mooring

[Strowley]

It has been a very wet winter up here in Washington state and I'm anxious to put my Capri in soon. I keep my boat on a mooring buoy in the summer and I'm curious how different people tie up to buoys when leaving your boat for a while.

Thanks

 

[Slartibartfass]

Check this out:

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

 

[MrSkeet]

FWIW,
I loop each of the two pendants over the two bow cleats and use the slack from the pick-up stick's line to tie over one pendant and employ a short 1/8 inch line to tie over the second pendant. If there's a serious hurricane warning, I'll also run a loose line from the capri's bow eye (where the trailer's winch attaches when loading on the trailer) to the mooring ball (as well as other high wind cautions, e.g., removing sails, lowering outboard motor).
OTOH, once my boat is in the water (mid May to early October), I'm not often absent.
Wooster heading out to shovel snow off Orion's tarp

 

[HERSH]

The above file is what we use at my club. It comes from Chapman's I believe.

I use the float with the chain going through it and ring on top. This way you can always see all your lines.

Chaff guards are very important.

If you happen to get one of the buoys with a solid rod going through it, make sure all eyes are welded closed.
Also, check the rod annually, as they can be rusting inside any you would not know it.

I run a stainless chain through my buoy + 1ft. to the swivel as that is where chains tend to rust the fastest.

When any link gets worn 50% -- time to change the chain. Check closely every season. We take our setups out every fall.

Tie the pendants together almost all the way from the buoy to the top..

Check the tightness of the bolts holding your cleats to the boat. On #297 and #427 I found some of them loose!

Do not use any Chinese chain. They are no good.

Good source for stainless hardware.
http://www.bosunsupplies.com

Hershey

 

[Strowley]

thanks for all the great info, I love this forum

 

[jepomer]

FWIW,
I loop each of the two pendants over the two bow cleats and use the slack from the pick-up stick's line to tie over one pendant and employ a short 1/8 inch line to tie over the second pendant. If there's a serious hurricane warning, I'll also run a loose line from the capri's bow eye (where the trailer's winch attaches when loading on the trailer) to the mooring ball (as well as other high wind cautions, e.g., removing sails, lowering outboard motor).
OTOH, once my boat is in the water (mid May to early October), I'm not often absent.
Wooster heading out to shovel snow off Orion's tarp

That is how my boat is moored in Winthrop next to Boston Logan Airport. Solar panels keep the batteries charged.

Each time I leave the boat, I assume that there will be high winds before I will return and lash most things down with that in mind.

IF we have a hurricane warning, I would take the boat out.

 

[HERSH]

Kind of hard to describe. I take the line that comes over the port side and attached it to the starboard cleat. Then the line that comes over the starboard side and attach it to the port cleat. ( Both behind the railing posts.) This way one is holding the other down.

In case of an expected high wind storm or hurricane I take my sails off and lower the motor

An additional line from the trailer eye to the mooring ring is a good idea.

One year the club decided to use shorter scopes to try to get additional room in our mooring field. That in addition that some of the larger boats were on 3,500 lb. blocks did not work out. Hurricane came through and with the high tide and large waves, there was not enough scope. Bouncing high enough that all the slack was used up. 18, 30 ft. + boats broke their mooring lines and ended up various places up/down the river.

A mooring when at the end of its line will lift, whereas the block does not.

Hershey