Have a choice to make - full length pontoon or bow to Baltic moor ?

[ProDave]

Yes we have foxed lines on our home pontoon for quick and easy mooring on arrival, and quick and easy departure.

A completely separate set on board to tie up at any place we visit.

 

[Refueler]

You are asking a predominantly British audience their preference - they are going to tell you what they are familiar with! I think there's an important metric not included - the cost!

I've not used the baltic bouys but I have used a dutch box system and I think I could get used to that easily enough. Entry and exit is one thing but "faff factor" adjusting lines, fenders etc might mean the baltic system is actually quicker?

Is there a reason why you couldn't rig springs from aft to pontoon in front and from midship back to the bouy. Do you just use one bouy or do you use two?

Brit or not - as a person who has years of both ... really I don't think is an issue.

Quicker ? Not really as once positioned by that stern line and two quickie bow lines .. you then sort bow lines to avoid chafe. Many people double the line back at first ... then change to multiple made off lines. Quite often - you have to winch that stern line / adjust bow lines to avoid boat touching quay.

Lines from mid to pontoon - ok - some do - but they become a pain as many people create a problem for others with them - a) filling up limited cleat space .. b) often using the next cleat along and crossing a boat space ...
Lines back to buoy ?? Remember that you clip onto the buoy and then usually who is on helm is also feeding that line as boat moves fwd ... not really a good idea to have more than one line .. and don't forget - you want to quickly unclip when leaving as boat is literally stopped when you do it ...

You only use one buoy .. in fact the buoys can take 2 boats each if necessary.

 

[Refueler]

Yes we have foxed lines on our home pontoon for quick and easy mooring on arrival, and quick and easy departure.

A completely separate set on board to tie up at any place we visit.

We have no contracted position or berth here .. pal of mine used to have rigged lines on the quay for bow .. but quite often he would return after a sail and find a visitor in 'his' spot using 'his' lines ...
He did mention to Manager - who basically said that there is no gtee of berth and that he is only one who has rigged lines ...

Its rare for all berths to be full, the Baltic Moor yes, but there are pontoon berths over to the side which many decide not to use as they have short fingers.
When regatta comes to town ... then locals are advised NOT to vacate berth !!

 

[Refueler]

Interesting once lifter placed us in water ... I opened seacocks .. checked bilges etc.

Started the Yanmar 2GM ... water spluttering as usual out of exhaust. But Yard guy agreed wait till we were sure about all before lowering slings fully to exit .. he stepped along quay and pointed at exhaust .. no water.

This engine has a water 'filter' that I have not used before .... it sits quite high in engine bay and is large .. reckon when full must be about 3/4 litre .... it has a clear top and no water was seen ... it has a butterfly nut on top so you can dismantle and clean ... I slackened the nut . wriggled the nut / shaft so top wasn't sealing anymore and water started to fill the bowl .... water was then exiting exhaust ... once bowl full - tightened top / nut and all was well.

Interesting ...

Here seen bottom left :

 

[Roberto]

This engine has a water 'filter' that I have not used before ...

It's a Vetus older model, type 150 IIRC.
Water hose is an odd 28mm, usually harder to find.

 

[Refueler]

I actually like it .. simple to clean etc.

But it had me flummoxed at first - till I loosened top to let it fill up.

My other boat - Perkins has a simple seacock strainer with metal tube gauze.

 

[Alicatt]

Here our marina, Blauwe Reiger, has one long quayside and we are all moored to our starboard sides heading North, the quayside is over 600m long. The next marina, Blauwe Kei at the junction of the Beverlo and Bocholt-Herentals canals, is some what similar but with individual stages with boats moored on what ever side they are facing, the next marina at Pelt is bow in on finger berths, next one is stern to on finger berths and those fingers are very narrow.

Interesting once lifter placed us in water ... I opened seacocks .. checked bilges etc.

Started the Yanmar 2GM ... water spluttering as usual out of exhaust. But Yard guy agreed wait till we were sure about all before lowering slings fully to exit .. he stepped along quay and pointed at exhaust .. no water.

This engine has a water 'filter' that I have not used before .... it sits quite high in engine bay and is large .. reckon when full must be about 3/4 litre .... it has a clear top and no water was seen ... it has a butterfly nut on top so you can dismantle and clean ... I slackened the nut . wriggled the nut / shaft so top wasn't sealing anymore and water started to fill the bowl .... water was then exiting exhaust ... once bowl full - tightened top / nut and all was well.

Interesting ...

Here seen bottom left :

Same with the water strainers on my swimming pool, you have to slacken off the tops to let the air out and then it will circulate the water through the pump, then the sand filter and the rest of the plumbing

 

[Refueler]

Thin fingers ... the really thin metal bar fingers - you look and you KNOW they will be unsafe to try walk along ... but the wider fingers that are about 40cms wide ... they look OK - but if one side does not have a boat - downright dangerous.

Had a few guests on after launch ... its really nice having a tiller that folds up out of the way ... yes I like a wheel - but 6 people were comfortably spread out in cockpit ... with a wheel it would have been a squeeze. I have had 8 sitting in that cockpit ...
Of course once we start sailing - that tiller will give all the feedback !! So many boats today have 'dead' wheels ...

 

[Refueler]

Marina put another boat on the Pontoon .. while they are finishing rigging her ..... once she's away - then I'll be moving there.