Mooring Question

[Rob19574]

Hi all -

I'm in the process of researching the purchase of a mooring system for my Catalina 30 (10,200 lbs displacement / 30 ft). Its only for attended weekends and an occasional week-long stay unattended with a watchful eye on the weather (I'm an hour away drive by car should a storm roll-in). So I would not plan on leaving the boat on the mooring should I know winds would be in excess of say 25-30 knots. The harbor is sand with some mud - bottom so holding should be ideal (I've never had an issue anchoring). I have a dock that I keep the boat at so that is why use will be very light and intermittent. The harbor is fairly protected - about a 1 mile across with waves usually under 1ft max. No tidal currents.

Seeking advice here on what size mushroom I should go with here. Is 200lbs too small? - again, taking into account the above scenarios. I have someone I know selling an entire set-up already down and checked-out by a diver. I'm not sure chain-size and such as I need to find out more details but my concern is the mushroom size.

Thanks - Rob

 

[Ross]

Why not just use a fifty pound Rocna anchor on heavy chain and large laid 3 strand nylon line?

 

[Bob S]

I wish i could drop my own mooring. I rent mine and it's not cheap!

I cannot answer Rob's question of how big but had a question of my own. How long does a mushroom anchor take to set? I was told at my yard that the 500# that I'm on is about 5' deep in mud. I would think that takes some time to set that deep.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

First of all, a mooring seems to be a safer place ...

than a dock in a blow. Secondly, I think the bottom condition is critical for a mushroom type anchor. It should be mud ... hard sand will not allow the anchor to settle and 200 pounds of iron on a hard bottom may slide easily.

We have a concrete block which is about 2,000 pounds (which obviously has far more bouyancy than iron) and in a blow last summer, the guys at the marina swear that it dragged about 10' (I didn't think so because it was already alarmingly close to a concrete pier as it was - they were making a big deal about how close it ended up while I was telling them all year that they dropped the mooring too close). Our moorings get dropped each spring and yanked out every fall. They never get a chance to settle in the mud and there have been several incidents where smaller moorings have dragged thru the marina on occasion.

So it makes a huge difference if the mushroom gets buried in the mud or rests on the sand. If the mushroom is going to rest on the sand, it sounds way light to me. With just a little research on the internet, you can find the safe limits of any type of mooring in any type of bottom, you just have to look. I found sites that described the size of concrete block I would need for sand bottom. What we have is actually a little light according to the specs. You should look for your situation.

 

[Alan]

Mattituck is very protected. If you're thinking about a mooring in front of Mat-a-mar marina that area is soooo secluded you could leave the boat on an anchor without worry. The holding there is so good combined with the complete protection from wind and you're as safe as a house.

 

[rgranger]

I wish i could drop my own mooring. I rent mine and it's not cheap!

I once saw a guy on a Chesapeake list serve who made a mooring out of an old engine block. It was 300# of steel. Ran a chain through the block. Bolted some zincs on the chain and claimed it worked great. I can't say first hand but it is one of those things that stuck in my mind as potentially useful someday. I guess you could chain two together if you needed more than 300#.