cameronke
Well-Known Member
Is there any truth that at anchor or on a swinging mooring is more kind to your boat than tied up in a marina?
Cameron
Cameron
Swinging mooring or marina?
- Thread starter cameronke
- Start date
Lakesailor
Well-Known Member
Stands to reason. Always facing into the dominant force. Must be less strain and less chance of knocks and chafing.
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
Probably less anode current flowing on a swinging mooring.
chubby
Well-Known Member
I prefer a swinging mooring, the boat lies head to weather and I am convinced less wear and tear. I am biased in that I have a long keel boat that doesn`t go reliably astern and is hard work in marinas, I often sail single handed so no fending off party and have an excellent yard with the mooring about 100m from the jetty and the dinghy on racks on the jetty: I can be on the boat and off more quickly than I could extract myself from the marina. You can`t walk ashore but even going out and sitting on the boat feels like being afloat!
jonathankent
Well-Known Member
[--word removed--] hell.... is that pic where you moor your boat? and I thought mine was taking a bashing last October when a SW gale was blowing head on up the river, but that was nothing compared to your pic.
dickh
Well-Known Member
I'm on a swinging mooring as I can't afford Marina fees, much nicer, more privacy, but downside is that it takes 10 minutes to get on board via a dinghy. I think a swinging mooring is probably kinder on the boat - no 'scuffing' with fenders in windy weather as in a marina.
Lakesailor
Well-Known Member
It's only rough in a Northerly. Course that's the predominant direction in the winter.
Luckily as we don't have tides the fetch is all from the wind so the boat always heads the rough water.
It's not always choppy though in the winter.
Luckily as we don't have tides the fetch is all from the wind so the boat always heads the rough water.
It's not always choppy though in the winter.
Ships_Cat
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't like to generalise at all.
There is no question over safety, marinas being much safer for a start and for the rest depends on the marina or the mooring location, how they are set up and likely weather conditions.
For example, in our marina's location the wind only ever (and I mean all except when there is a blue moon and then it is not strong) blows from one of two directions, either bow on or stern on. It can be very windy and consequently there are very few boats on moorings in our area. Between each pair of boats in the berths there is an outer pile so one can spring the boat out to it so no boats lie against fenders. The boats in it have a far easier and safer life than ones on a mooring in the same area.
There again there are some pretty crummy marinas around just as there are some pretty crummy moorings. But ask an insurer which he would prefer and I think we all know the response.
John
There is no question over safety, marinas being much safer for a start and for the rest depends on the marina or the mooring location, how they are set up and likely weather conditions.
For example, in our marina's location the wind only ever (and I mean all except when there is a blue moon and then it is not strong) blows from one of two directions, either bow on or stern on. It can be very windy and consequently there are very few boats on moorings in our area. Between each pair of boats in the berths there is an outer pile so one can spring the boat out to it so no boats lie against fenders. The boats in it have a far easier and safer life than ones on a mooring in the same area.
There again there are some pretty crummy marinas around just as there are some pretty crummy moorings. But ask an insurer which he would prefer and I think we all know the response.
John
Dyflin
Well-Known Member
Of course, there are advantages to marinas in bad weather too...
How easy is it to get to your boat if it's on a swinging mooring in high wind and sea states?
How easy is it to get to your boat if it's on a swinging mooring in high wind and sea states?
GMac
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
There again there are some pretty crummy marinas around just as there are some pretty crummy moorings. But ask an insurer which he would prefer and I think we all know the response.
John
[/ QUOTE ]
Mate.. next time you're up this way check out the new Oraki Marina. Smallest berth is 12mts and the fairways look to be about 11mts wide. Should be great to watch some of the chequebook boaters handle that /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I'm a marina fan, well now anyway. So much easier to get on and off but at a cost obviously.
Damage wise - Ever hear about anyboats breaking free of their marina and ending up on the putty? The same thinking moorings instead?
I'd say it's almost a '6 of one or 1/2 dozen of an other' sort of thing.
There again there are some pretty crummy marinas around just as there are some pretty crummy moorings. But ask an insurer which he would prefer and I think we all know the response.
John
[/ QUOTE ]
Mate.. next time you're up this way check out the new Oraki Marina. Smallest berth is 12mts and the fairways look to be about 11mts wide. Should be great to watch some of the chequebook boaters handle that /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I'm a marina fan, well now anyway. So much easier to get on and off but at a cost obviously.
Damage wise - Ever hear about anyboats breaking free of their marina and ending up on the putty? The same thinking moorings instead?
I'd say it's almost a '6 of one or 1/2 dozen of an other' sort of thing.
fireball
Well-Known Member
In tidal conditions you will not always swing to be nose into the wind - last weekend I had to drive around in the tender to try and catch up with our boat as she was sailing herself around her mooring (probably in anticipation of a longer journey!).
If you are correctly fendered and tied off then a marina is no more destructive than a mooring - infact sometimes probably less so - as marinas are usually sheltered from waves.
But then we get to swing for 7 months at less than 10th of the cost of a marina berth in the same area ....
If you are correctly fendered and tied off then a marina is no more destructive than a mooring - infact sometimes probably less so - as marinas are usually sheltered from waves.
But then we get to swing for 7 months at less than 10th of the cost of a marina berth in the same area ....
tillergirl
Well-Known Member
'Damage wise - Ever hear about anyboats breaking free of their marina and ending up on the putty? The same thinking moorings instead?'
Err - yes - there was the one on the Crouch and the one at Cherbourg. No come to think of it, the boats didn't break free, might have been better if they did, it was the marinas that broke free.
The point is that you should pick the type that suits you in both sailing and pocket. Damage can and is caused on both types but with common sense is unlikely.
Err - yes - there was the one on the Crouch and the one at Cherbourg. No come to think of it, the boats didn't break free, might have been better if they did, it was the marinas that broke free.
The point is that you should pick the type that suits you in both sailing and pocket. Damage can and is caused on both types but with common sense is unlikely.
Evadne
Well-Known Member
Having seen boats bashing against pontoons in a gale, I'll stick to our swinging mooring. Its in a creek so there's little fetch and as long as the chain doesn't break there's nothing for her to bash against (touch wood).
Stemar
Well-Known Member
I'm on a swing. I'd be in a marina if I could afford it, just for the convenience, but a couple of thousand extra a year for convenience would mean I'd be like most of the boats in marinas - I'd go out once or twice a year for a weekend 'cos that's all I'd be able to afford.
Unless you can lay your mooring yourself, you'll have to take a lot on trust regarding the quality of kit used, but as long as they know what boat is going on the mooring it's their responsibility to ensure the mooring's up to the job.
Do make sure they haven't put the moorings too close or put unlike boats next to each other. I have a bilge keeler and had a Catalac close by for my first year. I was getting quiite a bit of minor gelcoat damage and couldn't figure it out until I was on board with a strong wind and cross tide and watched the cat move across and give Jissel a less than affectionate thump with a steel rudder. The manager of the moorings was uninterested until I told him what I'd seen and that I'd hold him responsible if I had any more damage. Suddenly another mooring became available!
Unless you can lay your mooring yourself, you'll have to take a lot on trust regarding the quality of kit used, but as long as they know what boat is going on the mooring it's their responsibility to ensure the mooring's up to the job.
Do make sure they haven't put the moorings too close or put unlike boats next to each other. I have a bilge keeler and had a Catalac close by for my first year. I was getting quiite a bit of minor gelcoat damage and couldn't figure it out until I was on board with a strong wind and cross tide and watched the cat move across and give Jissel a less than affectionate thump with a steel rudder. The manager of the moorings was uninterested until I told him what I'd seen and that I'd hold him responsible if I had any more damage. Suddenly another mooring became available!
Slow_boat
Well-Known Member
Could never afford a marina but am quite happy on a swinger. Maybe I'm just anti social.
rwoofer
Well-Known Member
Having a post between fingers sounds like an excellent idea and one I've never seen in the UK. As you say, you would be able to hold the boat completely off the pontoon, when it might be blowing you on.
Anyone know why we don't have them here in the UK?
Anyone know why we don't have them here in the UK?
l'escargot
Well-Known Member
It depends on the mooring or the marina, but I think most insurers prefer marinas which should be a good indicator of the comparative levels of risk.
ChrisE
Well-Known Member
Don't know but they have a similar arrangement in Norway where there is one craft per berth with a thin finger seperating each boat with normal sized fingers as every other finger, again this makes it possible to hold the boat off in all conditions.
I suspect that the reason we don't have this type of arrangement in the UK is that you wouldn't get quite as many craft in the marina as you can with the current arrangements.
I suspect that the reason we don't have this type of arrangement in the UK is that you wouldn't get quite as many craft in the marina as you can with the current arrangements.
cameronke
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I think most insurers prefer marinas which should be a good indicator of the comparative levels of risk.
[/ QUOTE ]
A very good point, Im sure an actuary could quantify the relative risk, any out there?
Cameron
I think most insurers prefer marinas which should be a good indicator of the comparative levels of risk.
[/ QUOTE ]
A very good point, Im sure an actuary could quantify the relative risk, any out there?
Cameron
claymore
Well-Known Member
I think it is true. There cannot be the same scuffing as someone else noted. I think they are kinder too on our wallets and so I believe this goes to justifying the gross inconvenience of having to row out for a few minutes. About 3 in my case which I try to convince myself helps keep me in fine physical trum.
