Lake Mooring

[CHris F]

I am completing a mooring on a small lake in New Hampshire for my new (to me) O'Day 20. The location will be in 10 - 15 feet of water. Based on input from a harbormaster at a local yacht club, I will be using a 100 lb. mushroom anchor, 7 feet of 3/8 bottom chain, 15 feet of 5/16 top chain, and a 24" buoy with a pendant that will clip to the forward "trailer hook" in the boat's bow. I have received a lot of conflicting advice as to how to connect the pendant to the chain. Some say to attach it to the top loop in the buoy, some say to attach it to the bottom loop of the buoy (where the top chain is attached), and some say to attach it near the top of the top chain. The challenge with the last option is that I would have to use a pretty small shackle (1/2 inch) to fit through the top chain, and that seems to be a weakness. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[DayDreamer41]

The anchor sounds like the right size, but the bottom chain sounds a size too small and much too short, according to the attached article the lower chain should be 1/2" and be 2.5x the depth of the anchor.

https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/document.do?docId=1107

 

[CHris F]

The anchor sounds like the right size, but the bottom chain sounds a size too small and much too short, according to the attached article the lower chain should be 1/2" and be 2.5x the depth of the anchor.

https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/document.do?docId=1107

What you are describing is very close to what I originally designed, but was told that it was overkill and more suited to an "ocean mooring". I had seen the article you are referring to, and that is where I came up with my original design, which made sense to me. I am still trying to see the best way to attach the pendant to the mooring. While I have been sailing in various size boats and environments for years, this is (obviously I guess) my first experience in building a mooring. Thanks for your rapid response, it is much appreciated.

 

[DayDreamer41]

Just for the ease of connecting the pendant I would go with the top of the mooring ball, at demonstrated in one of the illustrations the ball appears to be floating on the upper chain. For the price of chain I don't think I would be shorting myself on the lower section of heavy chain, you may be in a protected area, but all areas do experience the occasional summer storm where winds can get whipped up real good. The last thing I would want is my boat banging into the one next to me due to dragging the anchor.

 

[CHris F]

Just for the ease of connecting the pendant I would go with the top of the mooring ball, at demonstrated in one of the illustrations the ball appears to be floating on the upper chain. For the price of chain I don't think I would be shorting myself on the lower section of heavy chain, you may be in a protected area, but all areas do experience the occasional summer storm where winds can get whipped up real good. The last thing I would want is my boat banging into the one next to me due to dragging the anchor.

I agree with you on the chain, and will be adding more bottom chain to come in line with the recommendations in the link you supplied. Thank you for your help with this.

 

[Brian S]

More overkill for you

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/mooring_pendants

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/mooring_prep

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Since you are on a small lake, I think I would just go with their recommendation on chain size (based on local knowledge). The chain size doesn't have anything to do with a dragging anchor. I had my 27' boat for several years on a mooring in a sheltered area of a smallish lake and I think I used 7/16" or maybe 1/2" but I'm sure it wasn't 5/8" as shown in the J-D guidelines . I'm not sure I understand why you would need to use an upper and a lower length of different sizes, but I guess it doesn't hurt. My main point is that there are 2 different types of mooring ball and how you attach the pendant depends on which kind you buy. The pendant should be attached directly to the chain in both cases with a mooring shackle. The one on the left (Sur-Moor TC3) has a sleeve and the chain passes thru the mooring ball. You attach the pendant to a mooring shackle attached directly to the end of the chain at the top of the ball. The one on the right (Sur-Moor hard skinned buoy) is the more conventional mooring that has separate hardware inside the buoy that connects the upper and lower rings. If you look at the diameter of the metal pin that runs through buoy, you would be shocked at how weak it is, especially after it corrodes (where you can't see the corrosion). You MUST attach the pendant to the chain underneath the mooring with a shackle. The mooring ball may disappear at some time (it may take as little as 5 years as mine did in fresh water). If you attach the pendant to the top ring, you are making the weak point at a small diameter pin that is NOT designed for the load and is corroding out of site. I am assuming that the yacht club would steer you into connecting the pendant in the correct fashion.
My second mooring ball was the type that has the chain pass thru a sleeve in the ball as described on the left. You can always inspect the chain and the pendant is more conveniently located at the top of the ball. It is a little more expensive than the conventional ball, but that's why.

Of great importance is the way you must seize the shackle pin with monel wire to make sure the pin doesn't back out. Everyplace you have shackles, this is critical. I would speculate that your shackle connections are of more importance than the chain diameter, assuming that you are reasonable about the chain selection.

 

[CHris F]

Since you are on a small lake, I think I would just go with their recommendation on chain size (based on local knowledge). The chain size doesn't have anything to do with a dragging anchor. I had my 27' boat for several years on a mooring in a sheltered area of a smallish lake and I think I used 7/16" or maybe 1/2" but I'm sure it wasn't 5/8" as shown in the J-D guidelines . I'm not sure I understand why you would need to use an upper and a lower length of different sizes, but I guess it doesn't hurt. My main point is that there are 2 different types of mooring ball and how you attach the pendant depends on which kind you buy. The pendant should be attached directly to the chain in both cases with a mooring shackle. The one on the left (Sur-Moor TC3) has a sleeve and the chain passes thru the mooring ball. You attach the pendant to a mooring shackle attached directly to the end of the chain at the top of the ball. The one on the right (Sur-Moor hard skinned buoy) is the more conventional mooring that has separate hardware inside the buoy that connects the upper and lower rings. If you look at the diameter of the metal pin that runs through buoy, you would be shocked at how weak it is, especially after it corrodes (where you can't see the corrosion). You MUST attach the pendant to the chain underneath the mooring with a shackle. The mooring ball may disappear at some time (it may take as little as 5 years as mine did in fresh water). If you attach the pendant to the top ring, you are making the weak point at a small diameter pin that is NOT designed for the load and is corroding out of site. I am assuming that the yacht club would steer you into connecting the pendant in the correct fashion.
My second mooring ball was the type that has the chain pass thru a sleeve in the ball as described on the left. You can always inspect the chain and the pendant is more conveniently located at the top of the ball. It is a little more expensive than the conventional ball, but that's why.

Of great importance is the way you must seize the shackle pin with monel wire to make sure the pin doesn't back out. Everyplace you have shackles, this is critical. I would speculate that your shackle connections are of more importance than the chain diameter, assuming that you are reasonable about the chain selection.

Mine is the hard-skinned buoy, and thank you for the advice not to attach the pendant to the ring at the top of the buoy. I will have to use a 1/2 inch shackle to attach the pendant to the mooring chain, since that is the largest diameter that fits through the chain. Thank you for your exhaustive reply, it was very helpful.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Actually, I'm a little ashamed to admit that for about 4 years, I did attach the pendant to the top ring of the conventional ball. I was like, pish, it's not going to fail. Then, I decided to buy a new mooring ball, the T3C, because I was feeling guilty about defying the correct usage, and I wanted the pendant on top. Later that year, a friend of mine bought a Venture 21, I believe, and he asked about moorings. The park had a block in the water and a marker, but he needed a mooring ball, so I gave him my old one. I told him that he should really shackle the pendant to the chain, even though that hadn't been my practice when I had it. The park superintendent agreed. Late in the year, the mooring ball disappeared, with a piece of the ring still attached to the end of the chain. Luckily, his boat was hanging on to the chain! Those are the moments when you get religion!

 

[Jackdaw]

Iand a 24" buoy with a pendant that will clip to the forward "trailer hook" in the boat's bow.

Don't do that. That trailer ring not designed for that load, nor to be pulled at an angle when the boat swings in the breeze. Always go to a bow cleat, best with two lines or a bridle.

 

[HEINZIR]

I have to disagree with that bit. The trailer eye can be/should be even stronger than the deck cleats if properly reinforced. After all, it is the connection used to drag the weight of the boat up the trailer bunk boards at shallow ramps where there is not enough water to float her on properly. The key, of course, is to make sure the bow eye is properly reinforced with a good size v-shaped backing board inside the boat. Using the bow eye for the mooring connection has a couple of other advantages over deck cleats and bridles: 1). No chafe potential chafe problems or chafing gear required. 2). The lower attachment point decreases the angle of the pennant/rode/chain to the mooring, effectively increasing the scope. Actually, the slight angle of pull from the eye to the buoy is not that much different than the angle from the eye to the trailer winch, albeit in a different direction.
Remember, we are talking about a trailerable sailboat on an inland lake here, not a blue water boat. The trailer eye could very well be the strongest thing on the boat.
My own VN23 has been swinging on a mooring every summer for 40 years and it has always been from the bow eye. I do have, of course, a second longer line going to a bow cleat that serves as both a back up and as a retrieval line. It has a small float at the end and is easy to pick up with the boat hook. I just slip it over the bow cleat and it holds the boat while I put everything away. Then the last thing I do when leaving the boat is to attach the primary pendant to the bow eye. This pendant takes all of the strain, the back up line remains slack unless something breaks.

One more word of advice: DO NOT USE A REGULAR SNAP HOOK OR CARABINER TO ATTACH THE MOORING LINE TO THE BOW EYE. It WILL, not might, get twisted around in such a way that it unhooks itself. (Ask me how I know!) I now use a 1/2" ss LOCKING carabiner and have never had any problems with that. I have also used a large ss chain link connector to good effect but prefer the locking carabiner since it is faster and easier to click on to the mooring eye.

 

[Sunbird22358]

I know the bow eye on my DS II is a lot better re-enforced that the 2 bow cleats. I have a solid oak block (which I later coated with epoxy) backing up my bow eye (Trailering eye). The bow cleats are through bolted, but the backing plates from the factory are just 1/8" aluminum strips. I've been meaning to replace those with real backing plates ever since I bought my boat in 1996, still holding, but maybe I'll get to it soon..... That block for the bow eye is about 2" thick if I recall.
My top chain runs through the buoy, and my rope pendant uses a bridle to attach to both bow cleats. Be glad you don't want to moor your boat In Wareham, MA, I'm in a sheltered cove and yet town regs require 5/8" heavy chain and 1/2" light chain for my 600# boat!! My 100# mushroom is "grandfathered" but otherwise I'd need a 200# mushroom! (Usual common sense rule of thumb with good holding ground, says that mushroom should be 10% of boat weight)