Boat Mooring Hook

I was looking for Mooring hooks recently - as we had trouble with the carbin hook inherited with the latest boat.

Various online - but wanting strength - I opted for the KONG .... its strong, has a slide fitting for a pole ...

Mooring hook for buoy KONG

Looking at the hook in your photo Roger ... I think a Kong or similar would be better ... the tang on yours looks a bit thin ...
 
I was looking for Mooring hooks recently - as we had trouble with the carbin hook inherited with the latest boat.

Various online - but wanting strength - I opted for the KONG .... its strong, has a slide fitting for a pole ...

Mooring hook for buoy KONG

Looking at the hook in your photo Roger ... I think a Kong or similar would be better ... the tang on yours looks a bit thin ...
I have a Kong too. A quality product as you say . I find it quite heavy at the end of a pole. It's also quite sensitive i.e. clicks a bit too readily. Perhaps there is a way to make it less sensitive ?
 
I’m another advocate for the “Kong”. Its main advantage is that no lateral effort is required to open its gate, which is held open until slid off the end of the mooring pole. It then latches, closed. I have found it very easy to use when picking up a mooring buoy or grabbing a shoreside cleat or ring because of that particular feature. If picking up a mooring single handed it’s usually a simple matter to back up to its buoy, get the “Kong” hook engaged on the ring or buoyed pick-up line and then take a line to the bow at leisure. There is of course one disadvantage. It cannot be disengaged without physically opening its gate. That means that before one can leave the mooring the “kong” has to be replaced by a slippable line. Not, in my experience an insurmountable ptoblem.
Mike
 
There are two versions of the KONG ... the smaller one that requires you to manually open to release - or the larger one with the release mechanism built in.

Given that majority of 'hooks' require manual release - is it so bad ?? My concern is - Is the hook strong enough to hold even if weather turns ??

I've had what appeared to be strong substantial carbin's break pulling cars etc out of ditches ... so have little faith in many !!
 
I see something like that as a "get you attached quick" gadget that allows you to tie up properly. I'd never leave it as the main attachment other than for a lunch stop in settled weather

The KONG is based on Baltic moor ... and that means Hook is used throughout the mooring time ... its not a quick get hooked change to another item.

Its main use over here is to hook onto the buoy that keeps boat 90 deg to quay ... and it stays doing that job till departure.
 
I see something like that as a "get you attached quick" gadget that allows you to tie up properly. I'd never leave it as the main attachment other than for a lunch stop in settled weather
It's very common these days for the finger to be significantly shorter than the boat . Easy to clout the bow . I find the Kong type useful to make fast as a spring . With the tiller over and left in forward gear. Particularly for singlehandedly. You can of course reverse in and manually attach it to the first available cleat. Reversing in is not really an option as I have a transom hung rudder but do use the option now and again according to conditions. Great that we can all just use one line berthing without jumping off. Then tieing up at leisure.
 
I see something like that as a "get you attached quick" gadget that allows you to tie up properly. I'd never leave it as the main attachment other than for a lunch stop in settled weather

Yes, that is exactly how I use my mooring hook it allows me to quickly to attach from my mid cleat to the outer cleat of the finger either reversing or forward in with the boat in either reverse or forward in geta on tick over to hold the boat in place until I can get the bow, stern and springs attached at Leasure

If I could get a second hook I can have one on each side mid cleat, so I don't have to move the mooring hook if I moor o the other side of the boat.
 
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