Making pick up buoy lighter

[Rhylsailer99]

My current pick up buoy is connected to the end of my chain. Am I correct that the pick up boys that are connected to rope would need 3 buoys total to make it work. Would the system in the pic be a bad idea as I can imagine the buoy boucing about more ilwith no chain weight or at worse getting tangled.

 

[Refueler]

Why not just put a bit of rope between existing buoy and chain ?? Why add another ?

 

[fredrussell]

I think I’m saying same thing as Refueler, but why have you got chain between mooring buoy and pickup buoy? All the ones I’ve seen have had rope between mooring buoy and pickup buoy.

 

[andsarkit]

The rope between the pick up buoy and chain must be about a foot shorter than the chain. It will then always be straight and in tension and so prevent the rope or chain getting wrapped around the riser when you leave the mooring. I have used this for over 40 years on a swinging mooring and never had a problem with tangles or picking up the buoy.

 

[Rhylsailer99]

I think I’m saying same thing as Refueler, but why have you got chain between mooring buoy and pickup buoy? All the ones I’ve seen have had rope between mooring buoy and pickup buoy.

Where my boat is most have chain from the big buoy to the boat. at Porth Penrhyn, some do have ropes though.I did think to change to two strops as I think the chain puts strain on the bow roller which is connected to the rigging, furler etc. The chain can sometimes touch the cotter pin holding the rigging in place.

 

[Rhylsailer99]

Why not just put a bit of rope between existing buoy and chain ?? Why add another ?

That is what I will do thannks. That was the same set up I had on my other mooring.

 

[peteK]

Its just the way Steve does the moorings,no need for the big buoy on those drying moorings,I just use a small buoy and pick that up and put it on foredeck so it doesnt bang on the hull.

 

[ylop]

The way you have drawn it the potential to tangle is higher as is the ability to confuse and catch a passing boat. As others have said you only need one pickup bouy; from your question I guess you thought the chain would be too heavy - when it’s in the water it is fairly light, I only really notice the weight once the chain starts to come out the water. Mrs Y has a dodgy shoulder and manages fine - directly hauling the chain with the boat hook exacerbates that but hook the rope, guide it through the roller and then by the time you get to chain it’s easy with no awkward bendy boat hook lever, and some of the weight on the hull with a horizontal pull rather than a lift.

 

[Stemar]

The simple solution is a bit of rope between buoy and chain that's long enough that there's no weight on it when you pick it up. If you use a floating line - that nasty blue polyprop from B&Q is fine, you can even have a foot or two floating, which will make the pick-up easier - it can be remarkably difficult to snag a buoy with a boathook when things aren't going quite to plan.

An altenative would be to go for a rope pennant instead of chain. A pair of them may even help the boat to wander less. I use one piece of polysteel with an eye splice at each end and a hard eye with a Brummel splice in the middle. My top tip with twin pennants is to have a light line with a snap shackle tied to one, so they stay together in the water, and you only have one thing to grab.

 

[vyv_cox]

On the Strait we had 1/2 inch chain pickup between the connection to the riser chain beneath the buoy and the boat. Attached to the end of this chain was rope, about 12 mm, longer than the 1/2 inch chain, then the pickup buoy on the end of that. I believe that all moorings on the Strait at that time were the same, as no contractors would fit rope pickups.

 

[andsarkit]

As I said above, if the rope is shorter than the chain the small loop of chain will keep the rope straight and prevent any wraps. You are initially only lifting a foot of chain so it is very easy to pick up the buoy. This also keeps the pick up buoy upright and so it is easy to hook the handle on the top. If you can get a buoy with a big open loop on the top it is even easier.

 

[vyv_cox]

As I said above, if the rope is shorter than the chain the small loop of chain will keep the rope straight and prevent any wraps. You are initially only lifting a foot of chain so it is very easy to pick up the buoy. This also keeps the pick up buoy upright and so it is easy to hook the handle on the top. If you can get a buoy with a big open loop on the top it is even easier.
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I don't doubt that what you say is true but we found that with the rope shorter than the chain the pickup buoy sat beneath the main buoy, making it more difficult to reach. With the rope longer than the chain the pickup buoy stood off a little, far easier to get the hook beneath the buoy.

 

[fredrussell]

Where my boat is most have chain from the big buoy to the boat. at Porth Penrhyn, some do have ropes though.I did think to change to two strops as I think the chain puts strain on the bow roller which is connected to the rigging, furler etc. The chain can sometimes touch the cotter pin holding the rigging in place.

Ah, I see. The moorings round here (Orwell) are in a much more sheltered position than yours (I assume), so use rope between buoy and boat. I can see chain makes more sense in terms of chafe and so on.

 

[LittleSister]

Here's a picture of a lighter and a buoy, in case that's of any help.