How to move a mooring

[penfold]

Does anyone have any advice on moving a mooring? We have two 150lb mushroom anchors connected by about 10m of 22mm chain. We need to move them by about 10m and are planning to try to lift one end and 'swing' it around the other end. It was only laid a couple of months ago, so we do not expect it to be well sunk in yet.

Does anyone have any advice or experience on this? I am told that once the anchor is lifted it will be fairly easy to move. Winching it up might be difficult, but another option would be to attach the boat to it at low tide and let the rising tide lift it. Any thoughts?

The other sticking point, is how to get a line tied to one of the anchors without having a diver handy. I have had a suggestion of trying to 'hook' it with a kedge anchor. Anyone tried this?

Thanks for all your help.

Dave

From personal experience, placing moorings is not a precise science and putting it within 5m of where you want it is a job well done. However.

How big a boat do you have and does it have either sheet winches or a windlass? How big are they? Assuming your craft is man enough, using either winch or windlass(if using the sheet winches you will have to use rolling hitches and a piece of rope to reach them from the fairlead with), winch the mooring in until you have chain just reaching the fairlead. Secure the top link to your mooring bitts with cheapo polypropylene rope. Reach as far down the chain as you can(may be easier to do this from a dinghy)tie on and winch up again and secure with another bit of polyprop; rinse and repeat until one of the anchors is off the bottom.

Then you manoeuvre your boat to the desired position, disconnect the lifting rope if you haven't already and hack through the polyprop(if you are of a nervous disposition, use a knife taped/jubilee clipped on the end of a bit of broomhandle for this(it's a good idea to have this kit on board anyway as it's good for shifting rope from around propellors)). Job jobbed.

 

[nimbusgb]

Whilst a tidal lift would be nice and gentle I'd be a little wary of using the boat for it. What if the anchor does not lift? The loads could be pretty massive before something broke or let go. You wouldn't know about it until it went bang! tidal lift with a couple of 44 gallon drums ( ~400 kg lift ) sounds like a much better idea to me. If the drums get pulled under no harm no foul

 

[Lakesailor]

Get one of these

 

[simonfraser]

you can see how much that barge dips forewards by, will your prop still be of use to you with the weight hanging of the bow ?

 

[prv]

you can see how much that barge dips forewards by, will your prop still be of use to you with the weight hanging of the bow ?

That barge is probably lifting something heavier than the OP's mushroom. Remember, he said it weighs 150lb - that's less than most people. Does your prop come out the water when a smallish person stands on your bow?

Pete

 

[Lakesailor]

That's lifting a concrete slab about 4 ft square and about 6" thick. They blast it with compressed air using a lance to try to free it from the suction first. Which he is doing in this shot, whilst lifting,

 

[prv]

you can see how much that barge dips forewards by, will your prop still be of use to you with the weight hanging of the bow ?

That barge is probably lifting something heavier than the OP's mushroom. Remember, he said it weighs 150lb - that's less than most people. Does your prop come out the water when a smallish person stands on your bow?

That's lifting a concrete slab about 4 ft square and about 6" thick.

There you go then. Some cursory googling suggests that block probably weighs about 540kg, or around 1200lb. 8 times what the OP's mushroom anchor weighs, and so I think it's safe to say that Simon's fear is misplaced.

Pete