Mooring setup

[madyottie 82]

I'm new at this whole moored boat thing, so wanting a little advice in how to secure my new toy to my new mooring. At present the mooring just has a small standard buoy, and for the next few months it's gonna stay that way, until I can afford a Fergie.

 

What is the current thinking on attaching a cat to one of these?

 

I'm assuming I can simply attach a bridle to the mooring riser?

 

I need to give Anthony his mooring back soon, so want to make sure mine is right by then.

[Battleship 100]

I think this is what happens when you attach a cat to your mooring.

[madyottie 82]

Yep, I expect so. Is that a buoy or grrrrl?

[Romany 162]

Ummm -  a Fergi?

 

Drove one on a farm once - although that didn't end well and I don't think this what you mean anyway.

[Black Panther 1,599]

Why is the council objecting?

[Freedom GBE 27]

Can reach our buoy by lying on the tramp without a boat hook. By your self it takes a few tries.

 

Make up a bridle and also tie the buoy onto the front beam so that it doesn't get slimey. Easier than berthing in a marina.

 

I wouldn't buy a ferrgie yet, spend your money on a descent size, solid old tender that you can leave on your mooring.

[madyottie 82]

Can I use 16mm polyester 16plait for the bridal? Was bought for a mainsheet but never used. Eventually I'll get some of that really flash black stuff with the stretchy core.

[Adrianp 120]

This terrible diagram is what I sent to Know Me and the crew at Chains Ropes and Anchors when I got some new lines for Freedom. 

 

I also got them to do a short line+loop from the bottom of the mooring buoy that could be put around the front beam twice and then looped back over the mooring buoy so that the buoy hangs from the front beam and out of the water, but also acts as a third rope attaching the boat to the mooring.  I'm very happy with how that turned out.

 

Dropping and picking up the mooring is dead easy if you leave the dinghy there while you pop out for a sail. We tie the dinghy to the buoy line, and just drop the bridal lines over either side of the dinghy's gunnels when we leave. Apon return, you just motor the boat over the dinghy and pick up the bridal lines, with no rush to sort out the dinghy after that. Easy!

[madyottie 82]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the input.

 

KMM and freeedom, thanks again, probably saved me a fortune, since I won't waste money on a fergi or the dodgy black rope.

 

Cheers guys.

[ScottiE 174]

Not sure why you'd want one on a multi mooring anyway. If you are looking at taking the bridal off the riser then a Fergi is simply a way to spend $700 plus to do a job that can be done for $200 equally as well, in fact better.

 

Tell me more!

 

I love the fergie!  Was on the mooring when I bought it.  Makes retrieving an absolute doddle in any weather - no boat hooks, leaning through the seagull striker wire etc.  Was thinking of revising to something like Freedom's sketch but essentially then fergie sits above the mooring ring which I believe KM is alluding to a better solution above.  Was waiting till Hauraki got back up the river but seems I should follow up on KM's note!

[wheels 543]

Many years back now, our Pelorus Boating club made new bouy systems for all the clubs moorings and actually, they still seem to be one of the best systems I have ever come across. Simply a large soft inflatable Bouy with a hole in the centre that normally takes a mooring line. In that hole was fitted a length of PVC pipe that has about 1m (maybe slightly shorter) of the pipe sitting up in the air. The pipe is at least the same of not more, down into the water. The mooring top line runs through that. So it is like a mini Fergi. The line sits up in easy reach of most Bows. There is an importance of making sure the line is dropped back down through the pipe when detaching from the mooring, so as the loop is easily reached by the next boat to more there.
CRA have a similar idea, where we fitted a SST tube instead of the PVC pipe. But these are all solid Foam filled plastic bouys and the SST pipe is swagged over the hole to seal it too the bouy. I had often thought of a way to do the Pelorus idea but using the SST. However, the club bouys have been operation for ruffly 10yrs and the PVC has not been an issue with wear. So maybe SST is not worth the effort of trying to make it work.

[ScottiE 174]

Found this on their site.

So the line is continuous through this tube but presumably has a knot below the soft eye/mooring ring so the splice doesn't get sucked into the tube.  Presumably the bouy stays in the water.

[Island Time 1,246]

Yep, that's the one. PWM is Pelorus, Waikawa, Mana. The clubs own the moorings jointly, and most are now like this.

[Beccara 25]

Pardon the ignorance but how on earth does that rope not chaffe to hell in that tube, Surely the wave action will pull the rope up and down the floating bouy

[SloopJohnB 322]

Pardon the ignorance but how on earth does that rope not chaffe to hell in that tube, Surely the wave action will pull the rope up and down the floating bouy

Not in one place....as the boy moves up and down with the tide.[      

 

 

 

[Marshy 30]

And its PVC - So more likely the PVC tube chafes out.

[madyottie 82]

I'm liking the look of those PWM buoys.

 

Something like that would make it easier to find when the light isn't too good too, especially if fitted with a small flag, or perhaps a glowstick pressed in the top if I'm planning on getting back late. 

[wheels 543]

As I said, No wear on the PVC yet. It's been over ten years, but under 14 years. Also no abnormal wear on the top line.
BUT!!!!  having said that, the sounds are not subject to swells or waves. So there is no extreme action of rope sliding through the pipe. It could be a totally different result anywhere else in the country.
        My mooring in Auckland has a foam filled bouy with the SST tube swagged through it. I have a really interesting and very annoying issue with it. Because the river is always flowing at a decent pace with the tide, the boy rotates continuously around and around the top line. As it rotates, it chatters. So there is a constant noise like someone tapping away with a little hammer, that transmits up the taught line to the Bow and then transmits right through the boat. It never stops. At one time, I even lifted the Bouy clear of the water, but then I got a different kind of tapping as the bouy knocked against the Bow like the Fergis do. With the water moving past, the line oscillates like a slow guitar string and the Bouy would then start knocking on the Hull and that was louder. I couldn't win, so it just stays in the water and we have got used to it. 
 

[Steve Pope 243]

you need a drogue on your buoy!!

[madyottie 82]

Think I'll go with plan F. Or is it G?

 

I'll set up a decent bridle similar to what Freeeeeedom (how many e's in that??) has, and purchase a fishing float with a stick on it. A snap clip on the float, and I have something high enough to reach from the tramp without having to lie down. 

 

then hopefully I can...

 

Motor up to the float, kill the motor, grab the stick, hook up the bridle, unclip the float thingy and stow it onboard somewhere. And do the reverse when I'm heading out.

 

Which reminds me, I must pop into ullrich and grab a couple of bits of tube,one to go over the throttle and one to go over the shift lever - I can't be bothered bending down into the pod to control the outboard.