan rig and a big Code Zero, the narrowboat's lines are a doddle. 

[David Schweizer]

There is no way I would have a centre line fairlead on a Narrowboat. Some years ago, whilst waiting for the lock at Marston Doles, I witnessed a fairlead being ripped out of the handrail by a particularly strong surge from the lock, sending it flying though the air and narrowly missing the head of someone standing on the towpath. The experience led me to believe that they are just an accident waiting to happen. 

[Mike Coombes]

6 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

There is no way I would have a centre line fairlead on a Narrowboat. Some years ago, whilst waiting for the lock at Marston Doles, I witnessed a fairlead being ripped out of the handrail by a particularly strong surge from the lock, sending it flying though the air and narrowly missing the head of someone standing on the towpath. The experience led me to believe that they are just an accident waiting to happen. 

 

Fair enough-but after 55 years of narrowboating I have NEVER had a problem with a centre line. In fact, our first narrowboat and others I worked, including a camping pair hired from Willow Wren, never had centrelines. IIRC, the first time I worked a boat with a centreline was a Stratford Court Cruiser in 2000. Never needed one before.

 

Our current boat, collected January 14th, has a centreline and two fairleads. On our 6 day delivery trip it worked fine. I cant imagine a happening like you say you have watched as we will not use the centreline in locks. 

[IanD]

2 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

There is no way I would have a centre line fairlead on a Narrowboat. Some years ago, whilst waiting for the lock at Marston Doles, I witnessed a fairlead being ripped out of the handrail by a particularly strong surge from the lock, sending it flying though the air and narrowly missing the head of someone standing on the towpath. The experience led me to believe that they are just an accident waiting to happen. 

That's because a lot of the widely available fairleads are too small and with too small screws to take the rope tension that you can get with a heavy steel narrowboat, they're fine for much lighter GRP cruisers.

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

8 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

There is no way I would have a centre line fairlead on a Narrowboat. Some years ago, whilst waiting for the lock at Marston Doles, I witnessed a fairlead being ripped out of the handrail by a particularly strong surge from the lock, sending it flying though the air and narrowly missing the head of someone standing on the towpath. The experience led me to believe that they are just an accident waiting to happen. 

That’s why you don’t use them under excess tension and I wouldn’t use them in a lock. They can be a pain sometimes when the centre line gets snagged in them, especially if descending the lock.
 As said the 2x securing bolts are inadequate, usually something like M4’s. 
 Best to drill them out to something like M8’s and also drill an extra hole in the middle, so having 3x larger bolts to secure not 2 small.

[Llamedos]

I had to replace a front fairlead last year. We were tied up on the 48 hr moorings at Napton and a hire boat rammed us from the stern. It broke the back rope and pushed us forward a good ten feet with such force that it wrenched out the alloy front fairlead which snapped in two in the process.
 

Miraculously the rope and fairlead were the only damage. Luckily I had turned the rudder at 90 degrees to the bank, as I always do, so the rear fender did its job - otherwise it would have been a hell of a lot more than the cost of a new rope and fairlead. 

[Mike Coombes]

1 hour ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

That’s why you don’t use them under excess tension and I wouldn’t use them in a lock. They can be a pain sometimes when the centre line gets snagged in them, especially if descending the lock.
 As said the 2x securing bolts are inadequate, usually something like M4’s. 
 Best to drill them out to something like M8’s and also drill an extra hole in the middle, so having 3x larger bolts to secure not 2 small.

 

The Bronze fairleads on our Hudson have three 6mm screws. OE, on the first owners order sheet. So, been there 20 years!

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

2 minutes ago, Mike Coombes said:

 

The Bronze fairleads on our Hudson have three 6mm screws. OE, on the first owners order sheet. So, been there 20 years!

Lots of boat have had their Fairleads for years. They’ve probably been used correctly and not had to deal with the excessive force an 18-20 Ton Narrowboat can exert on them in certain situations. Where they can break off at speed and become a dangerous projectile.

[IanD]

3 hours ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

Lots of boat have had their Fairleads for years. They’ve probably been used correctly and not had to deal with the excessive force an 18-20 Ton Narrowboat can exert on them in certain situations. Where they can break off at speed and become a dangerous projectile...

... if they're too small and weak for the job with inadequately-sized mounting screws.

 

Which many are, but that's the fault of whoever installed them... 😉 

 

You can get ones man enough for the job, I wonder why people don't use them?

 

https://www.s3i.co.uk/fairlead-with-rollers-stainless-steel.php

 

(the answer is -- £109.07 each...)

Edited March 16 by IanD

[blackrose]

It's not so much the fairleads that aren't strong enough, it's the screws they are mounted with and the thickness of steel they're mounted onto.

 

Some people use self-tappers and others tap a thread and use machine screws, but either way if you're mounting fairleads on integral handrails many are only made of 3mm thick steel and you don't get many threads in that thickness. 

 

I used some big fairleads on my widebeam so I pumped some two part construction filler into that area of the hollow integral handrails and screwed the fairleads in before it went off to give the threads something to hold onto.

Edited March 16 by blackrose

[Mike Coombes]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

It's not so much the fairleads that aren't strong enough, it's the screws they are mounted with and the thickness of steel they're mounted onto.

 

Some people use self-tappers and others tap a thread and use machine screws, but either way if you're mounting fairleads on integral handrails many are only made of 3mm thick steel and you don't get many threads in that thickness. 

 

I used some big fairleads on my widebeam so I pumped some two part construction filler into the that area of the hollow integral handrails and screwed the fairleads in before it went off to give the threads something to hold onto.

 

The handholds on our Hudson are 5mm thick steel. I recently changed the M6 countersunk screws to S/S. The ones fitted were brass. Only because having left sailing behind I have a lot of S/S screws, nuts and bolts.

 

There is a joke in their somewhere if you add washer.................

[Rob-M]

On 14/03/2026 at 18:37, Mike Coombes said:

I know that, but it seems to be an uneccessary complication when basic non handed ones would be easier the get the line in.

You can get straight fairleads which is what we have on our handrails.