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Mooring Questions

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CateP
Navigator

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USA
108 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/08/2012 : 23:32:15

I'm going to be mooring my boat for the first time and have a couple of questions for you ole salts. (or new peppers) My first question is about getting on the boat...how is that done from a dinghy? I'm thinking of getting one of those swim ladders that hooks over the side and climbing aboard from the port or starboard side. Looking for a solution that will keep me dry and looking graceful :)

Next question is about lines and tying on. I know I have to grab something with the boat hook and somehow attach my boat, but that's about it. Could someone explain how I actually moor my boat? (see, told you I was new to this mooring thing)

Thanks in advance.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
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Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 04:38:06

It has been so long since I used to moor a sailboat (1980-1985) that I cannot recall how I got from the dinghy onto the boat. I remember they had a water taxi that mostly transferred us and only used a dinghy rarely. So...best I leave the ferrying logistics to those more in the know.

As far as the mooring setup. Most buy one of those foam buoys that have a 4'-5' rod above it - called a "Mast Buoy". A line is attached from the mooring buoy to the Mast Buoy. You don't need a hook to grab onto the buoy line since when you return from sailing, you just come alongside the Mast Buoy with the rod and grab the rod with your hand and bring aboard. Then attach the line to your cleat and you are done. When you leave the mooring, you just uncleat the line and throw the Mast Buoy w/attached rod overboard and it will be ready for pickup when you return.

Edited by - OLarryR on 03/09/2012 04:45:33

dlucier
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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 07:11:54

On my last boat, I used one of those hook type boarding ladders and since it's not fastened to the boat it had a tendency to move around a bit when climbing aboard. Another issue were the standoffs landed where the hull started to curve rendering them ineffective.

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 08:54:12

If you'll be in a "mooring field" that is maintained by somebody, with some sort of standard pennants and balls, you should discuss this with somebody familiar with the setup, and have them show you how people generally do it there.

Some moorings are set up with dual pennants--one for each bow cleat. Others have a single pennant with a loop--perhaps a plastic ring, thimble, or something like that--then you have a short line ("bridle") with two loops. You attach it to one bow cleat, pass through the loop or ring, around the bow, and attach it to the other cleat--or you can tie your bridle to the ring so the two loops are always ready to be placed on the cleats.

The C-25's cleats are often too small to secure typical mooring pennants as you would dock lines--through the center of the cleat and then back over the horns. The typical pennant is too thick. In that case, after dropping both loops over your cleats, you can "cleat" (meaning tie a "cleat hitch") a short length of line on top of the loop on one side, and then cleat it over the other, which secures both loops of the pennant or bridle.

Most people secure a pick-up buoy (AKA "mast buoy") to the pennant so they don't have to fish the pennant up with a boat-hook. How to do this depends on the configuration of the pennant. Find out how your neighbors are doing it. You want the pick-up buoy to be able to lie on your foredeck once you're secured to the mooring--perhaps tied or bungeed to the pulpit so it doesn't blow overboard and end up dangling there.

You may have heard or read about the problem of chafing--especially an issue if your boat will be pitching at the mooring, whether from wakes, a storm, or whatever. This is more of a problem when the pennant is led through a chock and then back to a cleat or post. The C-25's cleats on the rail at the bow minimize this issue, but you need to check the pennant loops for signs. My favorite "chafe gear" is vinyl tubing--"yachtsmen" often prefer leather laced around the rope... Again, it depends on conditions and your mooring setup.

I've probably confused you all to hell... Somebody else will make better sense of this. But I think the best source will be your neighboring skippers or somebody familiar with the mooring field.

Edited by - on

CateP
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USA
108 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 11:00:22

One other thing I am wondering about it leaving my keel down or up. I think I saw some discussions about this somewhere, but a search for "keel" rendered too many irrelevant results.

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pfduffy
Captain

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USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 11:24:18

I believe the conventional wisdom is to keep the keel down unless you don't have enough water under the boat during a low tide. As you will be on a lake (if memory serves) then I see no reason to keep the keel up. The boat will be just a bit more stable with the keel down, so that may make boarding a bit easier - but probably not enough really notice the difference.

That said, I keep my keel up in my slip as I do not want the boat rocking around on the keel if we have an unusually low tide.

Edited by - on

JohnP
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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 11:30:46

I've only boarded a C-25 from a Zodiak inflatable rubber dinghy.

A simple method is to bring the bow of the dinghy up to one side of the boat at the cockpit. Hold the boat and stand up in the bow of the dinghy. Put 3 or 4 turns of the painter (line at the bow of the dinghy) around a cleat on the coaming. This holds the bow of the dinghy firmly against the boat, and keeps the bow of the dinghy from bouncing. Release the lifeline on that side to clear a space for boarding. This can also be done before leaving the boat. Board the boat by stepping up onto the bow of the rubber dinghy, kneeling on the coaning, and stepping down into the cockpit. Welcome aboard!

Comments:
- This works when alone or with crew.
- It's a good method in choppy conditions or with flat water.
- The painter must be a stout line to support the weight of the dinghy and yourself.
- It is easier to have crew in the bow of the dinghy grab the boat and work with the painter, while the skipper and others remain seated.
- One crew member climbs out of the dinghy at a time.
- This method would not be possible with a hard dinghy

After skipper and crew have boarded the painter is released to a convenient length and secured to any cleat you choose. Some folks tie the dinghy to the mooring, while others tow the dinghy.

Edited by - JohnP on 03/09/2012 11:32:33

OJ
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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 11:44:49

pduffy is correct.

Depends somewhat if you are using an inflatable or hardshell (inflatable being the more stable of the two of course.) We put the bow into the swim ladder and step up from there.

We know the bow eye is not intended for the mooring line - but we use it anyways to avoid the chafing issue. We use a swivel connector to prevent the mooring line from twisting. We also place length of foam plumbing pipe insulation on the mooring line to keep it floating (and not wrapping around the mooring anchor line) when not connected to the boat. Make the mooring line long enough so it is not pulling upwards on the mooring anchor.

All fun stuff!

Edited by - OJ on 03/09/2012 11:45:20

Frank Law
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USA
159 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 14:44:02

Katep---I"ve been using a mooring for 15 years (cat 22 / 25) . We are moored in a tidal creek 3 1/2' at low tide Swing keel up.. We use a 15 ft canoe to get to the boat .. Then we throw the canoe painter over the winch drum and grab hold of whatever we can and clamber up the side or climb the ladder at the stern . No splashes YET . We often have two grandchildren with us plus day gear .. After getting the boat ready and the motor running I take the canoe painter up front ...lay down .. disconnect the mooring line and connect the canoe line to the mooring line end , the canoe line has a soap detergent bottle on it which floats the lines ... returning we approach the canoe upwind and try to glide the boat so I then can pick up the lines with a boat hook and then lay down and connect the mooring line to the bow eye . When the wind is UP it is a LOT HARDER . It is getting a little harder as the years go by as I am now 74 yrs old and my Admiral is in her late 60s..

"Where there is a WILL there are RELATIVES!!!!!!!:):):)

Frank Law
"ABOUT TIME"
1983 3519
SWK , SR

Edited by - on

John Russell
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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 14:52:36

I got a sales flyer from West Marine today. They had a rubber fender that was shaped like a step. Aparently you tie of both ends of the fender so that the "step" is level. Looks like it's made for just this application.

[url="http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=11151&partNumber=11952132&langId=-1"]Fenderstep[/url]

Edited by - John Russell on 03/09/2012 14:57:26

CateP
Navigator

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USA
108 Posts

Response Posted - 03/09/2012 : 15:19:49

That fender step looks perfect. $60 bucks at Defender and they have it in navy to match my hull

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Voyager
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USA
5378 Posts

Response Posted - 03/10/2012 : 01:15:52

I have a swim ladder on Passage. A few years back, at the end of the season, I had a mooring ball in the River for a few weeks. I used my kayak to get to and from the boat.

Getting out of the kayak and onto the ladder was pretty shaky and I could have sworn I would be going for a swim a few times. I had extra lines to grab onto attached to the aft pulpit, but I did not like it one bit. I think a side boarding ladder would be just as bad.

Now I have a floating dock which I greatly prefer. While it is moored to the bottom of the river by mooring lines on both ends, the 22' x 3' platform gives you a lot more to grab onto, catch your balance and collect your wits. I find its no problem stepping out of the kayak onto the platform, and stepping from the platform into the boat. The reverse is just as easy. Much better deal.

Edited by - on

glivs
Admiral

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USA
836 Posts

Response Posted - 03/13/2012 : 05:01:04

This will be our 15th year on a mooring and have learned a great deal. Get a pick-up-buoy. We have a 60" mast to ease stowing on deck when moored, but many in our field use 72" mast because they are easier to, well, pick up. Check your field to see what is most popular. Pennants and connecting hardware are usually the responsibility of the boat owner. Diameters and lengths of pennants are usually recommended/required by the mooring field owners. Ours requires 5/8" minimum for a 25' boat. Longer pennants (12-15') are available through mail order but these days fields are often more packed than they used to be and you may need to have a local chandlery (in our area its Ace Hardware) make up a custom pennant and usually at lower cost. We've stayed with 3-strand nylon for its shock absorption. Use a galvanized swivel near where you attach to the anchor line beneath the mooring ball and a stainless steel thimble in the pennant. The stainless thimble will far out live a galvanized thimble and more often than not, can be used when making up the next generation pennant. I swear by the use of a swivel, but many in my mooring field recommend against them, thinking they are the weak link in the system. Not essential, but I strongly recommend use of a mooring snubber on the pennant. It will need to be added before the cleat loop is made up if you have a pennant custom made. The snubber will make the boat ride easier in storms and place far less strain on the bow cleats. As for chafing, yes watch for it. A simple lace on canvas cover works fine, but we run our pennant through the anchor bow roller and have had no problems. In our situation, the shackle attached to the mooring anchor will wear through long before the pennant will show any wear. This will likely vary though depending upon your exposure. As mentioned earlier, secure the pennant with a small line (e.g., 3/16")once cleated. We secure a length of line to the bow cleat so it's always there when needed.

As to boarding, we've used a [url="http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?52005/Quickstep%20Boarding%20Step%20-%202%20Step"]boarding step[/url] for years hung from a stern cleat and a stanchion. We use a hard dink similar to the Watertenders, but a generation older (Skimmerhorn); not as stable as an inflatable, but works great and tows well.

Misc. notes.
<ul><li>Secure the shackle that attaches to the mooring anchor using zip ties or stainless wire and check the connection during the season.</li><li>There are several different types of moorings. For ball moorings, attach your pennant not to the ball but to the mooring anchor chain below it. </li><li>Locally, many fields use Hazlett moorings because they can be left in place over winter. Additionally, they require very short pennants. If you are using one, be sure to add a rubber bumper gaurd or during dead calm, the mooring can damage the gelcoat along the bow. </li><li>NEVER trust what you see above water. Always look at the connections below the ball. </li><li>In preparation for significant storms, we add a second pennant (1/2") just as back up. Unless you have the proper swivel, however, you have to check the boat daily to remove any wraps. </li><li>At the end of the season, remove your pennant and hardware, soak them in a dilute bleach solution over night and then scrub with a medium bristle brush and hang up to dry. </li></ul>

I could add another page of do's and don'ts but bottom line, is plan ahead. Learn to judge your momentum given the wind situation and be prepared to abort a pick up if things don't go as planned. When single handed, under most conditions, I leave the motor in neutral and walk up to the bow to grab the pick up. If windy, however, I tie a line from the bow cleat to the stern cleat and stay with the motor. Grab the pick up and simply clip the pennant temporarily to the this line. When secure, then simply walk the pennant forward. Actually quite easy, once you've done it a couple of times.

As with most things, a little practice goes a long way. Most importantly....have fun.

Edited by - on

CateP
Navigator

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USA
108 Posts

Response Posted - 03/13/2012 : 06:34:37

Gerry-Fantastic post!! The step resource alone is excellent. I really appreciate you going into such wonderful detail about the mooring hook up. I think I'm going to print out your post and bring it with me so I can use it as a reference when assembling my lines. I know it's one of those things that you could probably show me in five minutes, but writing it all down takes a lot more time. Very much appreciated.

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glivs
Admiral

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USA
836 Posts

Response Posted - 03/13/2012 : 17:08:59

You're welcome. That is what this forum is about. Good luck.

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CateP
Navigator

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USA
108 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2012 : 17:07:26

Okay. Here is another question. What size mast buoy? 48" 74" or 96"

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2012 : 08:50:46

I'll guess that the grab-height above the water is about 18" less than the listed length... 48" might be tough to grab from a C-25, and 96" is probably more than you'll want for stowing on-deck. So........

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