mooring inspection

[PabloPicasso]

My mooring is heavy chain inherited from a previous owner. I hve put a new riser and shackles on the top.

The lower end is big ship anchor chain taken in a loop through an old safe. But this is now deeply burioed in mud and under 5ft of wter at the lowest tides.

How can i check whats going on down in the mud? A local diver told me that as soon as you touvh the mud visibility will be nil.

 

[sailorman]

My mooring is heavy chain inherited from a previous owner. I hve put a new riser and shackles on the top.

The lower end is big ship anchor chain taken in a loop through an old safe. But this is now deeply burioed in mud and under 5ft of wter at the lowest tides.

How can i check whats going on down in the mud? A local diver told me that as soon as you touvh the mud visibility will be nil.

lift it, dear Henry, lift it.
ours is Pro checked each season, i expect an invoice any time now

 

[PabloPicasso]

Ok Ok. I'll need some reufty tufty work boat to help me as I struggled to pull the chain up to put a new riser on.

 

[sailorman]

Ok Ok. I'll need some reufty tufty work boat to help me as I struggled to pull the chain up to put a new riser on.

our chap has a barge with a HIAB fitted

 

[VicS]

Yep lift it.

Our moorings consist of a a length of heavy (1" ) chain, cast into a reinforced concrete sinker, to which the riser chain is shackled

Every year the yard hauls up the entire length of riser for inspection and replacement when necessary, checks/replaces and re-secures the shackle.

The sinker and heavy chain is lifted out and completely replaced at fairly widely spaced intervals.

The yard has a special moorings barge with ( hand operated) lifting gear that can perform all these tasks. Including picking up the new sinkers and transporting them to the mooring location.

 

[William_H]

Mooring inspection

What may be far cheaper and easier is to leave the mooring as it is and just add to it. So another anchor or weight chained to that part of the riser you have inspected. The additional weight will be a kind of insurance in that if the part under the mud lets go then you will still have the new part which should it drag will still slow the drag down a bit. Or if you want add yet another weight or anchor and chain. Much depends on what you can get hold of second hand at the right price. Adding new gear is quicker /easier for a diver than removing and replacing old stuff. good luck olewill

 

[ffiill]

As usual its a matter of cost and what you can afford.My mooring association to comply with the Crown Estates latest demands had our moorings diver checked-cost us each £30.
Lifting herabouts can be very expensive unless you are in a harbour such as Plockton where the mooring association rents out visitors moorings and has therefore got to get the barge with the hydraulic lifting arm in every year.
Something to be said for starting afresh-I have a block weighing several tons which I cast several years ago waiting to go into Plockton harbour -it has rated thick welded up shackles and two Seasteel multiplait rope risers plus a well protected eye for a third if ever the need arises so in theory it can be diver overhauled.

 

[PabloPicasso]

What may be far cheaper and easier is to leave the mooring as it is and just add to it. So another anchor or weight chained to that part of the riser you have inspected. The additional weight will be a kind of insurance in that if the part under the mud lets go then you will still have the new part which should it drag will still slow the drag down a bit. Or if you want add yet another weight or anchor and chain. Much depends on what you can get hold of second hand at the right price. Adding new gear is quicker /easier for a diver than removing and replacing old stuff. good luck olewill

Thisn may be an easier option. I'll ask around and see what I can find.

 

[LadyInBed]

For several years I used to maintain my swinging mooring and, being a diver, had no problem with getting to the ground chain and sinker. But then the club changed the mooring officer and it was decided that for insurance purposes the mooring had to be inspected by a 'professionals' and a certificate issued, so check your insurance.
Two years later my boat parted company with the mooring
The shackle at the bottom of the riser had gone missing!
I used to use a large ring welded in the bottom of the riser so it formed a noose on the ground chain, IMO a better arrangement and easy to replace.