Mooring Ball Tie Up

[Dave_E]

Hi All,

1st ever overnight on a mooring ball. First let me say, you folks that have tethers that can be hooked with a boat poll have it good. These Washington State Park mooring balls are a pain. We figured it out and then watched 3 other boats arrive and scratch their heads. I’ve seen we’re you should tie a line from each bow cleat to the ball, however everyone we’ve seen just does one line. Pros/cons?

Dave

 

[caltexflanc]

Boats seem to ride better to the mooring with two, it also cuts down chafe and distributes the load imposed by the boat on the lines.

Have a great trio, we sure wish we were there!

 

[firehoser75]

Most people I have seen (myself included) most often use one line when on a mooring ball. The line runs from one bow cleat to the ball, through the "ring" and then back to the opposite bow cleat. When leaving, release one end, and pull the line quickly back aboard using the "leg" that is still cleated.

I have tried using 2 lines, (one each side) cleat to ball and back to same cleat and using only one line attaching to the ball ring with a carabiner. The carabiner was a pain. I did not find any real advantage to the "one line each side" set up.

If I expect big wind, I may put on a second line following the same path as the first (opposite to opposite) as a "backup".

The one line (opposite to opposite) has worked well for years with no problems or obvious sign of any chafe on the line.
Picking up the ball can be a challenge, and I have witnessed many people struggling with it over the years.

With our Nordic Tug 37, we either catch the ball (ring) at the pilothouse door (midship) or at the swim grid using a boat hook. We have used an attachment called a "Happy Hooker" that can work very well, but if the ring wants to "lay over" on the ball, the Hooker sometimes is not easy to use.

If you catch the ball at the stern swim grid, to make it easy have a long line led from a bow cleat all the way aft running outside of all stanchions. I tie 2 lines together to do this. The pilot drives the boat slowly past the buoy and brings it alongside at the stern, stopping the boat. Catch the ring using the boat hook. Pass the end of the line through the ring, which is easy at the water level. The line would already have a small loop tied in that end. Now clip a smaller, lighter (pre-deployed) line to the mooring line loop. This line was running down the side deck to the pilothouse door where the pilot can now retrieve the mooring line. The boat is in neutral and will drift slowly (or sometimes a bit more quickly) back bringing the mooring up to the bow. Untie the second line (used to extend the mooring line) and bring the mooring line around the anchor and cleat it off.
Alternatively, catch the ring midship (for us we are only about 3-4 feet off the water), pull up the ring, and have your partner run the line through the ring. Drift back and walk the buoy forward and cleat.
Depending on your boat's setup, one of these methods will be easier than the other. For us both work, but midship is less fuss. However, we have found the odd ring that does not want to be pulled up, so the stern works better for those.

 

[O C Diver]

Many places ask you Not to use a single line through the mooring eye and back to the other bow cleat as this can generate a sawing action on the plastic thimble in the mooring eye (they're not concerned about your line). If you choose to use only one line, bring it back to the same cleat to prevent the sawing action.

Ted

 

[smitty477]

Many places ask you Not to use a single line through the mooring eye and back to the other bow cleat as this can generate a sawing action on the plastic thimble in the mooring eye (they're not concerned about your line). If you choose to use only one line, bring it back to the same cleat to prevent the sawing action.

Ted

Yes - exactly.
We almost exclusively stayed on mooring balls for 20+ years and 2 pennants are preferred for anything other than a lunch stay. Attachment at the mooring ball are best made with snap hooks or the equivalent and secured boat side on separate strong cleats. Chafing is your enemy on all parts of the mooring system.

 

[firehoser75]

Here in the PNW, at least on Government mooring balls (State, Provincial, or Canadian Fed parks) the moorings all use metal rings. I don't remember ever seeing any plastic except the buoy itself and the line does not really even touch the buoy. There is a chain that runs up the centre of the buoy with a 1/2 inch (approx.) thick metal ring attached to the top link in the chain. These rings are very smooth. In over 15 years of mooring on these from time to time, I have never seen any visible chafe of my lines. Not saying it is not possible, just saying I have not seen any. I use chafe protection where the line comes over the rail onto my cleats. I agree, chafe is your enemy and I watch for signs carefully.

Not that this makes it right, but the one line method is what you see almost exclusively in this area on these moorings.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Most places we go, the mooring balls has restrictions on boat size. ASD is too long....

 

[O C Diver]

Here in the PNW, at least on Government mooring balls (State, Provincial, or Canadian Fed parks) the moorings all use metal rings. I don't remember ever seeing any plastic except the buoy itself and the line does not really even touch the buoy. There is a chain that runs up the centre of the buoy with a 1/2 inch (approx.) thick metal ring attached to the top link in the chain. These rings are very smooth. In over 15 years of mooring on these from time to time, I have never seen any visible chafe of my lines. Not saying it is not possible, just saying I have not seen any. I use chafe protection where the line comes over the rail onto my cleats. I agree, chafe is your enemy and I watch for signs carefully.

Not that this makes it right, but the one line method is what you see almost exclusively in this area on these moorings.

I think standard practice and configuration are regional. While there may be places on the East coast that are different, all the moorings that I've seen, have a heavy line attached to the mooring rode below the ball. That line has an eye in the end to pass your boat line through. This gives you the ability to pick the eye up out of the water with a boat hook, without lifting the ball. The mooring line usually has a small float to keep the eye sticking out of the water and marine growth free.

Ted

 

[caltexflanc]

Having used the Washington state and Gulf Islands moorings a few times, I'd say we've seen a mix of approaches. We still like the two line approach, bringing each to and fro it's own bow cleat. Not that much more effort, so why not? On the east coast, the closest equivalent is a few places like Ted mentioned; Marathon (FL) and Cuttyhunk (MA) outer harbor come immediately to mind.

But overall, east and west there are a wide variety of mooring designs; always best if possible to get advance local knowledge from whoever manages the mooring field rather than make assumptions.

 

[firehoser75]

George and Ted,
I agree completely with the concepts you are outlining, like be careful about chafe, understand what type of mooring you will be using, be adaptable, etc.
However, I only have experience in the PNW and I have never used or seen a mooring like Ted describes. But, I have only used Government maintained moorings, as I don't trust the others unless I can be very sure that they are regularly maintained and are designed to take my size of boat. Otherwise, I do trust my ground tackle.

 

[Stabi]

I know of a boat that broke loose on a buoy at Blake Island ( Seattle area) due to the sawing on a smooth ring in a good blow at night. If using a single line and the wind picks up, be careful.

 

[Beaverlake]

Re the PacNW the Parks and DNR bouys now use an updated design. They have a large rigid plastic float with a center hole. There is, as noted, a large smooth ring attached to a length of chain. That chain is attached to a heavy line which in turn is attached to the mooring “anchor”. At the juncture of the rope and chain is a large white egg-shaped float. I think the float is designed to keep the line from fouling the mooring anchor. And there lies a gotcha.

1. Picking up a mooring from the bow and using a boat hook is challenging, especially if there is a breeze or some wind. The chain is very heavy. The top of the handrail at the anchor pulpit is about 7 feet or so from the water. Lifting the chain and getting a line thru the ring isn’t easy. So an increasing number of folks are . . .
2. Picking up the ring from the stern as noted. BUT . . .

At zero or negative tides the egg float gets close enough to the surface to foul a prop if the stern should pass over the mooring in the wrong direction. We met a nice diver ($800 and fortunately covered under insurance) who saved our bacon and saved two other boats as well (2019). The park ranger was also aware of the problem. The danger is that the wrap can only happen at an extreme low tide. If you can’t get a diver out quickly, the mooring could pull the stern under. That almost happened with 40+ ft sport fisher the diver rescued a few weeks earlier. She said the water was about 3-4 inches from washing over the transom door opening when she got the line cut and the tide was still rising (remember we have large tidal swings up here).

So to all the PacNW members who use the state bouys, be very careful picking up a mooring from the stern of your boat if you are doing so at very low tide. I think I will try the side deck method next time.

 

[firehoser75]

Gordon,

Good advice and info. I was not aware of this possibility. I will continue to use the side deck method.
Stabi,
Good suggestion for everyone to be aware. I have not seen any signs of chafe on my line(s) caused by the smooth ring (yet), but I do keep an eye out. Maybe the boater in question was using lines in "less than ideal' condition to start with??
If I expect a blow, I use 2 lines most times one side then the other. (Cleat to buoy then back to same cleat).

 

[dhays]

One note about the Washington State Parks mooring balls. The ring is recessed in a hole at the top of the mooring ball. This really makes extremely difficult to hook it with a standard boat hook. I get the reasons for the design, but they are hard as hell to get a line through if you have much freeboard.

 

[FF]

"I think standard practice and configuration are regional. While there may be places on the East coast that are different, all the moorings that I've seen, have a heavy line attached to the mooring rode below the ball. That line has an eye in the end to pass your boat line through. This gives you the ability to pick the eye up out of the water with a boat hook, without lifting the ball. The mooring line usually has a small float to keep the eye sticking out of the water and marine growth free."

This seems a very common setup on the East side of the country.

We simply slide a line thru the eye from the ball to our cleat , so no damage will happen to the mooring gear.

 

[kchace]

For a lunch hook or short term tie up in decent conditions almost any type of tie will probably work. But for any other situation, running one line through the eye and back to a different cleat is really asking for trouble due to sawing back and forth through the eye. If one wants to use one line, just lead both ends to the same cleat on the boat. In more sporty conditions 2 lines are better and each one should start and end at the same cleat on the boat.

Ken

 

[caltexflanc]

One more time, you gotta know exactly what you are dealing with. There are plenty of places on the east coast (and west, such as Catalina) where the "mooring ball" merely holds a heavy painter with a loop on it designed to be the attachment loop to your boat cleat(s). Here are just three off the top of my head along the eastern seaboard: Liscomb, Nova Scotia, Westport Harbor, MA (illustrated), and Vero Beach, FL. You definitely do NOT want to use the eye on the float as your attachment point.

 

[PocketAces]

If you have a single line connected to two bow cleats, then the sawing action can be severe as noted. I have found that the movement of rope through the eye can result in annoying squeaking sounds which keep you from sleeping. I have found that using a second rope to cinch the two lines from each bow side tightly below the anchor dramatically reduces the chafing and squeaking, so that is what I do if there is any wind of note.
Tony

 

[psneeld]

To me, safer and easier to use 2 lines, each one from bow cleat, to mooring attachment, back to same ckeat.

No sawing, redundancy, adjustability, etc....

 

[syjos]

We use a thick, single 1 1/4" diameter line, 25 feet long for mooring buoys fixed to two cleats on either side of the bow. A 3' vinyl hose is slipped over the line at the center of the line to protect from chafe. We probably tie to a buoy 5 to 7 times a year and the vinyl hose over the line has lasted 20 years.

We pick up the buoy from the bow using a Happy Hooker.

 

[firehoser75]

I too have a Happy Hooker and when it works, I quite like it! However, I have found many mooring balls where the ring "does not cooperate" and using the hooker from the bow proves next to impossible. Catching the buoy at the pilothouse door with a boat hook often works in those situations (for us).

 

[Nepidae]

Look into a Hook & Moor (https://www.hookandmoor.com/).

It will solve all of your problems with a mooring ball.

 

[AquilaCat]

After much trial and error, we found bringing the ball alongside so the admiral can lasso it and cleat it off. Then the captain can attach two bow lines to the pendant at leisure.

 

[BrianSmith]

Many places ask you Not to use a single line through the mooring eye and back to the other bow cleat as this can generate a sawing action on the plastic thimble in the mooring eye (they're not concerned about your line). If you choose to use only one line, bring it back to the same cleat to prevent the sawing action.

Ted

Yep! What Ted said.