Proper Chain for Mooring

[RAFA]

I am about to put in a new mooring for my 25' Catalina and am wondering if 3/8'' stainless steel or galvanized chain is best to use? It will be attached to a 50 gallon drum filled with quick-drying concrete in 40 feet of (fresh) lake water. Would appreciate any opinions and advice. Thanks!---Rafa

 

[ed]

not really

The chain will wear out in a year or so and the concrete is not a good choice either. you should have a system that connects with the bottom. I much prefer a rope rode on a 1/2 or better chain. no swivels. it will last a while but the licks will wear our much faster than you think.

 

[liam]

depends

The design for a mooring can be quite different in a fresh water lake than in a saltwater bay, anchorage, or roadstead. 3/8 chain made of stainless steal will last a very very long time in fresh water... like maybe almost forever. Also a 25 Catalina isn't all that big and heavy. Ed is probably right for ocean use... but I think that you should get some more opinions and ask a few others at "your lake".All the best, Liam.

 

[Gord May]

moorings

For a 25 Ft sailboat:Chapman’s recommends 5/8" - 3/4" heavy and 5/16" light chain, and a 7/8" nylon pennant. The heavy chain is about 1.5 x water depth (40 x 1.5 = 60 ft.), and the light chain is about = water depth (40'). The pennant is about 2.5 x freeboard height at bow (about 10').I’d NOT use stainless chain, but rather long link mooring chain, or group 4 high test.Concrete weighs about 145 to 155 pounds per cubic foot, and there’s about 7.481 US Gallons per cubic foot - hence your concrete filled 50 gal. barrel will weigh about 2000 pounds dry, and will displace about 600 lbs of water - hence will have an effective wet weight of about 1400 Lbs.

 

[John]

lake sailing

In most lakes Ive seen C25 27 on 300lb mushroom ancors with 1/2 " long link chain but mooreing space is tight I am the outside boat out of ten . and im the largest now.there was a Oday 31 that kept blowing away and he had a 300lb mushroom about 8' of chain and 8' of pendent Im in 8' of water and have12' of chain with about 11' of 3/4" pendent doubled one on each side.and i hang a 50lb plate on the chain becouse the boats are so close they rub when the wind dies and in a blow i can step from boat to boat bow to stern The smaller boats stay put but I was slideing around alot so now i have two 300lb mushrooms with 3/4 " chain between them and then to the pendent but I think the 50 gal drum will roll off and wont hold good in 30' of water you need alot of chain and I think a 300lb mushroom could be pulled up so you could change the chain and check it.T.he drum you would need a diver to work in 40'I think if you use concret you should use a square box made out of plywood and mix it in two row boats back to back then you could row it out and sit in one boat and flip the other but steel is easy a one man job. John