Piled moorings

[steveeasy]

Just been offered a piled mooring on the Hamble river. Been waiting for several years so keen not to turn it away. Only concern is they say they put two boats on them. So no pontoon between the piles just two boats in essence raft up to each other. Both have bow a stearn lines to the piles.
Does it work. Sounds a bit more hit! Than Miss to me. How many fenders would you suggest for two 10 mtr boats?
Steveeasy

 

[Wansworth]

endeavour to not get masts adjacent

 

[Boathook]

I've seen some moorings that have the big plastic mooring buoys mounted on a pole between the boats. The pole is attached to both piles and some have added hooks etc for their mooring lines.

 

[steveeasy]

reading previous posts most or some of the piled moorings have owners own pontoons attached. I understand one can get permission to install one. Perhaps I should ask them regarding this. I was rather hoping not to have a pontoon as it may cause some damage to topsides. However a pontoon would be better than two boats lashed together in a blow.

Steveeasy

 

[Pump-Out]

How many fenders would you suggest for two 10 mtr boats?

I'd go for size, rather than quantity.
Three/four good sized inflatable fenders, suspended diagonally. The toe-rails may be at more risk than the topsides.

Oh, and good springs.

All advice is probably null and void, having not seen either boat!

 

[PaulR]

we keep our boat on a piled mooring alongside a neighbour, we moor ours to mooring strops , 2 to bow pile and 2 to stern pile. we have a line joining the fore and aft strops on which are secured 5 large fenders, each fender has its own fender line which we use to secure each fender to our boat. on leaving we untie our fender lines and tie them to our neighbour ready for when we return, or if he away we leave them floating, no problems so far after several years

 

[ds797]

Hi Steve,

Just out of interest, around how long were you waiting for your 10m pile mooring?

Thanks

 

[Bobc]

It's not a big deal. The Hamble is very sheltered so long as you're above Warash. Best moorings are off Universal.

 

[johnalison]

The ones I have used had mooring lines attached either end and tied in between when not in use. I think that if each boat has its usual fenders it should be fine, but if you are concerned about chafe you could arrange to set springs with your neighbour.

 

[steveeasy]

Hi Steve,

Just out of interest, around how long were you waiting for your 10m pile mooring?

Thanks

2 years ish. Don’t get dispondant. Sometimes the list never goes down. Then it drops very fast.
Steveeasy

 

[Poignard]

 

[Minerva]

Time to buy a steel yacht

I’d probably look to get a few big round fenders and find a way to keep them
Rigged permanently betweeen the two boats so they can be left on the mooring when you’re off sailing, much like Poignard’s photo above.

 

[steveeasy]

View attachment 173707

Might be cheaper to buy a few tenders than those great things. ill not be able to hang them of the pushpit. where will I find that size fenders. id have to tow them down the river. madness in the making.

Steveeasy

 

[Poignard]

Might be cheaper to buy a few tenders than those great things. ill not be able to hang them of the pushpit. where will I find that size fenders. id have to tow them down the river. madness in the making.

Steveeasy

They stay where they are.

 

[steveeasy]

They stay where they are.

Yes I get that bit!!. but im thinking of towing the dam things on the back of my tender to put them on the mooring with the seagull groaning, if im lucky. still its quite a good solution. need to find some now. think they may work well. Maybe.

Steveeasy

 

[onesea]

I often see people throw around that sort of arbitrary percentage (the number I hear is usually 10%) - they make no sense really:

- a £250K recent Ben/Bav/Jen is not likely to cost half the running cost of a similarly sized, similarly aged HR/Moody/Sirius with twice the price tag is it?
- the running costs of a 20 year old Ben/Bav/Jen needing new sails, rigging, drive leg gaiters etc are not likely (even averaged over a 5 year window) to be substantially less than those of a much newer Ben/Bav/Jen which probably costs 3-4x the capital price?
- the running costs are affected hugely by the storage and mooring plans and location. A private mooring in a remote location can cost low 3 figures per annum, a top tier marina in the Solent can be approaching 5 figures!
- insurance cost more on a more expensive boat - but not linearly so the greatest risk is often the third party risk; likewise engine servicing etc - the cost might be more for a bigger engine but you still need to essentially the same parts and similar labour time etc so there it doesn't scale like that.

View attachment 173707

Yup that’s how I have berthed for the last 15 years winter and summer.
Much depends on your neighbour, we use 4 fenders between us and other boat. There is center line between the buoys we lift up to the middle of our fenders so it doesn’t rub on the hull.
The harbour fits big ish buoys like in the photo, they don’t seem to achieve much except mark the hulls.
As other have said avoid mast clash, my last boat was beamy midships so I had springs rigged or she moved allot.

 

[steveeasy]

I dont do neighbours normally. However I appreciate that given they may well be of the sailing fraternity things may, just may, be different. Might just check them out first.
Now what you mean There is center line between the buoys we lift up to the middle of our fenders so it doesn’t rub on the hull. Could you explain what you mean by lift up to the middle etc.

Steveeasy

 

[Poignard]

Yes I get that bit!!. but im thinking of towing the dam things on the back of my tender to put them on the mooring with the seagull groaning, if im lucky. still its quite a good solution. need to find some now. think they may work well. Maybe.

Steveeasy

Look at the photo. There's hardly anything of them below the surface, they will tow easily.

But you're in a tidal river. Move it when the tide is going in the right direction.

Or use your yacht to move it, lashed alongside.

 

[onesea]

I dont do neighbours normally. However I appreciate that given they may well be of the sailing fraternity things may, just may, be different. Might just check them out first.
Now what you mean There is center line between the buoys we lift up to the middle of our fenders so it doesn’t rub on the hull. Could you explain what you mean by lift up to the middle etc.

Steveeasy

I have a loop of line I place near mid ships that I just loop round the rope between the buoys and pull till it’s half way up my fenders.
Fenders set to the best height to protect me from the neighbouring yacht.
The loop is not secured to the rope and slides for and aft as the boat moves.

I keep my mooring ropes fairly loose, that way with beam wind when I am down wind side my boat is not getting all the load down the run of buoys.

Everyone seems to have there own way of doing things. Mooring lines with thimbles, specially made nylon ones hooks to hold mooring ropes up. SS steel shackles etc etc.
I used to just use bowlines to the ring on the buoy then one of my neighbours used chains in loops, they chewed at mooring ropes. I now have a Galvanised shackle and master link ring then mooring ropes tied on to rings each end.

I would avoid S/S galvanised are cheap and less likely to come undone unintentionally. It also causes less corrosion on a mainly galvanised mooring system.

My mooring ropes are old halyards sheets etc doubled up for chafe / security many rely on single lines.

Yes your seagull will easily haul your biggest fenders out if you decide to go that way. I find the ones the harbour master place just grow weed and barnacles pick up all the muck floating past and mark my top sides. I keep them as far forward and aft as I can so they may only come into contact in a gale.

I keep fender forward to TRY and keep it of me,

When sailing I put my headline on my neighbour, he does the same to me. My stern line goes on my dinghy, so if my neighbour goes out it’s clear of his prop. If I have no neighbour I just hook the bowline out of the water with a boat hook.

The most interesting time is trying to leave with strong wind blowing you on, particularly with no neighbour. There is one direction a F4 will stop sailing. Luckily it’s not a prevailing wind direction.

As for neighbour be nice to them I have swapped phone numbers with my present one. He kept leaving a deck hatch open, now we can tell him when we have pushed it closed. I hope he will do similar for us.

And yes your seagull should manage that size fender without breaking a sweat. If it decides to start it’s a seagull after all!

 

[steveeasy]

Look at the photo. There's hardly anything of them below the surface, they will tow easily.

But you're in a tidal river. Move it when the tide is going in the right direction.

Or use your yacht to move it, lashed alongside.

The seagull was packed away a long time ago after we got swept down the Tamar at 2 in the morning. when it gave in. I am sure towing them down or up river will just be fun. .

I have a loop of line I place near mid ships that I just loop round the rope between the buoys and pull till it’s half way up my fenders.
Fenders set to the best height to protect me from the neighbouring yacht.
The loop is not secured to the rope and slides for and aft as the boat moves.

I keep my mooring ropes fairly loose, that way with beam wind when I am down wind side my boat is not getting all the load down the run of buoys.

Everyone seems to have there own way of doing things. Mooring lines with thimbles, specially made nylon ones hooks to hold mooring ropes up. SS steel shackles etc etc.
I used to just use bowlines to the ring on the buoy then one of my neighbours used chains in loops, they chewed at mooring ropes. I now have a Galvanised shackle and master link ring then mooring ropes tied on to rings each end.

I would avoid S/S galvanised are cheap and less likely to come undone unintentionally. It also causes less corrosion on a mainly galvanised mooring system.

My mooring ropes are old halyards sheets etc doubled up for chafe / security many rely on single lines.

Yes your seagull will easily haul your biggest fenders out if you decide to go that way. I find the ones the harbour master place just grow weed and barnacles pick up all the muck floating past and mark my top sides. I keep them as far forward and aft as I can so they may only come into contact in a gale.

I keep fender forward to TRY and keep it of me,

When sailing I put my headline on my neighbour, he does the same to me. My stern line goes on my dinghy, so if my neighbour goes out it’s clear of his prop. If I have no neighbour I just hook the bowline out of the water with a boat hook.

The most interesting time is trying to leave with strong wind blowing you on, particularly with no neighbour. There is one direction a F4 will stop sailing. Luckily it’s not a prevailing wind direction.

As for neighbour be nice to them I have swapped phone numbers with my present one. He kept leaving a deck hatch open, now we can tell him when we have pushed it closed. I hope he will do similar for us.

And yes your seagull should manage that size fender without breaking a sweat. If it decides to start it’s a seagull after all!

thanks for taking the time with the helpful advice.
Steveeasy