Looking for opinions on the MooR FasT product

aluijten

aluijten

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Would the forum be so kind to share some opinions on the MooR FasT product?
Please have a look at : http://www.moorfast.com/home.asp
Regrettably the site does not work under the Firefox Browser.
It looks like a clever thing. I bought something similar last year only to find out that the mooring rings in the UK are made of too thick material for the one I have. This actually looks better, but the price is a bit steep, I think.

All opinions are welcome. Thanks in advance.
 
Mmm never tried one of these things, but if its any help consider an ordinary boathook is about £20 vs this at £40 delivered.

if it works, good value for the single handed.

and how many ordinary boathooks have you lost flailing about attempting to capture a mooring?

of course you will still need an ordinary boathook for bending in half trying to fend off harbour walls!
 
I've got one of these which I bought at SBS. Don't think I paid that much for it though, so there might be some specials at boat shows.

The wife swears by it. It's an absolute doddle to get the bow rope on which used to be a real pig with the hull curve.
 
I have used one of these and yes it does work well. It does make mooring to a buoy with a ring easy, however it does need setting up. You have to attach the yellow rop to your main mooring line. I have also used the metal one which i think is plastimo which grips onto your mooring line and threads it through the ring in a similar manner but does not require knots. Both were good. The other option is the pole with a caribener type clip on the end probably the easiest to attach if the ring on the buoy is small. These are the simplest. It might be worth having a play at the boat show and choosing the one you get on best with. As to the moor fast - i had no faults i could find
 
We have a moorfast (not £40, but boughts at LIBS two years ago) and generally really like it. It makes a numberof mooring manuoevres off our highish bows much easier. It's also considerably lighter than the alternatives mentioned, which can be a significnat advantage.

Downsides - won't do rope topknots which seem to be becoming more common (a d which we do find very difficult). Also because light, the gate at the top can come off at the wrong end which can be a little trying when wrestling with said rope topknot.

But we've never lost overboard nor bent it. I can't really comment on the others because we've not used them. I'd agree with the advice to try the different ones at the boatshow, but would suggest you try it at full arms length reaching for bouy or cleat, because that's when the weight issue matters.
 
Thanks all for the replies.
I don't see the Handy Duck as a usefull alternative as it depends on a piece of plastic to keep your boat attached to the mooring. Also the opening of the hook looks pretty small, leaving me with the same problem as with the one I currently own.
I'll try to catch one of the Moorfast thingies at one of the upcoming boatshows.

Thanks again,

Arno
 
Ours works well when you are tying up to something with a rigid fastening on it, but if for instance it's the type of buoy where there is a heavy metal ring lying down on the top of the buoy, it's not so clever. Good weapon to have aboard, though.
 
I think these types of products are great.

Mostly for threading through rings on the tops of buoys, and the effing loops that the french sometimes use instead of cleats.

Here’s a tip. Get an length of double braid that you would use as a mooring line (about 10ft longer than you really need) and strip the outer covering off by about 10 feet. Where the outer stops, sew it to the core and make a tidy transition – whip it into a taper if you can. You now have a tapered mooring line.

Make the thin end off to the Moor fast, and tie the other end to a bow cleat (under the rails) and you can pick up a buoy with no yelling and shouting. Once through the ring, draw the line inboard till you have enough of the fat bit to make off to a cleat. If you are really slick you can pass it through the ring twice to minimise chafing – though make sure you do it the same way, otherwise you simply reverse the first threading, and off you drift!
 
I got a "Swiftie-matic" from Force 4 on-line. It attaches to the boat hook and threads the mooring line through a loop on the buoy. Cost £14.95 plus delivery.
 
\"Yachting Monthly\" Gear Test....

The YM Gear Test on boat hooks (Dec 03) rated the Handy Duck as their "Premium Product" and described it as "an impressive, robust all-round mooring aid". It has a 1500kg breaking load, and the jaw width is 3.5cm. Of the "tuning fork" plastic hooks, YM rated the Swiftie as "value for money".

If you're going to look around the shows, do take a look at the Handy Duck. It's by far the easiest boat hook device I've ever used, and I've tried several different types over the years.
 
Re: \"Yachting Monthly\" Gear Test....

We have both types. No complaints with either, although I'm not sure whether ours was a Swiftiematic or not, we've had it for years and it's all black plastic. We find it a bit fragile, a metal one would inspire more confidence. There are many situations where one is preferable to the other, the problem is getting everything ready to hand before knowing what is needed. As someone else has said, the Duck is very robust and is good for picking up buoys with upright rings, or can be used for lifting a loose ring, which our version of the Swiftie can not.
 
Re: \"Yachting Monthly\" Gear Test....

I have tried several of these products & they work OK when it is calm.I have found them difficult to snap on when the buoy is moving due to waves or wind.I then use the lasso method with a short length of chain in the middle of a rope which I throw over the buoy to moor before attaching permanently.
 
Re: \"Yachting Monthly\" Gear Test....

Bought a Moorfast for £39.95 at SBS...
Madam loves it because she can do the buisness at the pointy end now whereas before, at 5'2 she couldn't reach or hold the buoy!!
Nick
 
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