Would you moor against this?

[Medway_Squirrel2]

Just finishing off a new fixed level mooring at Allington Lock on the Medway.

We currently have 9" square timber piles at 10' centres with a walkway behind. We are debating whether boaters would prefer a rubber "D" shaped fender running vertically up the timber piles (like this https://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=..._group&ei=xU1ZU62TNomg7Aan6oGwAg&ved=0CC8QsAQ) or whether they would prefer to moor against a horizontal wailing at a fixed level and using their own fenders?

Some (poor quality) photos of the new mooring at the bottom of this page:
http://allingtonlock.co.uk/

Opinions welcomed.

Medway Squirrel

 

[No Regrets]

Own fenders.

 

[lynall]

We use that D section rubber on the trucks and its as hard as they come, may be rubber but you wont get many boats to squish it!

 

[oldgit]

Thanks for posting.Arranging a trip up to lock for RCC over weekend 0f 28-29th June. Have you any idea yet of costs per night and for power.
Presume we can book moorings in advance ? Fred.

 

[Medway_Squirrel2]

Thanks for posting.Arranging a trip up to lock for RCC over weekend 0f 28-29th June. Have you any idea yet of costs per night and for power.
Presume we can book moorings in advance ? Fred.

Hi Fred - can you speak to the lock direct on this please. Any thoughts on the mooring style?

thanks

Medway Squirrel

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Just thinking out loud here....

If one's vessel is longer than 10' and one is careful, then rubber strips up the piles would probably work (although I'd be afraid of black stripes on the hull from the rubber). One rubber strip on its own would be no help for a dinghy though, as she'd either fit between the piles altogether or swing around one of them. And if one happened to be the tail-end charlie with only one pile left to moor against, there'd be a possibility of the same thing's happening.

If you're providing a waling, how are you going to fix the height of it? It looks from the mooring rings that you're expecting variations in water level of, what, three feet? And depending on waling level, water level, and deck level, with a fixed waling at too high a level it might happen that the edge of a gunwale gets trapped under it. And too low a level could put the waling under water and invisible when the water level is up.

Difficult, isn't it? On balance, I'd say rubber strips in preference to a waling, using at least three strips per pile (not just one on the outer face).

But I'd still prefer to rely on my own fenders and fender-board anyway....

Mike

 

[oldgit]

Coming up to Maidstone over the weekend,will book moorings for June and have a look.Fred.

 

[macnorton]

If you put rubber on the NBs will come along and cover it with blacking which will leave black nb slime on grp boats who moor up after them.

 

[Medway Mudlark]

d section fendering is preferable, just make sure the tops are not cut at 90deg but are chamfered, that way any boat moored there in the light of the recent floods wont get their rubbing strake hung on it, it should slide off when the levels drop

 

[oldgit]

Leave as bare wood.Let boat owners use own fenders,would just be grateful to have them available for short term visitor use.
Far more likely to attract the spur of the moment "Where shall we go boater"..
Have forgotten the number of times the conversation goes like this.

Bored Mr Club Member and wife refusing to go anywhere due to mere F12 forecast in the estuary Agin !
Me. Fancy a trip up to the lock ?
Owner of classey gin palace with shiney pristine gel coat. Err NO

Me. Why not ?
OOCGP. Do not fancy being parked outside noisy Malta and oiks wanting to raft and most certainly not parking in lock cut with sharp concrete wall and me blocking most of it..Anyway we need 50 megawatts to run the A/C and the Jacuzzi.

Me. How about if there was some nice quality pleasant fairly quiet mooring on far bank with power ?

However do appreciate that permanent moorings give you a long term regular income.

 

[Medway_Squirrel2]

Thanks for the replies. Fairly mixed overall. Accept the demand for temp moorings there too. I am sure we can leave some space but yes lots of pressure to bring in those external pennies (rather than use the internal ones)...

Medway Squirrel

 

[oldgit]

There really is a reluctance to come up purely due to lack of moorings that people feel comfortable with.
Although we have never had any problems mooring in the center of Maidstone,most folks are reluctant to overnight there.
Finding a space in summer outside the Malta is remote even if you can put up with the noise which only leaves the lock cut wall or on the odd occasion when a mooring is free outside the lock cottages.
A few nice visitor moorings would attract custom.