High Freeboard, Short Handed - How To Grab A Mooring

[markpj23]

So here we go - just the 2 of us on a high-freeboard (about 5.5ft) trawler. Will want to spend a fair amount of time at moorings as we cruise around the southeast.


Last boat (catamaran) was a cinch. Just run a bow line outside the lifelines to the cockpit, walk down the steps and make the first connection. I'm sure the scenario on our new to us trawler is quite different.... We do have a Portuguese bridge and wide side decks that will help but...



Interested in hearing your best practices for grabbing a mooring WITHOUT having to launch the dink.

 

[rslifkin]

We're fairly high freeboard (4ft aft, about 5.75 at the bow) and typically a crew of 2. If the mooring is one without a tall stick to grab, we'd typically pick it up aft and then the admiral will walk forward with it while I maneuver the boat. If needed, I'll back up to it so she can pick it up from the swim platform (then climb back up and walk forward). That last option isn't a good one if there's a lot of wind though.


Realistically, while there are times using a mooring makes sense, in a lot of places I'd rather just anchor with our own gear. So we don't worry about picking up moorings often.

 

[Portage_Bay]

We manage it the same way as rslifkin. Easier and safer than leaning over the bow with a long boat hook.

 

[psneeld]

In tough situations...I just put a bit of the bow on the windward side of the mooring buoy and drop a line over it....each end of the line is fastened 5o bow cleats.

Most of the time, it snags the mooring buoy and from there I have time to more safely attach the way I want, even from a dingy if I had to.

 

[Comodave]

Don’t know if they still make it but there used to be a device called Happy Hooker that you could put on a pole and use it to run a line through the bouy’s loop. I have also seen other devices but the only one I could remember the name was the HH, for obvious reasons…

 

[DWJensen]

Don’t know if they still make it but there used to be a device called Happy Hooker that you could put on a pole and use it to run a line through the bouy’s loop. I have also seen other devices but the only one I could remember the name was the HH, for obvious reasons…

Like this: https://www.hookandmoor.com/The-Hook ?

Been thinking about trying it - We had some issues way back when we picked up moorings with our cutter - Looks like this'd make things a bit easier.

 

[Moonfish]

We’ve used our Hook & Moor for 8 years, and it works 100% of the time. We have one left in our store:

https://www.pacificnwboatertested.com/products/hook-moor

 

[Comodave]

Hook and Moor was the other one but it isn’t are memorable as Happy Hooker…

 

[NWSeadog]

We have / had both the Happy Hooker and the Hook and Moor. One of the problems with the Happy Hooker is that here in the PNW a lot of the mooring buoys keep the mooring ring inside a cup which is hard to hook onto with the HH. The biggest problem with the Hook and Moor (other then price) is that when extended it can get quite heavy.

 

[jgwinks]

When I was working with the USGCAux we had a deal we called a skiff hook. A large snap hook with a wire bail and a bracket you attached to the end of a boat hook. We used them to catch the towing eye of a disabled boat but works just as well on a mooring. I've seen the same snap hook on Marineparts.com but without the bracket. Easy enough to make that though, I did that when mine broke. The bracket is a U shaped aluminum channel that the hook fits in with a slot cut in one side to hold the wire bail on the hook open. That and tension on the attached line holds the hook in the bracket. You just reach out with the boat hook, catch the eye in the snap hook and pull back. The snap hook separates from the boat hook and your line is now hooked on the eye. Not quite as easy to remove though. http://www.marinepartdepot.com/ststassnho4.html

 

[Jeff F]

In tough situations...I just put a bit of the bow on the windward side of the mooring buoy and drop a line over it....each end of the line is fastened 5o bow cleats.

Most of the time, it snags the mooring buoy and from there I have time to more safely attach the way I want, even from a dingy if I had to.

This works very well for traditional inflatable buoys. Once the line sinks a few inches it's going to ride down to the top of the chain when tensioned. I've done variations on that, making a cinch loop on a dock line and dropping it over the buoy and paying it out to allow it a moment to sink.

I've been stymied by cylindrical buoys. They're tougher to get a temporary line on.

 

[BruceK]

Here buoys normally have an attached pennant with end loop. Solo,a line is run from bow to stern, attached both ends. The pennant loop is placed on the briefly uncleated line aft, intrepid solo operator walks it fwd to attach to cleat at bow.
Having once used a buoy,pennant cut off short incl the loop,picking up without an attached pennant is a challenge not usually present.

 

[markpj23]

Maybe a tangent, but how often do you find a mooring ball with a hard attachment point? My assumption is that most mooring balls just float the mooring line so that you can grab the eye of the line, rather than attach directly to a hard ring on the buoy itself.


Would be easier IMHO to have a soft eye that I run my own line through and tie back to my cleats. When leaving just drop the eye and retrieve my line. No need to worry about unhooking anything...

 

[O C Diver]

So here we go - just the 2 of us on a high-freeboard (about 5.5ft) trawler. Will want to spend a fair amount of time at moorings as we cruise around the southeast.

So there is 2 of you. Try doing it solo all the time.

I put a line through the starboard bow hause pipe on the cleat and bring it back to near my starboard pilothouse door. I bring the boat upwind to the mooring, to the point where the bow rail joins the railing for the pilothouse, and stop the boat.

If the mooring has a painter with an eye, I catch the eye with a boat hook, shove the end of the line through the eye, quickly walk the line up to the bow hauser, pull the slack out of the line through the hauser and cleat it off.

The moorings with only a ring on top are tougher. I double the line over the end of the boat hook, shove it through the ring, pull the boat hook back out, and catch the loop to carry forward.

It's like docking, it takes practice to get good at it. If you're not going to practice, plan on anchoring out. Next time you're in an area with a mooring field somewhat empty, call the harbor master and ask him for permission to practice. It's a skill that's not difficult to learn when you practice without having to worry about other boats in close proximity. You will be surprised how quickly you pick up the skill. Having a hook handler to guide you close and tell you when to stop, just makes it that much easier.



Ted

 

[SteveK]

I am driving up to mooring ball and admiral at the pointy end with a boat hook. She will hook the ring, I stop the boat and go to assist, pull ring up, line is fed thru and tied off. Only once did the ring not come up close enough so it was walked to the stern where a line was fed through, back to bow where bow line was fed thru tied off.

 

[jleonard]

We manage it the same way as rslifkin. Easier and safer than leaning over the bow with a long boat hook.

That's pretty much how we do it also, but we usually get the mooring about mid ship after lifting the boarding gate.
Then we drift back and secure the line on the sampson post.
If we miss, we do it again.

 

[Fish53]

Years ago I was mate on a supply boat in the GOM and as a standby boat we had to pick up a mooring offshore with more than the aforementioned freeboard. I took some welding rod and made a light duty grappling hook that we simply tossed over the pickup line to the pennant and hauled it aboard.

 

[Comodave]

Years ago I was mate on a supply boat in the GOM and as a standby boat we had to pick up a mooring offshore with more than the aforementioned freeboard. I took some welding rod and made a light duty grappling hook that we simply tossed over the pickup line to the pennant and hauled it aboard.

Sotra like Deadliest Catch.

 

[pjtemplin]

https://youtu.be/kBuiRDtFGyw methods 3 and 4.

 

[Fish53]

Sotra like Deadliest Catch.

Yup, same as pickin' up crab pots. Some of the other methods work fine except until you're picking up a buoy when the tide or weather is less than cooperative. I would be a bit hesitant to back up to a mooring if it was a little choppy.

 

[Comodave]

Yup, same as pickin' up crab pots. Some of the other methods work fine except until you're picking up a buoy when the tide or weather is less than cooperative. I would be a bit hesitant to back up to a mooring if it was a little choppy.

Why, don’t you like lines in the prop?

 

[FF]

On a couple of deliveries it was less work to launch the dink, row to the mooring , run a line to the chain below the ball and pass both ends up to the deck.

Many mooring balls just have a hunk of re -bar down the center , not built strong enough to tie on to overnight.

 

[Fish53]

Why, don’t you like lines in the prop?

Not really, especially not at night in a crowded harbor with a good breeze.

 

[Rich wilmer]

To attach 1 go to the swim step 2 attach to buoy 3 walk to the bow 4 attach line..done reverse procedure to detach !?

 

[ronobrien]

So here we go - just the 2 of us on a high-freeboard (about 5.5ft) trawler. Will want to spend a fair amount of time at moorings as we cruise around the southeast.


Last boat (catamaran) was a cinch. Just run a bow line outside the lifelines to the cockpit, walk down the steps and make the first connection. I'm sure the scenario on our new to us trawler is quite different.... We do have a Portuguese bridge and wide side decks that will help but...



Interested in hearing your best practices for grabbing a mooring WITHOUT having to launch the dink.

My thought would be to run a line from the bow, through a chock outside to the stern with some sort of clip. Pull alongside the mooring and hook it on to the clip and then just walk forward and pull the line in.

 

[PaulB.]

The discussions have focused on getting ONE line onto the mooring. I was taught to attach two , one from each side of the bow and doubling back to the same side. The "theory" being that the lines would not chafe in the mooring ring or mooring pennant eye-shackle as a single line would. Is this recommended? or overkill? in peoples experience? Thanks Paul

 

[psneeld]

If the line is lead back to the same cleat.... it wont chafe any more than a double.

As we should all know, getting at least one line on is wayyyyy more than half the battle.

Now you have control and time to add a second line ( most of the time).

 

[amapola]

We use the same method as rslifkin.

 

[O C Diver]

The discussions have focused on getting ONE line onto the mooring. I was taught to attach two , one from each side of the bow and doubling back to the same side. The "theory" being that the lines would not chafe in the mooring ring or mooring pennant eye-shackle as a single line would. Is this recommended? or overkill? in peoples experience? Thanks Paul

I use 2 lines. My rule of thumb when docking, mooring, or anchoring, is get safe and secure, then make it pretty. So, secure through one hauser, and then add the second line through the other hauser.

Ted

 

[Cheechako]

Like this: https://www.hookandmoor.com/The-Hook ?

Been thinking about trying it - We had some issues way back when we picked up moorings with our cutter - Looks like this'd make things a bit easier.

I had one of these and it worked great, until it didn't The rotatory mechanism froze and it grabbed onto the ring of the mooring ball, but would not complete the rotation and I was leaning over the bow, now holding onto the device which was stuck on the ring. I cannot remember how I got it dislodged, but it nearly caused me to go overboard as I struggled to get it loose.

I took it home and dismantled it. There was debris, which looked like dried sea water encrusted into the ball bearings that were used to facilitate the rotation.

Lesson learned is to check the device before you leave the dock to make sure it works, and probably to wash it down when you return. Finally, it may need some lubrication periodically.