Mooring Buoy Set Up???

[lw395]

Yes, turning circles are always large!
But I would think in Tudor's mooring area, the current is enough that all the boats turn the same way enough for the circles to overlap quite a bit.
What you can get away with in terms of overlap comes down to experience and local knowledge.
It helps if all boats are similar....

 

[mickywillis]

Which mooring have you been allocated?
I'm on 23 and I used 4mtrs of 3/4" ground chain, attached to 3mtrs of 3/8" riser chain for a 26ft BK boat. The 3/4 chain was attached to the 3/8 chain by shackles. I put the swivel at the top of the riser chain, with the buoy attached to the swivel. My mooring strop is then attached to the uppermost part of the swivel, that way, if the buoy fails, the boat is still attached to the chains. Putting swivel at the intersection between sinker and ground chain is a no no as you won't be able to check it easily. Some put the swivel between the ground and riser chain, but this can cause premature wear due to the action of the abrasive mud.
chain
Problem I had was getting to the sinker to remove the ground chain.
If you are anywhere near me, then you will need the lowest LW Spring tide you can get to access the sinker. Mine was buried appx 4ft into the thick black oozing mud, very difficult to get to, took me 3 attempts.
PM me a phone number and I will tell you the secret to doing it!! I found out the hard way!!

However, the Tudor Sailing club spec for moorings states

Chain Sizes:
For Boats up to 21 foot: Ground chain to be 12 foot of 5/8 inch diameter chain, bridle chain to be 12 foot of 5/16 inch diameter chain.

For Boats up to 26 foot: Ground chain to be 12 foot of 3⁄4 inch diameter chain, bridle chain to be 12 foot of 3/8 inch diameter chain.

I assume that this means for our Jaguar 25 (2 tonne displacement) that I need to shackle a 12 foot length of heavy 3/4 in chain to the sinker (I am assuming there is a sinker present!) with a further 12 foot of 3/8 in chain shackled to the end of the 3/4 in chain acting as the riser to buoy. This would appear to produce quite a large turning circle.

 

[VicS]

PM me a phone number and I will tell you the secret to doing it!! I found out the hard way!!

A moorings contractor I should think with a good powerful winch on a moorings barge.

 

[mickywillis]

Noooo! It cost me nothing to do and saved shed loads of problems. Have a guess??
Clue is its relating to accessing the sinker in 4ft depth of soppy gooey black mud.
What may be the problems digging down in that situation??

 

[Jaguar 25]

The main problem would be , if trying to dig through the mud, that the mud removed would immediately be replaced with new mud.

If there was a ground chain present on the sinker you may have been able to hook it up using a boat hook.

Am I close?

 

[langstonelayabout]

Advice please.

We are about to set up a mooring in Langtone Harbour having been allocated a position by Tudor Sailing club. As a minimum the mooring includes a sinker but nothing else. So, we need a mooring buoy, 3/4 inch chain plus 3/4 inch shackles to make the connection between the sinker and the mooring buoy lower swivel. So here are my queries:

1. What is the best way to make the connection between the sinker and the mooring buoy lower swivel, can you walk out to the mooring at low water and fit everything or is it better to use a dinghy and time it for when there is about a couple of feet of water at the mooring and reach down to the sinker to make the connection?

2. We have normally been limited to connecting to club/marina mooring buoys at the top of the buoy. However, some advice indicates that we should connect the mooring strop and chain to the lower mooring buoy swivel by means of a shackle then a separate swivel and this shackled to the chain and strop.

3. Is a 450mm dia mooring buoy OK for supporting 12 foot of 3/4 inch chain?

I know there are many ways of doing the above but what is the perceived wisdom of the forum?

Apologies for the late response. Although you have been allocated a mooring location and have a specification, please discuss it with your club bosun or moorings officer before attempting to lay any mooring. This will ensure you have a correctly assembled mooring with possible adjustment for the location.

Don't worry too much about the mooring swings overlapping: many clubs will put boats with similar keels together so that they all point in the same direction at the same time.

Digging your own mooring weight pit in the mud? Take a couple of friends, a dinghy and your mobile with you, letting someone know what you are doing just in case... It's hard work but you may well have to stop when you reach the chalk below the mud.

I dug my first mooring in Langstone harbour so I understand how things work, but please discuss it with the right person at your club. Your boat may well have to spend a month or so on another mooring but it'll be worth it in the end for safe keeping and your ability to sleep at night.

 

[Fantasie 19]

A moorings contractor I should think with a good powerful winch on a moorings barge.

+100!

There's a guy on Hayling who does/did it.. I can try and find his name if of interest to the OP...

PS.Is it normal for clubs to just give you a sinker and then tell you to get on with it?? Clearly I'm spoilt at mine...

 

[Jaguar 25]

Apologies for the late response. Although you have been allocated a mooring location and have a specification, please discuss it with your club bosun or moorings officer before attempting to lay any mooring. This will ensure you have a correctly assembled mooring with possible adjustment for the location.
.

My son is the member and he has discussed it with both the bosun and the rear commodore. I have asked him to e mail our proposed 'mooring solution' to the bosun to ensure we are going in the right direction. Our proposal is "Attach 12 foot of 3/4 inch chain to the sinker using a 3/4 inch shackle (possibly two) with a further 12 foot of 3/8 inch chain shackled to the end of the 3/4 inch chain to act as the riser to the buoy whereby we will use a shackle to fix the riser to the swivel on the bottom of the buoy. The rope strop and chain strop will attach to the buoy bottom swivel using a shackle-swivel-shackle arrangement".

 

[Jaguar 25]

+100!

There's a guy on Hayling who does/did it.. I can try and find his name if of interest to the OP...
:

Given that I am in Liverpool and time limited (away on holiday for two weeks from Sunday) that would be of interest and at least worth checking it out as an option. I have unsuccessfully looked for a local mooring contractor.

 

[Jaguar 25]

A further thought! To get away from 'single point failure' situations, it seems to me that the 3/4 inch ground chain could be attached to sinker hoop using one shackle from the last chain link and another shackle from the second or third link. A similar double shackle system could be used between the ground and riser chain and the riser chain and pick up strops. Always bearing in mind the need to correctly torque up and mouse the shackle pins. From a boating point of view, shackles are pretty cheap.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Given that I am in Liverpool and time limited (away on holiday for two weeks from Sunday) that would be of interest and at least worth checking it out as an option. I have unsuccessfully looked for a local mooring contractor.

The chap was recommended to us by Chichester Harbour Conservancy, and his name is Robin Fairbrother (07708 560360) but that information dates from 2012.. good luck..

 

[Jaguar 25]

Thanks for that. I'll give him a ring tomorrow.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Thanks for that. I'll give him a ring tomorrow.

NP at all... always useful to know if the number/contact is still valid - could you share what the outcome is?

 

[nikc]

a slightly different question. when stuck with a buoy

is there a way to stop the mooring buoy scratching the hull? such an annoyance.

 

[Fantasie 19]

a slightly different question. when stuck with a buoy

is there a way to stop the mooring buoy scratching the hull? such an annoyance.

Accepted opinion seems to be either pull the buoy up really tight, or deploy a cover to protect the hull - fender blanket..

 

[lw395]

Accepted opinion seems to be either pull the buoy up really tight, or deploy a cover to protect the hull - fender blanket..

Or, on a shallow mooring, don't have a buoy!

 

[Jaguar 25]

NP at all... always useful to know if the number/contact is still valid - could you share what the outcome is?

I spoke to him a few days ago and he said that he was busy manoeuvring (a boat, I presume). He asked me to text him my number and said he'd get back to me. No response after two days so I have bought the kit and will install it with my son in a few weeks time (two weeks holiday from Sunday).

Anyway, thanks for providing the info.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Ta for that...

To be fair, and I have had no dealings with him and don't know him, this is probably his busiest time of the year, and post Katie I suspect he may be even busier... either way, have a good hols..