Mooring Questions

[Baysailer]

I recently got a DS 1 and plan to moor it in a not so protected bay. I'll take it out for the big storms, I've lost boats there before. There's little on this topic that I've found but have seen many pictures of moored Daysailers (mostly the scenic ones). Do any of the moorers out there have any sage advice.

Thanks
Fred DS #1351

[kellyima]

I moor my daysailer on the hudson river and set up the chains, shackles and mooring ball and lines. Here's a link to a diagram similar to my setup.
http://www.mushroommooring.com/Mooring_ ... ments.html

My set up is slightly different because people have told me to attach shackles right below the ball and attach the boat lines there to prevent undue stress on the rod inside the ball.

Problem is the boat lines (2) wrap around and around the chain.

Since the daysailer is only 500 lbs or so, I use lighter chain and mushroom than most the boat owners there. I also use smaller rope than most boat owners.

One experience I had was I used the bailer (whole about halfway up the transom), but because the Hudson is so choppy, it let in a lot of dirty and oily water into my boat. I've since switched to a boom tent.

I have a kayak on which I paddle out to my boat, then moor the kayak to the mooring ball and pickup pin, then sail off.

I've been told its preferable to keep the centerboard up while it was moored to reduce rocking.

[mfeldman]

I moor my DS1 in the Sakonnet River in RI (Not really a river -- it's a 3 mile wide salt water strait that connects Mt Hope Bay to the Atlantic) for the last 3 years without incident. I generally have it there from mid May to October.

I use a v-shaped boom crutch mounted near the transom to support a boom tent. The center board should be up. After heavy rains I have to have to bail out the boat but it's usually nothing major. Here's a picture:



I had a conversation with Rudy at DR Marine several years ago and he suggested that I purchase new stays, which I did, before mooring. He also said that a stepped mast would be prone to snapping (I was considering converting my mast at the time.)

Good luck,

Mike

[Baysailer]

Thanks to both. My mooring enviroment looks a lot like Mikes, except its lake ontario the bay feeds into.

I'll describe my moored boat from the bottom up. Its a flat rock bottom so my only option is a gravity based system. I use 2, 5 gallon pails (sheet rock plaster type) filled with concrete and metal bars and chain the 2 anchors toghether. The pails weigh out around 100 to 125# each but concrete loses some of its weight in water. It's a reasonably small chain from the anchors to the mooring ball, about 3:1 scope. I don't use a shackle/swivel like shown on the site kelly sent but may include one to keep the chain twist down. right now I only have a single mooring line to the boat but will add a second safetly line to the trailering eye bolt just in case.

Here's some links to a previous experience which may explain my concern.

Fred B

http://www.usmariner.org/XYZ/viewtopic.php?t=222

http://www.usmariner.org/XYZ/viewtopic.php?t=226

[mfeldman]

I looked up the specs for my mooring on my invoice:

300 lbs mushroom
10' 1 1/4" bottom chain
15' 1/2 top chain
1 18" mooring float
1 single pennant with carib hook

This was put in by a professional mooring guy which was highly recommended by the harbormaster. It does exceed the town's requirements but the cost difference between the minimum and what I put in wasn't all that great. The mooring guy also does the required yearly inspections and takes care of putting in a winter stick.

Hope this information is useful.

-Mike

[mfeldman]

One additonal note about mooring a boat which I forgot to mention: Talk to the people at your local marine store and get an antifouling bottom paint that's appropriate for your waters. You may have to do some serious work on the bottom to get it in shape such as getting rid of any blisters and applying a barrier coat.

This might be more of an issue for me because I moor my boat in salt water, but I guess freshwater sailers have similar problems.

-Mike