Can you pick-up a private mooring buoy.

[Zagato]

Thankfully it appears the consensus is you can generally borrow a mooring but don't leave your boat unattended on it.

I sail single handed so couldn't move the unattended boat to another mooring on my own (and shouldn't have to anyway!), I wouldn't be happy to have it tied next to mine as I wouldn't be sure I was allowed to do that in the Harbour (never seen it!) plus could the mooring take the extra weight

If the HM wasn't available I would have to moor up to someone else's mooring IF I could find one, possibly shifting the problem on to that other person. The HM would have to sort the whole problem out the next day whilst I was at work but they wouldn't know the arrangement I use to moor with bowsprit so I would have to return to tie it up myself - 3hr round trip driving in the evening and £25 in petrol.

Leaving a mobile number just doesn't cut it, especially as I hardly ever use the things!

I am happy for others to use my mooring and I hope I could borrow some else If I had to in another harbour. I would never however leave my boat unattended, it's just inconsiderate I wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone...

 

[richgiddens]

+2

Seems that not every where still has a 'sailing community' like we do on the east coast.... lets hope our beloved sailing areas keeps its nice attitude.

Not everyone on the east coast it seems: matey who wants to cut mooring lines and put seawater in the diesel is, apparently, based at Brightlingsea and Norfolk!!
Having sailed up there on occasion, I'm sure he (or maybe she) is the exception that proves the rule.

 

[Otter]

Agreed, it's a very friendly sailing area, we've lent our mooring numerous times and borrowed others just as often. Never been cut adrift or had watery diesel as a result.

 

[Searush]

Epervier;

I'd buy your moorings guy some galvanised wire for mousing the shackles.

Copper earthing wire could easily not last a season &, inside the plastic cover, you would not know.

Electric cable is a classic No-No on mooring shackles. As you call him "a mooring specialist", I am surprised at him cutting corners like that - pure cheapskate.

 

[BobPrell]

Epervier;

I'd buy your moorings guy some galvanised wire for mousing the shackles.

Copper earthing wire could easily not last a season &, inside the plastic cover, you would not know.

Electric cable is a classic No-No on mooring shackles. As you call him "a mooring specialist", I am surprised at him cutting corners like that - pure cheapskate.

This looks worth a thread on its own.

I would like to see some samples of electric cable that has been under water.

My untested guesstimation would be copper should last quite well, and the casing itself would last a long time and be quite strong especially if knotted as thoroughly as the pix show.

 

[epervier]

This looks worth a thread on its own.

I would like to see some samples of electric cable that has been under water.

My untested guesstimation would be copper should last quite well, and the casing itself would last a long time and be quite strong especially if knotted as thoroughly as the pix show.

Well, the last photo is of a shackle that had been underwater for 2 years the thread on both the pin and the shackle had fizzed away,and the copper mousing is the only thing holding the two parts together

 

[Daydream believer]

Epervier;

I'd buy your moorings guy some galvanised wire for mousing the shackles.

Copper earthing wire could easily not last a season &, inside the plastic cover, you would not know.

Electric cable is a classic No-No on mooring shackles. As you call him "a mooring specialist", I am surprised at him cutting corners like that - pure cheapskate.

Galvanise wire does not last 5 mins & having looked after moorings for years we should know
Stainless steel wire does not last particularly long either
Never tried electrical wire & i suspect electrolysis may be a problem but do not know where on the scale the 2 materials are( copper/ steel)
We use very thick cable ties & this certainly seems to work as good as anything else

 

[longjohnsilver]

Epervier;

I'd buy your moorings guy some galvanised wire for mousing the shackles.

Copper earthing wire could easily not last a season &, inside the plastic cover, you would not know.

Electric cable is a classic No-No on mooring shackles. As you call him "a mooring specialist", I am surprised at him cutting corners like that - pure cheapskate.

Monel seizing wire is what you really need, although cable ties have done a pretty good job for me in the past.

 

[Uricanejack]

My mooring is put together and laid using a moorings contractor, he inspects it in the spring each year, replaces worn components as required, every five years or so he pulls the mooring out, takes it ashore for closer inspection, it may seem to some a tad over kill, but I agree to this for two reasons, 1, he is insured, so if the boat ever breaks loose, my insurance co. claims against his, 2, my insurance is never void because I didn't cut corners using non traceable components and did it myself.

OK, I agree it ain't cheap this way, but it's still a lot less than Marina fees, the initial outlay made me suck air through, what teeth/dentures I have left,but it was still less than 6 months rent in a marina, thereafter just maintenance/inspection fee each year.

So back to the meat of this thread, I have no problem with a visitor using my mooring while I'm not there, however,like some others have already stated, I hate the practice of lassoing as a means to pick up my mooring, mine has three inflatable buoys on the surface, the main, which carries the riser chain, smaller which supports the weight of the riding chain, and a pick up buoy with rope strop.

I'll put some photos up to show how this works and hope it will clarify the picture a bit for the die hard lassoer's, thus hope to change their ways, when being a guest at someone else's mooring.

My boat sits in 6.2mtr HW springs.

The mooring configuration is, 3 x 75kg Sampson anchors laid out in a crows foot with inch ground chain joining them in the centre is 32mm ring, on which a 375 kg train wheel is shackled,from the train wheel is inch ground chain, inch shackle, inch swivel, 3/4" shackle 3/4" riser to red buoy, 4' down from the main buoy the riding chain is shackled, which has the smaller (white) buoy to carry it's weight, in the end of the riding chain a shackled loop is formed sheathed in lay flat fire hose to protect the Sampson post of the deck of the boat, the pick up buoy is on a strop to the loop.the whole lot is in gloopy putty on the sea bed.

These photos are from last year lift out and shoreside refurb, replacement shackles and mousing.you'll see in the ref numbers on the shackles, this makes them traceable to source, (mooring quality) not cheap Chinese shackles from a corner hardware store

This is what can happen if not inspected on a routine basis, these shackles were fitted by a DIY mooring layer, the thread had fizzed away and only the mousing was left on one, then wondered why his boat drifted in Chi habour from Southampton water, they were allegedly only 2 years in the water

Just curious. have you any picture showing the kind of damage from lassooing

 

[BobPrell]

Well, the last photo is of a shackle that had been underwater for 2 years the thread on both the pin and the shackle had fizzed away,and the copper mousing is the only thing holding the two parts together

I see thread on the pins. I can't see how much is left on the female part of the shackle.

I would have thought there was enough thread to engage. What actually came apart to turn the boat loose?

With your 3 anchor, railway wheel, 400kg rig,

What sort of boat is hanging off it?

What sort of wind and current does it have to stand? Just annual storms, not fifty year ones.

 

[epervier]

Just curious. have you any picture showing the kind of damage from lassooing

I haven't got any photos, but I have gone to pick up my mooring and the smaller buoy has been torn and sunk, so no direct evidence of it happening to me, but a couple of sea schools have been caught on film doing it to a friends mooring twice last year, he sent them a bill with photos showing their 36' boats with name of school along the topsides, they tend not to do it in our area anymore

FWIW, my take is that lassoing is for pontoon cleats, shore-side bollards,hard mooring buoys, as a last resort in an emergency on inflatable mooring buoys, schools ought to be using their own gear to teach on, and not other peoples.

 

[epervier]

I see thread on the pins. I can't see how much is left on the female part of the shackle.

I would have thought there was enough thread to engage. What actually came apart to turn the boat loose?

With your 3 anchor, railway wheel, 400kg rig,

What sort of boat is hanging off it?

What sort of wind and current does it have to stand? Just annual storms, not fifty year ones.

The thread on the pin and shackle both fizzed away enough for the pin to fall out, it wasn't unscrewed, the mousing is still in place,

my boat is 10 mtr,motor pilot cutter,it's my avatar, just under 10 ton when watered and fed.

Normal conditions, but this last week or so up to 53 kts winds, tides are negligible.

I'm guessing your interest is that the gear is quite substantial, it is for my size boat, but I like to be at home knowing it ain't going anywhere in a hurry even in storm force weather.

 

[Searush]

The thread on the pin and shackle both fizzed away enough for the pin to fall out, it wasn't unscrewed, the mousing is still in place,

(snip).

That wouldn't be the result of the copper wire right hext to it would it?

Using galvanised wire, my shackles & swivels have lasted for many years.

 

[Poignard]

On the east coast i have picked up many a mooring for an over night stay.
I would never leave my boat unattended on some ones mooring.
Of course if mooring holder returned, i would move in an instance.

When i have been away, people have told me a boat was on my mooring for the night, i have no problem.
Live and let live i say.

We are all brother sailors in my opinion.

We must respect others tackle, and leave mooring as we found it.

Well said.