Moored to a hippo fibreglass buoy - any tips how to stop the buoy clunking against the hull??

[DanTribe]

Perhaps I should clarify that my experience is not typical of Ramsholt. Harbourmaster George is the nicest bloke you could hope to meet.
I often visit other ports and rely on the locals allowing me to use their facilities. It's only fair to reciprocate when others visit my home port.

 

[Jmc1764]

You could try a drogue, seems to work for me.

 

[Poignard]

You could try a drogue, seems to work for me.

I often do to but at slack water when there is no current it doesn't work until the current increases again sufficiently to lift it

 

[johnalison]

I often do to but at slack water when there is no current it doesn't work until the current increases again sufficiently to lift it

It's called a bucket on our boat. In our tidal waters the main cause of noise is when there is wind against tide, when the boat will ride over the buoy. A drogue works pretty well here. In non-tidal water, such as Braye, there is only the wind to keep the boat and buoy from meeting, and if this is absent it is hard to deal with. I think the only solution would be a stern anchor, if there is enough swinging room, not always the case.

 

[BabaYaga]

This boat has a length of stiff polyethylene hose (the type used as water pipe) hanging from the guard wires.
I assume the purpose is what's being discussed in this thread.

 

[NormanS]

This boat has a length of stiff polyethylene hose (the type used as water pipe) hanging from the guard wires.
I assume the purpose is what's being discussed in this thread.

Hmm, looks more like a type of fender "plank" to me.

 

[BabaYaga]

Hmm, looks more like a type of fender "plank" to me.

Possibly, but hard to see that it would work very well as such.

EDIT: Anyhow, I think this type of hose would be suitable for keeping the buoy at arms lengths distance.

 

[Poignard]

This boat has a length of stiff polyethylene hose (the type used as water pipe) hanging from the guard wires.
I assume the purpose is what's being discussed in this thread.

I think that would be so inflexible that you might as well attach to the buoy with a pole ?

 

[NormanS]

Possibly, but hard to see that it would work very well as such.

EDIT: Anyhow, I think this type of hose would be suitable for keeping the buoy at arms lengths distance.

Surely putting a stiff hose on the mooring strop merely ensures that the buoy can still hit the boat, but can expend all its potential for damage at a set distance from the bow, on each side.

 

[BabaYaga]

Surely putting a stiff hose on the mooring strop merely ensures that the buoy can still hit the boat, but can expend all its potential for damage at a set distance from the bow, on each side.

Depends on how the hose is fixed to the boat I guess.
I envisioned a two point attachment, one at the bow, one a metre or so further aft.
A bit like a semi-soft bowsprit.

 

[Bouba]

.

In 1941 the yacht "Quercus" was secured to a hired mooring in Torquay that was owned by the Council. The mooring was inspected annually by a diver. The mooring chain broke during a moderate gale and the yacht was wrecked. No other yachts broke free of their moorings. The yacht's owner sued the council.

In the subsequent court case the Council was held to be under a duty of care to maintain the mooring to a reasonable standard. It failed in that duty (an expert witness having satisfied the court that the annual inspection was not properly carried out) and was found negligent.

(Shearing v. Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Torquay (1943)) (1943) 76 Ll.L.Rep. 170

I have no reason to think that case has since been overruled.

It is not unreasonable to expect that if you hire a mooring you are entitled to expect it will be maintained to a reasonable standard; in the same way as with anything else you hire.

But, on the other hand, if you just help yourself to someone's private mooring without permission, you've only yourself to blame if it breaks and your boat is damaged. (Also you have negligently damaged someone's property. )

Didn’t anyone say to all the parties concerned...’there’s a war going on !’

 

[Roberto]

Apologies I posted this already, a very atypical mooring system which prevents the hulls from hitting the mooring buoy (these in particular are semi-naval steel buoys with sharp edges all around).
The port (Hoedic) is exposed to north sector winds, during summer nights there is often a 4-6 Bft NE land breeze with about 10nm of fetch, really not a place to be. Neither at day I reckon. IIRC, last year one of those buoys went loose with all boats attached.

 

[Daydream believer]

With respect there is some overthinking going on?
Put your own rope onto the buoy
But thread it through a goodly length of spiral reinforced plastic bilge pump /wc hose that spans the distance between bow and ring on the buoy .

This will act as an anti catenary between bow and buoy and keep them apart

So when the wind blows harder than the tide the buoy just swings back along the side of the boat as usual.(as already suggested)
Plus if it is another owner's buoy , who is going to spend ages threading the painter through a hose & then hanging over the bow, shackling it to the buoy (or shackling then threading.)
It would be harder job than handcuffing the missus wrists to the bed at night

 

[Daydream believer]

IWhat means do you use to dissuade them?

Place a large plate bolted to the ring that sticks out & also prevents anyone passing a rope through the eye

 

[Stemar]

I can't imagine a circumstance when someone would want to, but I'd be perfectly happy for someone to use my mooring when I'm not there - strictly at their own risk. It dries at low tide and is in the midst of a lot of other similar moorings, so the risk of someone putting an unsuitable boat on there is minimal.

I'd be more cautious with Jazzcat, as she's a bit bigger, but I had no hesitation in picking up an unused mooring with my Snapdragon while waiting for a tide, but only in settled conditions and I wouldn't leave the boat in case the owner comes back.

 

[Daydream believer]

I can't imagine a circumstance when someone would want to, but I'd be perfectly happy for someone to use my mooring when I'm not there - strictly at their own risk. It dries at low tide and is in the midst of a lot of other similar moorings, so the risk of someone putting an unsuitable boat on there is minimal.

I'd be more cautious with Jazzcat, as she's a bit bigger, but I had no hesitation in picking up an unused mooring with my Snapdragon while waiting for a tide, but only in settled conditions and I wouldn't leave the boat in case the owner comes back.

That would, in most cases be Ok. Being the clerk to the Fairways at the time I have found them another temporary mooring for a few hours.
Whilst I have my yacht in a marina I keep my squib & the launch I use for mooring laying on 2 moorings in front of our club. So they are the first ones people look to pick up as either boat is often on the hard.
However, I have had people dump their boat on my mooring for several weeks at a time.
I have had people lasso one & as a result lost 2 moorings as the buoy split.
There have been people who have gone ashore for a while so I cannot tie up.
I have even had one chap refuse to leave for an hour because he wanted to do some work on his yacht, so I would have to wait until he was ready. He knew that I was going to go on it as I was launching at a set time & he was sitting on the hard admiring the view. He rowed to his boat as I launched & made me wait.
So now, even if someone asks, I just say "No".
We have situations where someone has lost a mooring in another area & asked at the sailing club if they can borrow one for a couple of days. It normally ends up as a couple of months & we have to keep moving them about as owners want their moorings back.
The RNLI collected a drifting boat & the clerk at the time allowed them to place it on a spare mooring "temporarily". How does one refuse to help the RNLI? It was there for 5 months. Now we refuse & tell them to take them to the marina, or elsewhere, as we no longer have spare moorings. They all belong to individual owners.
So one has become somewhat cynical about boats that do not belong on their own moorings.
I certainly do not use other buoys. Mainly because I cannot sit on a mooring due to seasickness.

 

[Bouba]

That would, in most cases be Ok. Being the clerk to the Fairways at the time I have found them another temporary mooring for a few hours.
Whilst I have my yacht in a marina I keep my squib & the launch I use for mooring laying on 2 moorings in front of our club. So they are the first ones people look to pick up as either boat is often on the hard.
However, I have had people dump their boat on my mooring for several weeks at a time.
I have had people lasso one & as a result lost 2 moorings as the buoy split.
There have been people who have gone ashore for a while so I cannot tie up.
I have even had one chap refuse to leave for an hour because he wanted to do some work on his yacht, so I would have to wait until he was ready. He knew that I was going to go on it as I was launching at a set time & he was sitting on the hard admiring the view. He rowed to his boat as I launched & made me wait.
So now, even if someone asks, I just say "No".
We have situations where someone has lost a mooring in another area & asked at the sailing club if they can borrow one for a couple of days. It normally ends up as a couple of months & we have to keep moving them about as owners want their moorings back.
The RNLI collected a drifting boat & the clerk at the time allowed them to place it on a spare mooring "temporarily". How does one refuse to help the RNLI? It was there for 5 months. Now we refuse & tell them to take them to the marina, or elsewhere, as we no longer have spare moorings. They all belong to individual owners.
So one has become somewhat cynical about boats that do not belong on their own moorings.
I certainly do not use other buoys. Mainly because I cannot sit on a mooring due to seasickness.

It’s no different to people taking your place in the port....in fact it’s no different than having a parking space in London...people assume that they have a right to it regardless of how much someone else has paid for that privilege. Not just other boats...try removing belligerent fishermen from your place in the port (I had fisherman lose his hooks on my boat during a storm..to retrieve their hooks (a lure with a dozen hooks attached)...they tried to pull my boat closer to the pontoon by the shore power cable...when that snapped they left the live wire in the sea...so my house batteries are now getting flat and probably shortened life..who knows what they’ve done to my anodes...and much worse.... when my wife went to pull up a fender she got a dozen fish hooks in her hand...and trying to rescue her they ended up in my hand)...or other boaters who think they can stop in mid stream and do who knows what regardless who they block...or as you are maneuvering in mid channel a dock boat pulls out without looking.
Have I finished venting my spleen ? Hell no ! I haven’t even got on to my favorite bugbear...yotties ....who (apart from that gorgeous naked yottie woman bending over to adjust her lines) really get up my nose ! And I have a big nose !

 

[Daydream believer]

It’s no different to people taking your place in the port....in fact it’s no different than having a parking space in London...people assume that they have a right to it regardless of how much someone else has paid for that privilege. Not just other boats...try removing belligerent fishermen from your place in the port (I had fisherman lose his hooks on my boat during a storm..to retrieve their hooks (a lure with a dozen hooks attached)...they tried to pull my boat closer to the pontoon by the shore power cable...when that snapped they left the live wire in the sea...so my house batteries are now getting flat and probably shortened life..who knows what they’ve done to my anodes...and much worse.... when my wife went to pull up a fender she got a dozen fish hooks in her hand...and trying to rescue her they ended up in my hand)...or other boaters who think they can stop in mid stream and do who knows what regardless who they block...or as you are maneuvering in mid channel a dock boat pulls out without looking.
Have I finished venting my spleen ? Hell no ! I haven’t even got on to my favorite bugbear...yotties ....who (apart from that gorgeous naked yottie woman bending over to adjust her lines) really get up my nose ! And I have a big nose !

I was asked in #22 how I stopped others using my mooring . Of course there are inconsiderate types in all walks of life. One just has to work round it. I explained the issues I had in relation ship to my moorings.
As for "gorgeous naked yottie women" I suppose that I would just have to devise a different risk assessment strategy & try & cope as best as possible. I will give it some thought----Just in case the situation never arises

 

[Bouba]

I was asked in #22 how I stopped others using my mooring . Of course there are inconsiderate types in all walks of life. One just has to work round it. I explained the issues I had in relation ship to my moorings.
As for "gorgeous naked yottie women" I suppose that I would just have to devise a different risk assessment strategy & try & cope as best as possible. I will give it some thought----Just in case the situation never arises

It always helps to get it off your chest

 

[Daydream believer]

It always helps to get it off your chest

Please. We have already had gorgeous naked women ( from a thread about hippos? how did that happen? ) . Can we keep chests out of this. I cannot take it at my age.