QLD
3 posts
Good day to you all.
In a few months i will be putting my Triton 24 on a swing mooring (all ligit). Another yachtie was describing a homemade mooring device that was made from multiple truck breakdrums , chained together with oversized chain going to a swivel and up to a regulation buoy. Can anyone give more details on this type of mooring (enough info so that i could build one myself). What would be the holding power of this sort of device? I'm lead to believe that it has a certain amount of suction to the bottom. Do people treat them with anti corrosive paint? What sort of scope should i allow...it will be in about 2.5-3 metres of water? I read somewhere that people sometimes use old engine blocks as mooring devices , simply placing a chain through the cylinder blocks. Any advice would be appreciated. Tryed to get info from the local authority but apart from the dimensions of the actual buoy they couldn't help me.
Happy sailing!
1229 posts
Hi sailnut
The favoured type of mooring set up in this area is a circular concrete disc
filled with reinforcing rod and scap steel dished on the underside to provide suction to the mud, a heavy section of chain shackled on to an eye formed in the centre and then a heavy swivel and a heavy section of nylon rope The sizes weights and lengths vary as to depth of water and whether the area is exposed or not and weight of craft it is for. The local authority has the specifications required
Cheers Hiko
2 posts
24 footer.
Sounds nice. I reckon it deserves a professsional mooring.
Maybe a screw pile. Check with your insurance company about "home made" moorings.No i am not a mooring contractor, just somebody thats been there.
Regards
Rob
VIC
5904 posts
Nice Yacht , look into a pro mooring,may sleep better while dreaming of sailing her.
Regards James
VIC
5904 posts
Nice Yacht , look into a pro mooring,may sleep better while dreaming of sailing her.
Regards James
QLD
555 posts
Mooring ,,,easy ,get the biggest 4x4 or truck tyre you can find the older and crappier the better ,wait for a low tide , take in down to the beach and mix up some concrete and set in a stainless eye bolt and some galv rio to tie the concrete together. wait till the concrete sets and attach your chain and a heavy duty rope for next stage .When the tide comes in you can float a tinny over the mooring block and loop the rope over the gunnel one side to the other acouple on times and tie off to top of boat.you want the mooring block suspended under the center of the boat as tight up under the boat as possible .
when the tide comes in enough the block will float under the boat.transport it to the spot you what and carefully lower it.
My old boy did this 25 years ago and had a mariner 28 hanging off it ,didn't budge ,the mooring is still there to this day.
55 posts
When I was a kid I remember dad doing this for a family friend. At low tide just go down to the mudflats near where you want your mooring and dig a one to two foot deep square pit in the mud about four feet to a side. Fill with concrete and steel reinforcing and a heavy duty eylet. Tie off with rope, chain and float then strap the lot to a couple of 4 gallon drums and just float her out at high tide (use a dingy to tow). Cut the ropes with an axe and Bob's-your-Grandma :)
You can also just buy a box-trailer from a wreckers, line it with plastic, fill it with concrete and reo, strap a couple of 44s to it, back her down the ramp and let them pull the slab free. Same thing without the time contraints of tide.
Petey
ps. Throw the trailer away afterwards. It will be useless now :)
QLD
3 posts
Thanks to you all for the info. Still waiting for the final go ahead from the local authority and will use your ideas then.
May your sails always be full.
1 posts
Hi,
I made a mooring for a Hartley 21 as follows.
1. Cut some old corrugated iron into strips about a foot high to make a circle 4 ft diam or just so it will fit in your trailer.
2. Dig a hole in your back yard about 9 inches deep and 4ft diam.
3. Stand the iron up like a big egg ring. you can mound up the dirt in the middle to make the bottom of your "bath plug" concave so it sucks into the mud and the sharp rim digs in.
4. Pile in a heap of scrap iron reinforcing interlacing it if possible, almost anything will do. (I coiled up a length of caterpillar grader drive chain and a heap of car front coil springs)
5. prop up a big shackle or "U" bolt suitably tied in or pinned to the steelwork so that the top part of the loop will stick out of the concrete far enough to get a big shackle through it to attach the bottom chain.
6. Fill her up with a strong mix of concrete.
7. When it has set and hardened up for about a week, dig around and lever up one edge with a big crowbar and various blocks of wood until the edge is up about a foot.
8. Back your trailer up and dig a couple of trenches behind the wheels so the back of the trailer is low enough to get under the edge.
9. Use a block and tackle or chain hoist to pull the mooring into the trailer, a handful of pipe offcut rollers will help.
10. Take it down the bottom of the boat ramp at low tide and slide it off.
11. attach the bottom, top chains and the heavy rope riser, all neatly coiled on top of the disc so it will run free without snagging. Dont put the float on at this stage, just a long bit of good rope.The pile of chain can be lashed with string to keep it all in place.
12. When the tide is coming in float your boat over it and lash it with several turns of rope you dont mind cutting.
13. motor out to your chosen spot when the tide lifts it.
14. Memorise some permenant transit marks about 90 degrees to each other or take a camera and quickly take a photo of the shore in two directions so if your float ever sinks, you have some idea where to start grappling.
15. Cut the rope and stand back! Use a bread knife or hacksaw.
Hope this is of help
Dougie
