What do you think of this mooring ball set-up?

[Chris M]

I've got moorage in a marina lined up for the winter, because I don't fancy trusting her to a mooring buoy in nasty weather. But I'm considering it for over the summer, because the slip for the 10' dinghy is a lot cheaper!

But I just don't know enough about them yet to be able to calculate if this one is suitable for me or not.

My boat is a 37' C&L Grand Mariner trawler, weighs 23,000 lbs. Fiberglass hull, if that makes any difference.

The current owner of the mooring buoy, which they'll sell to me for $1,500 CAD, says this:

We've had the mooring since 2024 when we purchased our boat. Main anchor is two large (3x3x2'?) concrete blocks. From chain on the blocks, there's 50ft of 1 1/2" polysteel rope on the bottom, pointing towards shore, to a 5/8" galvanized shackle. From the shackle, there's a 40ft piece of 1 1/2" polysteel rope to 6ft of 1/2" long link galvanized chain attached to a new bouy. From the shackle on the bottom, there's another piece of 1 1/2" polysteel to a 90lb bruce anchor. When the wind is from the NW (Comox), the load is on the Bruce anchor. When the wind is from the SE, the load is on the concrete blocks. There's also 80lbs of steel attached to the shackle on the bottom, acting as a kellet.

That's from the owner previous to me, we did not dive to inspect it and have since moved the boat out of the harbour and no longer need it. My boat was at mooring for about 1 summer, last summer.

I don't know precisely where it is yet (I've asked for the coordinates, but they haven't said yet), other than somewhere in the Comox harbour. For the price though it's probably not out at Goose Spit, or very close to the wharf (someone offered me another one that is apparently right by the marina for $4,000), so I've got no idea how sheltered it is, aside from the harbour generally being reasonably sheltered.

So, what do you think? Ought to be fine? Probably won't hold in poor weather? I believe it's not too much more to drop my own one in brand-new; if I hire a diver to inspect this one it'll probably come out pretty even, I should think.

Thoughts?

 

[luna]

I think you should read this article and then determine if a mooring buoy is something that still has your interest.

Mooring Buoys - Pacific Yachting

Can you tie up? Can you drop your own? Everything you need to know about mooring buoys in BC.

www.pacificyachting.com

Please, let us know the outcome.

 

[Chris M]

That's an excellent article, thank you. I think I should keep her at a marina, then!

 

[BruceK]

The current owner of the mooring buoy, which they'll sell to me for $1,500 CAD, says this:

We've had the mooring since 2024 when we purchased our boat. Main anchor is two large (3x3x2'?) concrete blocks. From chain on the blocks, there's 50ft of 1 1/2" polysteel rope on the bottom, pointing towards shore, to a 5/8" galvanized shackle. From the shackle, there's a 40ft piece of 1 1/2" polysteel rope to 6ft of 1/2" long link galvanized chain attached to a new bouy. From the shackle on the bottom, there's another piece of 1 1/2" polysteel to a 90lb bruce anchor. When the wind is from the NW (Comox), the load is on the Bruce anchor. When the wind is from the SE, the load is on the concrete blocks. There's also 80lbs of steel attached to the shackle on the bottom, acting as a kellet.

That's from the owner previous to me, we did not dive to inspect it and have since moved the boat out of the harbour and no longer need it. My boat was at mooring for about 1 summer, last summer.

The mooring has not been inspected since acquisition by the PO in 2024. NSW State where I live has a lot of swing moorings. We were on one years ago with sailboats, and from 2007 to 2014 with trawlers. It is a condition of the Mooring License the mooring apparatus be inspected every 12 months. Importantly, you don`t know when that was last done.
Some owners like to be present at the annual lift and check.
Here at least, a licensed mooring contractor lifts, drops onto his deck, and inspects the entire apparatus, while securing your vessel to his.
A common wear point is the shackle connecting the heavier lower chain to lighter upper chain. I do not know what "polysteel rope" is, here we use chain until the rope connecting to the buoy(it`s how we spell it, and we say "boy", not booey").
The concrete blocks tend to set into the sea floor. The steel attachment loops set into the blocks are a potential wear point but I think less than the shackle.
We had a bridle arrangement for the lines connecting to the boat cleats, but of course they came from a common point. Our boats were exposed to strong, gale force, southerlies from time to time, plus NE" seabreezes" up to 30 knots. Our only shelter was from westerlies.
Without knowing what polysteel rope is, your set up sounds comprehensive and considered. Once the thing is laid it`s a matter of checks and maintenance, if required. Starting afresh with a new one doesn`t seem necessarily advantageous, and hopefully this one has worked in the past. Usually repair is not required, in my experience. Except the time the sailboat mooring was serviced and the contractor reported he got there"just in time".
If you decide to buy it, get it serviced. Immediately, before you use it. I suspect your insurer may have something to say about maintenance.
The main PIA about a mooring is access to freshwater, and of course, electricity. And having to row you and yours and your gear out to it. And shore access, and dinghy storage onshore.

 

[Insequent]

If considering a mooring buoy, check with your insurer. Some are very reluctant to insure boats on buoy's. It is not just a question of how secure the mooring is, whether inspections have been carried out etc. It also relates to the practical issue of how often you go on board to check systems etc. Flat battery and bilge pump thus not working is one of the big risks from an insurers point of view.

 

[Mambo42]

I would only use a mooring buoy if I know for sure the thing has been caculated correctly, built correctly, maintained correctly and still then I won't use them in a storm.
Too many times I have seen mooring buoys fail, with boats ending up on the shore. Last week here in Lefkada, Greece, a boat ended up on the shore again when the line holding the mooring buoy just snapped.
And of course we all remember 'wondering hillbilly' in the BVI, who lost his boat because of it.

In some places in Greece they authorities actually advise to tie up to as many buoys as you can in wintertime, for added safety, since they also don't know what the status is of a mooring buoy. So we ended up with bow lines attached to 3 mooring buoys in the port of Symi a few years ago.

But if anyone feels confident enough to use mooring buoys then by all means use them. For many people they are safer, but that is only because their anchoring skills are non existent.

 

[O C Diver]

While I like to have faith in my fellow man, this is one of those situations where it's "Trust, but verified".

Can't imagine trusting the previous owner for original quality, installation date, current condition, and suitability for your boat.

If you buy it and it's determined (by competent inspector) to be in disrepair or inadequate for your boat, what's your recourse? If you are considering buying it, inspection should be before purchase.

Ted

 

[Chris M]

All excellent points, thank you, guys!

"Free moorage" sounds good, but it sounds like it could end up costing me a hell of a lot if I'm not both extremely careful and extremely lucky!

Better to keep her in the marina, I think!

 

[CaptTom]

You'll like the easy access of a marina slip, I'm sure.

That said, lots of people do just fine on moorings. If you go that route, get a professional mooring service person to inspect and, probably, repair whatever needs it. They should also be able to tell you if it's sized appropriately for your boat AND local conditions. Get it serviced every year after that. Most places around here require that to maintain the mooring permit anyway.

 

[Chris M]

Thanks, if I move onto a mooring buoy I'll definitely do that!

There's another one that's apparently close to the marina that was inspected six months ago, but considering that I'm now remembering that my insurance papers wanted to know if I was mooring at a dock or a buoy, I think I'll probably stay away from them for now.

 

[Blissboat]

Main anchor is two large (3x3x2'?) concrete blocks. From chain on the blocks, there's 50ft of 1 1/2" polysteel rope on the bottom, pointing towards shore, to a 5/8" galvanized shackle. From the shackle, there's a 40ft piece of 1 1/2" polysteel rope to 6ft of 1/2" long link galvanized chain attached to a new bouy. From the shackle on the bottom, there's another piece of 1 1/2" polysteel to a 90lb bruce anchor. When the wind is from the NW (Comox), the load is on the Bruce anchor. When the wind is from the SE, the load is on the concrete blocks. There's also 80lbs of steel attached to the shackle on the bottom, acting as a kellet.

Thanks for introducing me to "kellet," a nautical term that I had never run across. I'll hold it in reserve to drop into conversation with one of my know-it-all boating buds.

Aside from the good advice about being distrustful of any mooring that you don't have a personal relationship with, external variables affect your mooring. Examples include the nature of the bottom, the general openness of the anchorage, the prevailing vector of potential storm-force winds, the length of fetch from that direction and the water depths in that direction. On that last point, what looks to be a dangerously exposed anchorage with miles of fetch may be somewhat less risky if there are shoals, bars or shallows upwind that absorb energy and reliably prevent swells from building.

Any anchorage or mooring field is a latent danger, though. When the wind huffs and puffs on a lee shore, a safe anchorage can turn into an inescapable trap.

 

[Capt Ray]

Wayne Hamilton of Hamilton Marine in Maine has an outstanding video on Mooring Design/Build.
I just tried to find it on Youtube and the Hamilton Marine website, and it appears that now one needs to go through the hoops at OffCenterHarbor.com: Welcome, Friends of Hamilton Marine

I did not "go there" to find out how much red tape there is for you. But I can attest to his video being excellent. AND some time ago I did subscribe to OffCenterHarbor's video content, and found it to be well worth their modest subscription cost.

Block vs Mushroom is always a debate, and sometimes local ordinances (especially in crowded mooring fields) dictate Block. In any case, Wayne's video is well worth the time it takes to watch, beginning to end.

 

[Jeff F]

I'd trust a good mooring more than a marina tie-up for secure long term storage. I'm in an area now where people use a marina, but when severe storm conditions are forecast all boats must be moved to moorings. The moorings are properly maintained and inspected annually.

The issue is with trusting the mooring. I wouldn't tie up to one without being certain it was being properly checked and maintained. But with trust I consider it the safest place for my boat to live.

 

[Jeff F]

Any anchorage or mooring field is a latent danger, though. When the wind huffs and puffs on a lee shore, a safe anchorage can turn into an inescapable trap.

It's not like marinas are exempt from this concern. We can all picture marinas with boats stacked up after a storm.

 

[Jeff F]

I believe it's not too much more to drop my own one in brand-new; if I hire a diver to inspect this one it'll probably come out pretty even, I should think.

Often the value of an existing mooring is it's location. Dropping a new mooring may mean finding a less convenient location.

Usually if you want a mooring it's a good strategy to acquire an existing one then upgrade as required.

 

[Jeff F]

There's another one that's apparently close to the marina that was inspected six months ago, but considering that I'm now remembering that my insurance papers wanted to know if I was mooring at a dock or a buoy...

Did you check to see if the answer had any effect on insurability? I'm curious now. My boat spends 75% of its time at anchor. I'm quite sure my insurance doesn't have any specific restrictions or constraints on where/how I moor, except that I did have to provide mooring plans for named storms when traveling south.

 

[Nautica]

So you think you're safer in a marina???

 

[tom campbell]

I would definitely go with mushroom/dormor over concrete blocks.

My town requires 750 lb mushroom for my 22K pound mainship 390 trawler. I put in 1000 lb dormor for ~ $5K. While expensive, it's a lot cheaper than your boat.

My town requires mooring inspection every 3 years. It's astonishing how much the under water chain gets much smaller. The eyes of a mushroom also degrade fairly quickly. I wouldn't buy that mooring until inspected.

I think a mooring is safer than a dock in a storm. The biggest mooring risk is someone upwind of you breaks loose. In a hurricane blow, I also set an anchor(s) right next to mooring and coil rode on boat with light string. I don't set anchors away from mooring because it makes you a bigger target from someone dragging. Adding more chain to get more scope is another good step. Extra chafe guard is a must.

In my town, the value of a mooring is the right to set one. There is a multi-year waiting list for a mooring in almost all the town harbors. One is prohibited from selling the mooring. If you give it up, next on waiting list gets it. I think you can give it to a child.

 

[Shrew]

3x3x2' is 18 cubic feet. 18 cubic feet should be ~2,700 lbs. Two of them? What in the world do they need the bruce anchor for??

You lost me at 'uninspected'. I would ask to have the gear inspected first.

 

[liquidsands]

I think you should read this article and then determine if a mooring buoy is something that still has your interest.

Mooring Buoys - Pacific Yachting

Can you tie up? Can you drop your own? Everything you need to know about mooring buoys in BC.

www.pacificyachting.com

Please, let us know the outcome.

That was an excellent article! Thanks for the link.

 

[Blissboat]

So you think you're safer in a marina???
View attachment 169362

In that kind of scenario, it won't matter whether your boat is in a slip or on a mooring, as long as your insurance coverage is in effect.

 

[Jeff F]

In that kind of scenario, it won't matter whether your boat is in a slip or on a mooring, as long as your insurance coverage is in effect.

I'd argue that unless the slip is very well protected you're more likely to make a claim with the boat at the slip.

I helped maintain a mooring field in my younger days. If the chain is in good shape and whatever is on the bottom doesn't drag and the attachment to the boat doesn't chafe through nothing bad happens. If bad things happen it's because of a failure of one of those three components.

 

[Chris M]

Hooray, I've managed to find a slip in a marina!

She's on the hard until mid-March (unless we have a spell of very calm weather before then; if so, I might move her over sooner), and then I'll move her to a slip in Campbell River.

As a bonus, it's actually in the marina I was hoping to move into once I move onto her as a live-aboard in a couple of years or so (give or take), so that's convenient; and the slip she's going into is right at the end of that finger, and looks really straightforward for a beginner like me to access, as the fingers on my approach are a little shorter and so I have a clear run in and out.

So the question has been answered, for now at least! Thanks to you all again for the excellent advice!