Boat mooring.

[Karyon]

We sail on a small lake in Central Alberta, there are 2 marina's one belongs the home owners association, and you have to be a member of the yacht club.
The other marina is a new refurbished marina where they charge $3000.00 from May till October or buy the slip for $58K, if this marina was at the ocean I would pay it, but not on a small lake where you can only go one way.

So now I'm thinking of tossing out a dead weight anchor with a Bouie just of shore and tie my bout up to that, What would you use for dead weights? concrete block, gutted out engine block? I don't want to use those screw anchors as I don't dive. the bottom is mud/sand.

Thanks.

 

[Ken Cross]

It would seem to me that you would want more weight than an old engine block unless it sinks deep in the silt.
Having said that I haven't done this.
Ken

 

[Chief RA]

Ken: He has a 23.5' size boat in fresh water. Big V8 engine blocks have been used for years for buoy anchoring. They would be especially good in mud with their angular structure. On the coast modified 55 gallon drums filled with cement are used.(discreetly)
Chief

 

[Bosman]

Some boat owners that have mooring at Lake Wabamun use 3-4 old semi truck drums. Here is a good write-up: http://www3.telus.net/sail/sj23/b_hull_tips/b27.html

 

[Benny17441]

It is not only the dead weight of the artifact but its ability to grab the bottom. A good old engine block should do fine but check for any restrictions at your lake.

 

[jibes138]

Why not use just an oversized anchor? Muscling around several hundred pounds of steel or concrete might be tough, Get yourself a couple or three used anchors from a consignment shop and set them well and you should be good, after all anchors are designed to hold boats in position. A mushroom anchor of about 250 pounds is another good alternative but again your lugging it around and trying to get it to bury itself. Three danforths in a circular pattern will hold your boat.

 

[rpwillia]

At Quantico on the Potomac River my old US 27 was on a mooring made up of a V6 and a small 4 cylinder engine. It survived a big hurricane and many many big blows with no problem. We used to use V8's but they are pretty hard to find these days. You need to remove the head, oil pan and pistons. In that way they will sink into the mud and sand and give you great holding. I also like to run all chain up to the mooring ball with those balls that have the tube through the middle of them. For a 23' boat you should be able to get away with one V6 or two 4 cylinders.