How much weight should I use for a mooring?

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Todd

I will be mooring a O'Day 20 in front of my lakehome and need advise on how much weight to use for the mooring anchor. The displacement is 1600# for this 20 footer. My plan was to cast a concrete block but I'm insure how heavy to go. Anyone know the rule of thumb? The boat will be in about 10 feet of water at the mooring. The lake bottom is rock and boulders approx. 8" to 18" in size. This is a freshwater lake but can on occasion I've seen 4 foot waves.
 
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Don Flowers

What kind of bottom do you have?

Depending on the bottom of course, but I feel 400 lbs. should be adequate. I think that I saw some mushroom mooring anchors in West Marines catalogue, along with a chart for suggested size, and the costs were not too bad. They even offered shipping. Hope this helps. Don Flowers Rockport, Tx.
 
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Paul Akers

Don't know exactly, but caution...

If you use a concrete block, you will loose the weight of the water displaced by the block (bouyancy). For example, if you use a 2'x 2'x 2' block that weights 500 pounds then the effective weight would be 500 - the weight of 8 cu. ft. of water (~320#) leaving an effective weight of 180 pounds for the mooring.
 
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Bayard Gross

C-22 mooring

For my C-22, which is both larger and heavier than your 20 foor O'day, I use a 100 pound musroom anchor. This is in Long Island Sound (CT) with a very muddy bottom. At low tide there is barely three feet (yea, I ship the rudder), and at high tide there is about twelve feet of depth. For scope, I use fifteen feet of 3/8 inch chain, a jaw to jaw stainless steel 5/16 inch swivel, and then 1/4 inch chain on top. I then have a 5/16inch shackle attached to the 1/4inch chain and then a half inch shackle attached to that which holds the mooring bouy and a three foot piece of half inch three strand line with a thimble in the eye on the part on the half inch shackle. There is another spliced eye in the other end of the three strand through which I clove hitch about six feet of doulble braided 7/16 inch line with about 8 to 12 inch eyes that attach to the bow cleats in bridle fashion. This pennent is about six feet. This set up has survived a hurricane, albeit not the most powerful of hurricanes. So it really is not weight that you need, but something like a mushroom anchor that will grip the bottom. The weight part is actually in the chain that you use.
 
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Mike

Answer

In a protected bay, Oyster Bay NY, the town required 250 for 27 - 30; 200 for 22- 26; and 150 for smaller boats. I would say 150 would be goiod for you
 
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