Correct Mooring Configuration?

[Chris Reinke]

I have made a wager that involves who will get stuck scrubbing the waterline of my CD330 this season and I am turning to the knowledgable folks on this board to provide the correct answer. The question revolves around how to best set-up a mooring to accommodate dual penants (swivel, assorted shackle, a floating ball, and the chain). The one thing we did agree on is that the chain rode should be connected directly to the mooring ball via a swivel.

I am not going to let you know what my feelings are, as I am sure that would foster even more arguments with my crew.

The discussions surrounded on :
1 - how and where to attach the penants so they don't wrap and wear on the chain.
2 - how and where to attach the mooring ball so that a failure of the mooring ball will not cause a failure of the mooring.

Please help me resolve this debate....and avoid having to clean my waterline this season!

[Al Levesque]

For as long as I remember I have shackled a heavy bottom chain to the mooring, shackled a top chain to the bottom one and ran the top chain through a hole in the buoy. I then shackle a large ring to the end of the top chain. In the ring I have spliced two thimbled pennants. I have used various methods to keep the top shackle from falling back through the buoy. I have seen large washers used for that. I currently have a PVC plumbing fitting. All shackles are wired and pennants have chafing gear. No swivels. Both pennants are secured together from the buoy up to about a foot from the boat to keep them from wrapping around the buoy and the chain.

[Maine Sail]

We mostly use "soft" balls and all attachments are underwater below the ball. This prevents wrapping the ball and above the ball shackles doing damage to the top sides in calm weather.

For my 36 footer I use a 600lb mushroom with 25 feet of Coast Guard chain to 35 feet (chain length dependent on anchorage) of 3/4 inch top chain. The top chain connects to the bottom of a 1 inch swivel and the ball and pendants connect to the top of the swivel each with it's own shackle but the dual Yale pendants share a shackle and are moused together to prevent chafe. I also use stainless steel thimbals in my mooring pendants not galvanized. Set up this way the boat and pendants can swivel round the chain and the pendants don't get tangled. To prevent the dual pendants from tangling in the chain when you leave no boat on the mooring, mouse the two pendants together with small oval float balls every two feet out to six feet..

One last thing a great mooring and good pendants are nothing without excellent chafe protection!

[Cathy Monaghan]

Well, maybe this West Advisor will help.

[altontom]

The chain off the attachment on bottom should be attached to galvanized swivel. The chain should be appropriate for size of boat. I have always used a sur-mor T3C through chain buoy. The chain passes through the buoy and is attached to a larger shackle that prevents chain falling through buoy. I then attach a galvanized swivel with shackle and run my mooring pennant to boat off shackle on other side of swivel. I use a leather chaffing guard that I stitch around the pennant line where it goes through chock on boat. I have used this system for years. The chain and mooring pennant are sized for the boat and mooring harbor conditions. West marine have safe working loads for these items. When in doubt go heavy. Good luck Tom

[Maine Sail]

Sorry but West Marine does not always get it right. The swivel should never be placed between the top and bottom chain and it should be near or on the underside of the ball so you can inspect it easily. The swivel sees the most wear, and thus needs more inspection, that's why I use a swivel a full 1/4 inch larger than my top chain (3/4 inch top chain 1 inch swivel).

Also mooring balls with a chain pass through, that have the shackle on top of the ball, WILL scratch your hull when the boat hugs and rubs the ball in calm weather! If you don't know what I'm talking about you have not spent enough time on a mooring but will soon find out if you have a through ball set up. If you have just paid to AwlGrip, or have a fresh paint job the last thing you want are scratches where the shackle has gouged your new 7k paint job..

Hamilton Marine knows moorings and they provide a very good mooring "advisor" in their catalog.. The manager of the Portland Hamilton actually told me they are Yale Cordage's largest customer for Yale Polydyne mooring pendants in the world!

Many Maine lobster men, on the rugged & remote off shore islands, are in water year round and depend on their moorings for life and lively hood. In contrast most Worst Marine customers are "dock jockeys" who don't know a sheave from a sieve. It's no wonder Worst gets it wrong on moorings when 85% of their customers are at a dock 4 months a year and not on moorings... Really now, how many West customer are actually on moorings?

Hamilton Marine sells more complete mooring set ups with four locations, in one state, in the spring, than West sells in an entire year with national penetration and many, many, many locations.

Sorry, I have to call a spade a spade, and West has it wrong. The swivel needs to be inspected and right under the ball is the easiest way without ruining, gouging & scratching your topsides...

[Ken Textor]

Chris,

I agree with everything in the last Acoustic post with one small exception: There is a time to have a swivel between the top chain and the bottom chain. If you moor your boat on the swirling Kennebec River in Maine, we've found a swivel between top and bottom chain AND top chain and the mooring ball is strongly advised. Moored boats here frequently will cut scores of quick pirouettes on a breezy, tide-scoured afternoon. Without that second swivel, you can, at worst, bind up the upper chain ? and at the very least wear out your top chain a lot faster. I think the bottom line here is: There's no one answer to fit all situations. Hamilton is an excellent place to start but always check what the local, longtime fishermen do. Good luck with your mooring,

Ken Textor, CD 27 Marie Rose
________
Buy silver surfer vaporizer

[Chris Reinke]

I was hoping for a more uniform response, but I am going to go with what "Acoustic" has pointed out from the Hamilton Marine catalogue......because that is most closely in line with what I was suggesting and I can print it out to "prove" my point. The only difference is that I will be adding a second pennant in the same shackle (h) as they identify off the swivel.

http://www.hamiltonmarine.com/0130.html


Thanks for all the feedback.