installing a mooring

[Megunticook]

I need to drop a 200-lb. mushroom anchor along with 40' of 3/4" bottom chain for a mooring in a harbor. Has anyone ever done anything like this from their Cape Dory, or is that just idiotic to even contemplate? I know my TyS could handle the weight (chain is roughly 300 lbs I believe), but not sure you could stow the mushroom safely in the cabin. Just wondered if anyone ever tried.

It would be about an 11 mile sail to the location.

[Sea Hunt Video]

I need to drop a 200-lb. mushroom anchor . . . but not sure you could stow the mushroom safely in the cabin.

Have you thought out your action plan for moving a 200 lb. mushroom anchor from inside the cabin to the deck I would think that would be "Job #1". I would also think it would be similar to carrying a 200 lb. man up or down a set of stairs. It is VERY, VERY difficult - even when you are young and full of "pi$$ and vinegar".

[tjr818]

Would it be better to drive the 200# anchor to the harbor in your car or truck, then make the 11 mile sail without the extra 200#. For the, hopefully, short distance from the harbor to the mooring you could have the 200# anchor in the cockpit where it would be easier to unload? Perhaps with enough "movable counter balance" (crew) you could motor out to the mooring with the anchor in the cockpit and use the main halyard to lift it over the side.

[Jim Walsh]

A 200# mushroom with 300# of chain in a Ty loaded safely and without damage to the boat and the person(s), sailed for eleven miles, then dropped over the side safely and without damage to the Ty or the person(s) handling it. Anything can be accomplished in desperate times by desperate men but this is not something I'd advise.

[Megunticook]

I kind of figured it was a foolish idea, just thought I'd float it by the group and see if anyone had tried it. Getting a guy with a work boat to go out there with me will cost several hundred bucks but it certainly would make it a much easier operation. Thanks for the reality check.

[Steve Laume]

Can you get a hold of a crappy dinghy?

There is no way I would take that thing aboard my boat. I would be looking for an old dinghy and load it right in there. Tow it out on a very calm day and then capsize the thing.

Either that or talk to a lobsterman about the possibility of helping you out.

It just wouldn't be worth taking the very real chance of messing up your boat, Steve.

[sharkbait]

A pint of air will give you about a pound of lift; float it out on a couple of inner tubes and cut it loose.

[casampson]

I dropped a 150-pound mooring myself once, but it took two of us working from a low-sided powerboat to do it safely. If you have a friend with an old motorboat you could do it. Otherwise, pay someone to do it for you. It will be worth the money.

[Klem]

The crazy part in my mind is the 11 mile part, not actually moving it.

I have used a technique for years where I put the mooring close to the low tide line with a strong line doubled through a link of chain close to the mooring. When the tide is high enough that I can get the boat in over the mooring, I pull the doubled line nice and tight with the ends going to either side of the bow. As the tide rises, the boat will pick up the mooring (it is hanging underneath) and you can then motor to where you want it and let one end of the line go in a very controlled fashion. I have gotten fouled up once where the line jammed in a chain link so I simply let the other end go and retrieved everything next time I pulled the mooring for service. For safety, the key is that everything hangs below the boat and you can always get rid of it by letting either end of the doubled line go (no loops over cleats, use proper cleating hitches which can be undone under load). The heaviest mooring I have moved this way had 1100 lbs water weight. The problem is that you need to go really slowly and do it on a calm day so 11 miles is out of the question.

If you were determined, I am sure that you could figure out a way to deal with the problem of the 11 miles of transport. You could use a halyard and your boom to get the anchor and chain aboard (separately!). Securing them would be a trick, especially if there is a possibility of any waves. You could then go into shallow water and individually unload them onto the bottom again. At that point, you could hook them up and use the technique that I described above to move them to deeper water.

All of this carries significant risks. Some people consider this normal everyday stuff and have enough sense and knowledge so that nothing gets damaged. An understanding of the forces and how stuff will react is absolutely necessary. Just trying to throw a mushroom attached to 3/4" chain over the side would likely be quite dangerous and result in a lot of repair work on the boat. Larger traditional boats actually drop their anchors in essentially that way and there are techniques that allow even that to be done with relatively low risk.

Have you had someone else (mooring guy or lobsterman) quote you?

[Russell]

I kind of figured it was a foolish idea, just thought I'd float it by the group and see if anyone had tried it. Getting a guy with a work boat to go out there with me will cost several hundred bucks but it certainly would make it a much easier operation. Thanks for the reality check.

I honestly think this would be several hundred bucks well spent, but as others have said, doing it yourself is possible, but really, is it worth it? Thats a lot of weight to manhandle even with halyards (and I hope the halyards are in good shape!).

[Megunticook]

I talked with a guy in town I know who has a lobster boat, he's willing to help out. Problem is he never charges enough because he's so nice, I always have to push extra cash on him. I had some professional mooring guys quote me $400-500, so at least I know what the job is worth. I figure we could go out, set the mooring, and be back in 3-4 hours max.

[Ben Coombs]

11 miles of motoring with the mooring on the bow would be easy enough. no sailing. set the mooring on a sheet of plywood, and slide it off when in position. I would put the mooring ball and chain over the side first. You can pay out chain easily... you probably don't want it to go willy nilly over your gunwhales. At low tide the mushroom would be on the bottom before you could blink!

It's not desperate if well planned and executed... humans moved stonehenge into place. surely we can move a mooring that weighs as much as we do.

[Steve Laume]

You might need some fat guys in the stern to be able to motor a Typhoon with a 300lb weight on the bow.

The lobster guy sounds like a great solution but I still think the old dink would have worked. Of course if something hung up the dinghy might have become a part of the mooring tackle, Steve.

[Megunticook]

Installed the mooring today. Hired a guy with a lobster boat, played it safe. Went well--deeper than I thought, we were there at dead low and my spot was 23'--with extreme spring tides that means high water up to 35' and my half-inch topchain is only 30. But the buoy is oversized enough it can float a few feet of bottom chain if needed.

The guy who I went with kept shaking his head at the 40' of bottom chain and saying "Goddam, that's a lot of chain" He thought I was nuts for using so much. But everything I'd read and everyone I talked to in the mooring business said pretty much the same thing: bottom chain length should be at a minimum 150% of mean high water. It's a relatively protected harbor, granted, and I located the mooring in the most sheltered part of the harbor, so it's probably overkill, but it's nice to know that in a big blow I just don't need to worry about anything going anywhere. As long as I keep a close eye on the tackle, that is, and replace anything worn religiously.

[Brian2]

Where is the mooring?