Putting the boat on a mooring ball.

[Karyon]

Looks like I will be putting my boat on a mooring ball this year, the local marinas are getting way to expensive $3000 from May till October is a bit outrageous.

Last year I had my boat on a mooring as well in pretty shallow water, I had one of those screw anchors that I spun in the sandy bottom, but after a huge wind storm it pulled it out of the dirt.

Now I'm thinking of dropping a grader blade on the bottom with a chain attached to it and then drop 2 semi truck brake drums on top of that with the chain fed thru the centre hole, at least these I can man handle to drop them to the bottom.

The depth is roughly 4-5 feet and with enough chain that should hold the boat in a good storm should it?
What are you guys thought? do it or just stick to a bigger anchor screw.

 

[shemandr]

The problem with using stuff on the bottom like engine blocks is chafe on the chain. Wherever it rubs against the metal it will chafe. Each and every wave that passes will cause the chain to wear a little bit. Mooring eyes and shackles wear too but generally they have more meat to wear on.
You can set up a mooring so you can drop the chain to the bottom to reduce chafe.

 

[BrianRobin]

Doesn't sound like enough weight or size to me, grader blade is about 150-200 lbs and long, not much bottom grab, truck brake drums are only about 90lbs each.

 

[31seahorse]

To moor or not to moor.......That is the question.

I admire your enthusiasm for spending this year on a self-installed mooring after your account of last year's storm pull out. Back in another life I helped maintain the mooring field at a club on the upper Chesapeake Bay. It was difficult work even though a reasonable number of members were willing to help with the work.

Several ideas come to mind.....(1) Is installing your own (private) mooring legal? (2) Will your installation create a hazard to navigation for some other unsuspecting boater? Reason for asking: 4 or 5 feet of water does not seem deep enough to install clunky objects on the bottom. Your boat might hit the objects or other people might hit the weights when they approach your boat on its mooring. (3) I'm trying to envision putting a "dozer blade" in place with a small boat. Or will you "walk" it out to its location? (4) Is the location in salt water, brackish water, or fresh water? (5) How often do you plan to inspect mooring pennants and chain or move the mooring weight location? (6) Finally, are your boat's bow cleats sufficiently large to accommodate the mooring lines you will use and do you have sufficient backer plates below deck on those bow cleats?

 

[Meriachee]

20 + years on a ball in the same conditions. Bolt the chain to itself through the centre of one truck drum, then holding the chain tight, slide as many as necessary down the chain.
We are currently at 5, and in the loon poop that is the bottom of these lakes, once they dig in, they're not going anywhere.

 

[SG]

As mentioned above - If you're only in 4' to 5' of water, you shouldn't be putting an obstruction on the bottom that will reduce that depth by anything more than an incidental amount! You are the most likely "victim" of a piece of debris on the bottom if the wind (or current) shifts or the boat just drifts to center -- followed by some other soul that happens to rip into you tractor parts :^))).

Are the other moorings in the field? What did they do?

There is the issue of the winter arrangements with "re-connecting" with the mooring. What's your thinking on that?

 

[Meriachee]

We string the end of the chains (4) to about 400' of 3/16 9 strand steel wire rope, then run a beautiful piece of 1/8 aircraft cable to shore. It took about 10 years to realize that the ice will not take the aircraft cable.
With the cable tying them all together, worst case is grab the stringer with the 89 cent grapple. We know about where it is, and its parallel to the shore.
Surprisingly easy.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

interesting read. I do not recall EVER seeing a mooring anywhere in Texas waters. I had one in NE Florida years ago, but here? None

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Karyon; I would first suggest to inquire if you can put in such equipment and any applicable laws in the area you want to do this first as we are not familiar but you do. Secondly I would use a mooring ball as a chain will chafe the bow which has happened on a 23.5 a time or two unless you can come up with a method of protecting the boat with chaine attached.

 

[Meriachee]

Dave, how do you support the chain without a ball?

 

[PaulK]

Engine blocks and other heavy objects aren't shaped to sink into mud (or whatever) and stay put the way anchors are. When push comes to shove blocky weights drag along the bottom and aren't optimal equipment. A 100 pound mushroom anchor would probably be more effective than a 300 pound engine block, for example. Your screw anchor (how much did it weigh?) was pound for pound probably much more effective than a 500 pound concrete block would have been. We use screw anchors in our harbor, and they tend NOT to pull out. Ours have "threads" for about 8 to 10 feet of their length that are driven all the way into the mud. In hurricane Sandy we were told that unless we eased off five feet on our mooring lines the anchors might hold the boats down as the water rose and when the deck was awash the cockpits and cabins would fill and we'd all sink. We eased off our mooring lines. I'd suggest getting a longer screw anchor if you want your boat to stay where you want it moored.

 

[SG]

He said 4 or 5' of water? With 4 or 5' of water and a pendant with a pickup stick, the ball isn't the issue.

Of course,if it's not very shallow and protected.....

 

[jibes138]

Why not just get a couple of very large anchors, they are made to hold boats in place and you can find used ones inexpensively. They will keep digging in over time. Go with anchors for boats twice the size of yours. They won't impede navigation either. I'd put three in a circle, connect the chains in the middle, add a mooring ball and you should be good to go.

 

[Skipperdan]

http://www.eco-docks.com/files/2176612/uploaded/Skrew Anchor Brochure.pdf

Read that, very good info. Just use three screw anchors or get a bigger one.

Dan

 

[Chief RA]

Mariachee just gave you a perfect example of using what equates to 5 MUSHROOM anchors and at 400+ lbs! Go spend a ton of money buying more anchors? Wow! Chief

 

[Meriachee]

Drums have a tendency to dig in. Drums are cheap (free). Bolting the chain to the bottom one does not allow any single point of contact, so wear is minimal. The ones further up the chain tend to keep the chain on the bottom.
Why save 3k in marina fees to spend 3k on fancy hardware.
I would, however, reconsider the depth. These lakes are shallow, and while there is not a lot of fetch, you can get into a scenario where the boat is bouncing pretty good. If you're only in 5' of water, the junk is a foot off the bottom, and the boat is a foot into the water, you could hit the mooring if things get shifty (like they are ever shifty up here - that's our middle name) and a blow happens. Doesn't leave a lot of bounce available.

 

[Skipperdan]

Telephone anchors are also free screw in type. Use three in a triangle.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Karyon; Generally the balls have an attachment on the bottom but again what are the laws of your lake and will they allow you to do what you want to do. If a boat should strike for example an engine block placed there by you, would you be held liable as you are in shallow water.