Pontoon /mooring which is safer?

[TheBoatman]

H
The question was "in high winds" and I stand by what I said. We have afloat swingers and a couple of pontoon moorings, during some heavy blows the swingers have been OK but club boats moored alongside have broken lines and suffered damage. These boats had fore and aft lines + fore and aft springs and have snapped them, fenders have not helped as they invariably end up on the pontoon.

Here on the Medway we can have a 3 knt ebb, but matched against a 30 knt+ wind theres no contest the wind wins everytime.

I'm sure there are a lot of forum members out there with experience of Ramsgate pontoons, and know that even in a slight SW blow the "send" in Ramsgate is horendous with lines snatching all the time until HW-3 hrs when it all seems to go quiet<s>

NO give me a swinger everytime?

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[oldharry]

I agree entirely: I use and have used swinging moorings most of my boating life. I have only once had a boat damaged on a swinging mooring - by another boat adrift coming downwind. Whereas I have had no end of trouble securing boats to pontoons in bad weather, and keeping them there, safely!

My point was that even in these days of global warming, 80knot hoolies are very rare - 1 or 2 days in the year, while there are a number of other hazards - not necessarily weather related but which apply most of the rest of the time.

However I remain a firm supporter of the swinging mooring.

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[chris_db4]

Having kept the family boat on a swinging mooring the topsides end the season unmarked but a 3 week cruise in scotland, known for the vast number of marinas, the hull returns marked from the fenders. we have two large steel anchors set north /south and forty feet apart with the riser conected in the middle which has held us in place. but then were out each winter still under going a large refit

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[tome]

They used to have fore and aft pile moorings at Sweare Deep in Chi Harbour. I made up some heavy nylon warps with galvanised eyes for a mates 12T boat and they lasted juts 3 days! Lost count of the number of calls he had from the harbour master to say his boat had gone walkies. So much for standing up to crosswinds.

They've now removed all the piles and replaced them with swinging moorings, which seem to work fine.

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[jimi]

Dreadful things piles .. how did they remove them? Rubber bands?

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..

 

[tome]

Root canal treatment, I believe

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[LadyInBed]

Did all the boats on the piles go walk about or just this heavy jobby?
A trawler a couple of mooring back from mine has just dragged the trot of fore and aft buoys out into the middle of the river - there goes my sence of security.

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[andy_wilson]

A well found swinging mooring would be my choice everytime.

Preferably up stream with few other moored boats to hit, in a wooded area to reduce windspeeds, on a short reach at 90 degrees to the prevailing wind to reduce the fetch, with a sharp bend at each end. Add muddy banks with water reeds to nestle into in the event of breaking free.

Bingo.


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[doris]

Stop wingeing

If you don't like marinas, don't pay their charges and enjoy your mud berth.

<hr width=100% size=1>Real men do it 2handed.