Putting down your own mooring

Re: Very specialised location

I know Hoylake well, lived in Meols for 10 years, scene of all my early sailing. The tide certainly has appreciable flow there, but I would suggest nothing to compare with the Straits, not the depth either. All the contractors working Menai use the same method, which I would assume causes the anchors to remain essentially static regardless of direction of flow. If the anchors were laid across the tide it seems there would be a tendency for them to shift on every tide reversal.

I have never had any rope in my own mooring, used 1/2 inch galvanised for the pick-up but all the rest black steel. However, I once borrowed the personal mooring of one of the contractors and, lo and behold, he used a rope pick-up.

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Re: Very specialised location

Yup,I agree wholeheartedly,Anchoring in Menai must be a different world to anchoring in the Clyde or the West Coast.

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Re: Very specialised location

Forget Yacht chandler swivels unless true commercial stuff ..... but always used on all moorings I have laid ..... in fact I can say that in all documents I have seen given by Harbour Masters for minimum req'ts ..... they have all had swivels req'd.

Without and a swinging mooring ...... essential to prevent twist and subsequent strain.


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ...
Bilge Keelers get up further ! I came - cos they said was FREE Guinness !
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Re: Very specialised location

Why do you say thay Vyv, my mooring on the Exe has no swivel, tide runs a good 4 kts+ and I've not had any problems. I dive and check the mooring regularly and believe a swivel to be a potential weak point.

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I always use a swivel, just under the buoy where it is easy to inspect,
Usually get a good crop of mussels on the swivel and chain, so easier to keep free with the swivel on top,

Some of the boats in my area have the swivel on the pick up chain itself. Or possibly this is a extra swivel !..

Have Seen several boats over the years bows down on a coming tide due to the chain being twisted up in knots !

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Re: Very specialised location

I've been on board when the direction of tidal flow was changing, admittedly on Menai Strait where this situation is somewhat complex, and observed five revolutions of the boat around the mooring before the tide settled to its new direction. I would expect that it might take only a couple of tides for this to result in solid, severely shortened chain. I cannot say why this might not happen on the Exe. I have never actually heard of a swivel failure, so I'm prepared to take my chances with them, whereas I have heard of many joining link failures and suffered one myself. I still use them, though.

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Mike I agree on top is best for inspection of the shackles and swivel.
The exception proves the rule, that is you do not have to have a separate swivel if <pre>1. The mooring buoy incorporates a swivel, most rod buoys are of this type.

2. The mooring is fore and aft, which means the boat cannot circle the mooring.

3. You do not want the mooring used for more than 24hrs ie a visitors buoy.</pre>

The weakest link in a mooring is usually the swivel, then a shackle. I would recommend buying a quality stainless swivel which will last years. The life of shackles can be increased by cathodic protection with an old boat anode, remember to mouse on the pin to stop the pin falling out or unscrewing itself.





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