How I did my mooring.

[Alcyone]

Yes, I've seen those. Even the buoy with a steel rod through the middle and ring at the top would be better than what I have, tbh. I may well change the buoy at the end of the season. At the moment, money is an issue, so there was an element of 'make do'.

I don't actually buy the buoys, I find them on beaches when out diving! I also find fenders, usually the wrong colour, though. I've yet to see a buoy as you describe, or even one with a steel rod through the middle, which probably says a fair bit about their relative merits for use as head buoys!

 

[fireball]

We had solid buoys with steel bars through them - the bars end up just sawing through the buoy... The chain continuing through is better as you're not breaking the line anywhere and have the same number of joints as the swivel below the buoy method.
This year we've fed our chain through a drain pipe that helps hold the shape of the tube inside the buoy and make changing the chain easier.

 

[tico]

Laid my mooring in Dale last year, but I used 2 large anchors and approx 15m of heavy ground chain doubled and shackled together.
Laid by a local contractor for a small considerayion and then bedded in by myself underwater.
Worked fine for me, just waiting for the water to warm up a bit before diving on it to check this season. (no drysuit see)

 

[Alcyone]

Laid my mooring in Dale last year, but I used 2 large anchors and approx 15m of heavy ground chain doubled and shackled together.
Laid by a local contractor for a small considerayion and then bedded in by myself underwater.
Worked fine for me, just waiting for the water to warm up a bit before diving on it to check this season. (no drysuit see)

Tico, pm me with your details - I'll have a look if you want.

Northern diver compressed neoprene, see!

 

[Dipper]

Well done for posting this. It's not easy trying to lay a mooring without heavy(ish) lifting gear. I reckon you will be OK with what you have and the railway wheels will be added insurance.

I hope you don't mind a constructive suggestion. In our club the riser chains have a large ring welded in one end (added by the manufacturer before delivery). The riser chain is then fed through the last link in the ground chain, through the ring and pulled up tight. This means that there is no shackle to worry about. If the links on your ground chain are large enough, you may be able to do this next time you change your riser.

 

[JordanBoon]

Very Intersting

Hi there this sounds very interesting, please can you tell me the cost from the harbour master and what permissions you have to get to start this work, how long did it take from initial inquiries to finally having the boat at sea.

I am very interested in doing this in the solent and would greatly recieve any advice.
Yours Sincerely,
Jordan Boon

PS how is maintainance etc

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Why go for such a long length of ground chain unless you are going to put weights at both ends and take the riser from the middle?

I can't imagine any sort of weather at Dale which would stretch 22m of chain.

 

[Alcyone]

Hi there this sounds very interesting, please can you tell me the cost from the harbour master and what permissions you have to get to start this work, how long did it take from initial inquiries to finally having the boat at sea.

I am very interested in doing this in the solent and would greatly recieve any advice.
Yours Sincerely,
Jordan Boon

PS how is maintainance etc

I can only speak for Milford Haven, but here is teh info.

The Haven is divided into Voluntary bodies, each of which oversees a portion of the Haven. There are about 10, say. Some are managed by private individuals, some by commercial companies and the rest by yacht clubs. Dale yacht club administer Dale moorings. They will administer it for you without you joining the club. We joined anyway. You apply through the yacht club and they liase with the Harbour authority. You pay a registration fee the first time, and a renewal fee every year thereafter.

From initial enquiry to being granted the mooring license took about 3 weeks I'd say. Laying the mooring took 4 months, largely because I moved house between starting it (November) and finishing it (April). The actual work was 2 weekends, but I did a friends mooring at the same time.

I'll PM you the actual prices.

Cheers.

 

[Alcyone]

Why go for such a long length of ground chain unless you are going to put weights at both ends and take the riser from the middle?

I can't imagine any sort of weather at Dale which would stretch 22m of chain.

The mooring authority gives you a maximum length of chain including riser. My option was to go for a heavier weight, less chain, or lighter weight, more chain. Reading around the subject gives no clear definitive answer as to what design is best. Lastly, moving 8cwt chain above water and below is far easier than moving the same amount of concrete, plus, chain only loses 1/8 of its weight in water, concrete can lose up to 1/2. The design was a trade off betwen what I wanted (no sleepless nights when it blows) and what I could manage with two blokes, a woman and a RIB.

I have seen nasty weather at Dale, an Easterly Gale blowing down the river can lead to big waves, but I think this will be fine. Last weekend I tried to straighten my ground chain by dragging it with the boat. I only have 10hp, but the chain has already bedded in so well I couldn't move it with the engine flat out.

I'm well happy with that.

Edit: The floating rope has not tangled at all - we've been on it about 5 weeks. All in all, I'm hopeful.

 

[lw395]

Hi there this sounds very interesting, please can you tell me the cost from the harbour master and what permissions you have to get to start this work, how long did it take from initial inquiries to finally having the boat at sea.

I am very interested in doing this in the solent and would greatly recieve any advice.
Yours Sincerely,
Jordan Boon

PS how is maintainance etc

Can't speak for the rest of the
Solent, but Portsmouth Harbour is divided into mooting licenses, many of these areas are held by clubs. Cost varies from 100 to over 700 GBP for a yacht mooring depending on several factors like tidal status and distance from entrance. The cost of laying tackle is on top of that. Then you need to join a club to have a tender somewhere. The costs are usually kept down by booking a contractor like Baker-Trayte and doing a whole load of moorings together.

The license system is through the Port Surveyor and Crown Estate, they do not want to deal with individuals.

Are you E or west Solent?
I believe moorings in Cowes/Medina used to be cheaper and more available, but ferry costs negate this for many people.

 

[joha]

Wheels

Old railway cariage wheels make good mooring anchors as they bury themselves in quite quickly, 250kg at around £60 each from EYE Marine. I think they are somewhere near Ipswich IIRC.

 

[MrCramp]

Old railway cariage wheels make good mooring anchors as they bury themselves in quite quickly, 250kg at around £60 each from EYE Marine. I think they are somewhere near Ipswich IIRC.

Thought I would try to find their web site as I need a new swivel and they have changed their web site and name. It took some finding, they call themselves "Boatgear Direct" which is a pity as I have known them as EYE.


http://www.boatgeardirect.co.uk/index.html