Slip vs. Mooring???

[Warren Kaplan]

I'm taking a little survey here. Which do you prefer..a slip or a mooring? Years ago back in the early 1970s, when I first started sailing, I had a Seasprite 23 (Alberg design) that I kept on a mooring at the town marina. I liked the idea of being able to raise the sails right at the mooring and making any adjustments while solidly moored in place. I liked always facing directly into the wind when raising and lowering sails. I liked being able to leave the mooring under sail, and often, never having to turn the outboard on at all for the entire day. I thought it was easier leaving the mooring and picking up the mooring on return than getting in and out of a slip in a tight marina. Of course if the mooring field was crowded, you had to be pretty careful also. What I didn't like about moorings basically came down to accessibility. I was slave to the launch boat timetable. If I wanted to go out very early or come back late, I couldn't, unless I had my own dingy. Some marinas have better launch service then the one I used I suspect. The other thing I didn't like was if you forgot something in your car, for instance, you just couldn't jump off like in a slip, but instead you had to wait for the launch. Lots of time lost. There's no access to shore power on a mooring but frankly, the way I sail, I don't need it. Its also hard to wash down the boat out on a mooring even though I used to bring it to the dock periodically to do it. Of course chafe on the mooring line is always a concern as opposed to being in a slip with many lines. Watching the boat bob up and down on a mooring in heavy winds and storms was sometimes unsettling to me as I watched from shore. Then again a mooring is sometimes half the price of a slip and that saving could go for some needed repairs or extra gear. I'm in a slip now and I like it most of the time but sometimes I wonder if I'd be happier back on a mooring. Am I nuts? Any of you out there feel the same way or do you all, universally, think I'm crazy.

Warren Kaplan
S/V Sine Qua Non
CD27



Setsail728@aol.com

[Gary McDonough]

"Am I nuts? "

That's a much deeper question that probably none of us are qualified to answer but as far as your mooring question goes here's my two cents.

I've had a mooring for four years now and would consider a slip only as a last resort. I like the privacy, the ability to cook without smoking out your neighbors, the constant breeze I get by opening the front of the dodger with the boat pointed into the wind, the soothing motion of the boat at night, the occasional wicked lightning and thunderstorm/high winds etc. when I'm on the boat safely below deck. You also can't beat watching the sunset from a mooring. Also, I often raise the main before I leave the mooring. On windy days, I can put a good reef in and it's a lot easier at the mooring. I have my own dinghy so transportation is not an issue.

Gary



garym@taxinvest.com

[Joel]

I vote for the mooring for all the reasons you cited. Although, with tidal flow, Pokey isn't always facing directly into the wind. Our launch service is 7x24 in season, so timing isn't as big an issue as it was with you. Also, I wouldn't assume that things can't be tight with a slip. Our docks at Lake Wallenpaupack were setup for small powerboats. Finally, docking in heavy winds is always a challenge!

Joel
Pokey II
'73 Ty #549



bondy_joel@hotmail.com

[Jim Sullivan]

I'm taking a little survey here. Which do you prefer..a slip or a mooring? Years ago back in the early 1970s, when I first started sailing, I had a Seasprite 23 (Alberg design) that I kept on a mooring at the town marina. I liked the idea of being able to raise the sails right at the mooring and making any adjustments while solidly moored in place. I liked always facing directly into the wind when raising and lowering sails. I liked being able to leave the mooring under sail, and often, never having to turn the outboard on at all for the entire day. I thought it was easier leaving the mooring and picking up the mooring on return than getting in and out of a slip in a tight marina. Of course if the mooring field was crowded, you had to be pretty careful also. What I didn't like about moorings basically came down to accessibility. I was slave to the launch boat timetable. If I wanted to go out very early or come back late, I couldn't, unless I had my own dingy. Some marinas have better launch service then the one I used I suspect. The other thing I didn't like was if you forgot something in your car, for instance, you just couldn't jump off like in a slip, but instead you had to wait for the launch. Lots of time lost. There's no access to shore power on a mooring but frankly, the way I sail, I don't need it. Its also hard to wash down the boat out on a mooring even though I used to bring it to the dock periodically to do it. Of course chafe on the mooring line is always a concern as opposed to being in a slip with many lines. Watching the boat bob up and down on a mooring in heavy winds and storms was sometimes unsettling to me as I watched from shore. Then again a mooring is sometimes half the price of a slip and that saving could go for some needed repairs or extra gear. I'm in a slip now and I like it most of the time but sometimes I wonder if I'd be happier back on a mooring. Am I nuts? Any of you out there feel the same way or do you all, universally, think I'm crazy.

Warren Kaplan
S/V Sine Qua Non
CD27

My preference is a mooring. I've kept a CD Typhoon on a mooring for the past 15 years. I use the outboard motor generally twice a season--when launched in the spring and again in the fall when hauled as I have to tie up at a slip at a boatyard on each occasion. I would choose a mooring over a slip even if the cost was the same. I keep a pram on a nearby dinghy dock which is only a hundred yards or less distance to the mooring. I also own/maintain my own mooring--cleaning/replacing tackle on a regular basis. I pay an annual mooring fee to the town of $60 and a dinghy dock charge of $200 per season--this is much less in comparison to the cost of a slip rental.



atea@att.net

[Clay Stalker]

Hi there Warren,
Interesting subject, one I have been thinking a lot about this year. I took a slip for the first time this summer ($1,920) thinking I would like the convenience of the dock and shore power etc. I probably won't do it again...plan to move to a mooring at Bristol Harbor next summer ($700). I really miss being on a mooring...the privacy, the way the boat is always pointing into the wind, better for ventilation below, the scenery, etc. The dock seems too much like a city of boats...I miss the gentle rocking of the mooring when I sleep. I rarely use shore power but do like the water for washdowns...The difference in cost is really significant. Mooring certainly takes more planning, maintenance of lines, and a dinghy and/or good launch service, but that's where I'm-a-going next summer.

Clay Stalker
"SALSA" CD 27 #247
Apponaug Harbor, Rhode Island

I'm taking a little survey here. Which do you prefer..a slip or a mooring? Years ago back in the early 1970s, when I first started sailing, I had a Seasprite 23 (Alberg design) that I kept on a mooring at the town marina. I liked the idea of being able to raise the sails right at the mooring and making any adjustments while solidly moored in place. I liked always facing directly into the wind when raising and lowering sails. I liked being able to leave the mooring under sail, and often, never having to turn the outboard on at all for the entire day. I thought it was easier leaving the mooring and picking up the mooring on return than getting in and out of a slip in a tight marina. Of course if the mooring field was crowded, you had to be pretty careful also. What I didn't like about moorings basically came down to accessibility. I was slave to the launch boat timetable. If I wanted to go out very early or come back late, I couldn't, unless I had my own dingy. Some marinas have better launch service then the one I used I suspect. The other thing I didn't like was if you forgot something in your car, for instance, you just couldn't jump off like in a slip, but instead you had to wait for the launch. Lots of time lost. There's no access to shore power on a mooring but frankly, the way I sail, I don't need it. Its also hard to wash down the boat out on a mooring even though I used to bring it to the dock periodically to do it. Of course chafe on the mooring line is always a concern as opposed to being in a slip with many lines. Watching the boat bob up and down on a mooring in heavy winds and storms was sometimes unsettling to me as I watched from shore. Then again a mooring is sometimes half the price of a slip and that saving could go for some needed repairs or extra gear. I'm in a slip now and I like it most of the time but sometimes I wonder if I'd be happier back on a mooring. Am I nuts? Any of you out there feel the same way or do you all, universally, think I'm crazy.

Warren Kaplan
S/V Sine Qua Non
CD27

cstalker@cheshire.net

[Don Carr]

I'll take the mooring. It has many things to recommend it over a slip.
privacy, ability to sail on or off with a minimum hassle, price. Yes,
you can't just get on or off at will but then again it forces you into organization. Personally unless I were living/entertaining on the boat
on a full time basis a slip really is a luxury.

IMHO
s/v Lolita
CD25#784



carrds@us.ibm.com

[dan]

i think cost is a big issue. around here anyway. when i first purchased my cd25 a few months ago, all the marinas in the boston area were full or were charging prices i simply could not afford for slips. one call to the boston harbor master revealed that there were still mooring "spots" available and they were free as long as you provided your own tackle and maintain it. the only downside to this is that there is no docks or anything on shore to keep a dingy...

I'm taking a little survey here. Which do you prefer..a slip or a mooring? Years ago back in the early 1970s, when I first started sailing, I had a Seasprite 23 (Alberg design) that I kept on a mooring at the town marina. I liked the idea of being able to raise the sails right at the mooring and making any adjustments while solidly moored in place. I liked always facing directly into the wind when raising and lowering sails. I liked being able to leave the mooring under sail, and often, never having to turn the outboard on at all for the entire day. I thought it was easier leaving the mooring and picking up the mooring on return than getting in and out of a slip in a tight marina. Of course if the mooring field was crowded, you had to be pretty careful also. What I didn't like about moorings basically came down to accessibility. I was slave to the launch boat timetable. If I wanted to go out very early or come back late, I couldn't, unless I had my own dingy. Some marinas have better launch service then the one I used I suspect. The other thing I didn't like was if you forgot something in your car, for instance, you just couldn't jump off like in a slip, but instead you had to wait for the launch. Lots of time lost. There's no access to shore power on a mooring but frankly, the way I sail, I don't need it. Its also hard to wash down the boat out on a mooring even though I used to bring it to the dock periodically to do it. Of course chafe on the mooring line is always a concern as opposed to being in a slip with many lines. Watching the boat bob up and down on a mooring in heavy winds and storms was sometimes unsettling to me as I watched from shore. Then again a mooring is sometimes half the price of a slip and that saving could go for some needed repairs or extra gear. I'm in a slip now and I like it most of the time but sometimes I wonder if I'd be happier back on a mooring. Am I nuts? Any of you out there feel the same way or do you all, universally, think I'm crazy.

Warren Kaplan
S/V Sine Qua Non
CD27

[Ken Coit]

Warren,

You bring up some warm memories of mooring both a Lightning and a Catalina 22 at Lake Massabesic in Manchester, NH. I have also sailed off moorings in Marblehead, Hingham, and Martha's Vineyard. Fond memories with all the downsides that you list. Shooting moorings is fun unless you are desperate to get home and you can't guesstimate way very well. I almost always enjoy sailing off a mooring although it can be a bit touchy with flukey winds and a dense field. Marblehead comes to mind.

With those boats, I used mooring eyes in the stem, so that there was no risk of chafe. We also added suspenders with a slack line to a bow cleat, just in case the bow eye proved insufficient. They never gave a bit of trouble and, with a shackle, tieing up was a "snap."

Many years ago, one of Steve Colgate's instructors at Edgartown got so frustrated one day, trying to teach us how to shoot a mooring, that he finally approached the mooring from windward and ran the 27 ft. Soling up on top of the Boston Whaler. Since small Whalers don't sink, even if cut in two, it all worked out. I think the instructors had a bet on regarding first to the pier. I, of course, have never done anything so stupid.

I guess my biggest problem with putting Parfait on a mooring would be sufficient power to run all the "necessities of life" such as fans when it is warm, air conditioning when it is hot, and heat when cold. It sounds as if we are wimps, but it keeps the homefires burning smoothly. How do you manage your power inventory? I suppose in the frozen North the summers are cooler and cold is not an issue since you can always "call it a season."

Our slip, which is very convenient to the parking lot, is for sale by the owner, so I have a decision or two ahead of me. It looks as if Beaufort will be placing a mooring field in Taylors Creek which would give me even better access to the ocean, but less protection from hurricanes. Should I buy the slip I rent? Another? Move to Taylor's Creek? Will we be allowed to stay on a mooring on Taylor's Creek if a hurricane threatens? We can stay in the marina and my slip is large compared to Parfait, so it is relatively easy to tie off safely with lots of slack to accomodate storm surges. We are reasonably well protected from other boats that might break loose and we can tie to pilings rather than cleats. It is not private as it is the first slip on the pier on the way out to the head of the T, but we get lots of wonderful comments about our boat. Sometimes I think they would rather have a saint doing the maintenance, but they seem to be holding up pretty well to my over frustrations.

Thanks for the interesting question. I think you summarized it quite well.

Ken
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC

I'm taking a little survey here. Which do you prefer..a slip or a mooring? Years ago back in the early 1970s, when I first started sailing, I had a Seasprite 23 (Alberg design) that I kept on a mooring at the town marina. I liked the idea of being able to raise the sails right at the mooring and making any adjustments while solidly moored in place. I liked always facing directly into the wind when raising and lowering sails. I liked being able to leave the mooring under sail, and often, never having to turn the outboard on at all for the entire day. I thought it was easier leaving the mooring and picking up the mooring on return than getting in and out of a slip in a tight marina. Of course if the mooring field was crowded, you had to be pretty careful also. What I didn't like about moorings basically came down to accessibility. I was slave to the launch boat timetable. If I wanted to go out very early or come back late, I couldn't, unless I had my own dingy. Some marinas have better launch service then the one I used I suspect. The other thing I didn't like was if you forgot something in your car, for instance, you just couldn't jump off like in a slip, but instead you had to wait for the launch. Lots of time lost. There's no access to shore power on a mooring but frankly, the way I sail, I don't need it. Its also hard to wash down the boat out on a mooring even though I used to bring it to the dock periodically to do it. Of course chafe on the mooring line is always a concern as opposed to being in a slip with many lines. Watching the boat bob up and down on a mooring in heavy winds and storms was sometimes unsettling to me as I watched from shore. Then again a mooring is sometimes half the price of a slip and that saving could go for some needed repairs or extra gear. I'm in a slip now and I like it most of the time but sometimes I wonder if I'd be happier back on a mooring. Am I nuts? Any of you out there feel the same way or do you all, universally, think I'm crazy.

Warren Kaplan
S/V Sine Qua Non
CD27

parfait@nc.rr.com

[Neil Gordon]

I would rather sail off a mooring. And sleep on one. But there are advantages to a slip:

Much easier to load/unload stuff, top off water tanks, etc.

We're on the boat with a chocolate lab. Walking her to a convenient spot ashore is easier than rowing her to a convenient spot ashore. (She's fine when we're sailing, but as soon as we stop...)

I often meet clients, etc., at the marina. Lunch on the boat is easier without the ride out to a mooring.

There's ambiance at the marina, too... boardwalk, choice of restaurants, ice cream, etc.

Sociability among our dockmates.


It's all about compromise.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



cdory28@aol.com

[Ann and David Brownlee]

We prefer a mooring for its privacy, coolness, and economy, and for giving us the ability to get away and return without starting the engine. We don't need shore power except to run electrical tools occasionally, and for that one can tie up for a few hours.

With regret, we moved into a slip a few years ago because our boat yard doesn't have launch service and isn't set up to allow singlehanded dinghy launching--at least for people of a certain age. Moreover, the mooring field in the mouth of the Susquehanna River is terribly exposed in easterly gales and hurricanes, requiring us to relocate the boat when severe weather threatened. A tiny problem with a mooring in the Chesapeake is that a moored boat will roll, continually wetting the hull above the waterline and promoting the growth of an enlarged, brown "Chesapeake mustache."

I'm impressed by the strong majority of Dorians who prefer moorings! A sensible bunch.

Ann and David Brownlee
CD31 #1 Windrush
Havre de Grace, MD



dbrownle@sas.upenn.edu

[Bob Malinka]

Warren:

I'm a little partial to the dock as I have a free space thanks to my Dad's house being located on a river. I must illustrate the major postive point of my dock space. It's so far up river that it's a vertitable hurricane hole and that is a tremendous peace of mind when things get nasty such as hurricanes. I travel alot in my job and can not aways be around when things happen. Many years ago I kept the boat at a friends house in Babylon within close proximity of the bay and great view of the bridge, which was convenient but soon found out the draw backs of this location when we had our first real storm. We had 4-5 foot rollers coming in off the bay head-on. It was strange watching Ranger bucking at her dock lines above my head while standing in the water on the dock. At that moment I swore that I would never let this happen again to my boat. Later that summer we had another storm and I remember coming home from a business trip and going down to the boat at 12 midnight to move her to the hurricane hole. After that I never returned to that slip and have been at our current location ever since without incident or damage having weathered several hurricanes.

The dock also has another advantage in that it's great to be able to just go down to the boat with my tools and work on it when ever you want. Trying to move stuff in a dingy to the mooring is much more difficult than the dock.

However, when we going cruising we almost always stay on the hook or at a mooring because of privacy and a nice breeze.

Bob
S/V Ranger
CD25D #144



Ranger1442@spec.net

[J. Laton]

I vote for moorings if your intent is to pleasure sail and not load cargo. I sail to get away from it all, even the dock traffic. You can always slip in for bit when repairs/extended maint. is needed. Another big plus is that you can get yourself a great little inflatable to bring along on overnights with the money you save in the first year alone over slip fees.

Fair winds,

John CD25 Happy Daze

I'm taking a little survey here. Which do you prefer..a slip or a mooring? Years ago back in the early 1970s, when I first started sailing, I had a Seasprite 23 (Alberg design) that I kept on a mooring at the town marina. I liked the idea of being able to raise the sails right at the mooring and making any adjustments while solidly moored in place. I liked always facing directly into the wind when raising and lowering sails. I liked being able to leave the mooring under sail, and often, never having to turn the outboard on at all for the entire day. I thought it was easier leaving the mooring and picking up the mooring on return than getting in and out of a slip in a tight marina. Of course if the mooring field was crowded, you had to be pretty careful also. What I didn't like about moorings basically came down to accessibility. I was slave to the launch boat timetable. If I wanted to go out very early or come back late, I couldn't, unless I had my own dingy. Some marinas have better launch service then the one I used I suspect. The other thing I didn't like was if you forgot something in your car, for instance, you just couldn't jump off like in a slip, but instead you had to wait for the launch. Lots of time lost. There's no access to shore power on a mooring but frankly, the way I sail, I don't need it. Its also hard to wash down the boat out on a mooring even though I used to bring it to the dock periodically to do it. Of course chafe on the mooring line is always a concern as opposed to being in a slip with many lines. Watching the boat bob up and down on a mooring in heavy winds and storms was sometimes unsettling to me as I watched from shore. Then again a mooring is sometimes half the price of a slip and that saving could go for some needed repairs or extra gear. I'm in a slip now and I like it most of the time but sometimes I wonder if I'd be happier back on a mooring. Am I nuts? Any of you out there feel the same way or do you all, universally, think I'm crazy.

Warren Kaplan
S/V Sine Qua Non
CD27

laton@ynhh.com

[Warren Kaplan]

I must say that I'm genuinely surprised by the number of people who prefer moorings. I guess I have to learn to trust my gut feelings a little more and realize that I am not crazy for toying with the idea of going to a mooring next year. I thought of two other things that I did not like about slips. Last year, the was a very large power boat in the slip next to me. He had his shore power connected all the time! I had some new zincs put on the shaft at the begining of that year and when I hauled for the winter, there was nothing left of them. I suspect stray current in the waters around marina slips is a bigger problem then we often consider. No problems with stray current on a mooring. The other thing was cleanliness of the water. There is a gas dock pretty close to my slip. There are constant oil slicks in the water and sometimes when I get to the marina Sine Qua Non is just sitting in rainbow colored water. She's gettin' stained. Also candy wrappers, styrofoam cups and alot of marina garbage in the water all the time. This is hardly a big problem out on a mooring. I realize that some marina slips are run better than others and dirty water and garbage are not in all marinas, but you almost never see it on a mooring.



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[Mike Wainfeld]

Warren-Where were you thinking of mooring the boat on the South Shore?
Mike
CD Ty "Regalo" (In a slip in Bayshore)



wainfeld@optonline.net

[Warren Kaplan]

Warren-Where were you thinking of mooring the boat on the South Shore?
Mike
CD Ty "Regalo" (In a slip in Bayshore)

Mike,
I'm not thinking of this year, but next. I don't know of any mooring areas on the south shore but I'm really considering going up north to the Sound once again. Sine Qua Non is really shaping up nicely for doing some cruising and there's lots of places on the Sound I'll want to go to. Of course the North Shore has plenty of marinas with both slips and moorings. This is all speculation right now but I'm leaning more and more towards doing it.
Warren



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