Hooking to a Mooring

[DennisS]

I'd like to get some advice about hooking to a mooring. It's currently a two person job on my boat. I pull up to the mooring and the bow person pops out of the forward hatch, picks up the trailing line, passes the line that is secured to a cleat through the loop and secures it to a cleat on the other side of the bow, providing a V bridle.

I've seen some dive boats pull up, the captain has a line leading from the bow to a location next to him, he attaches the boat line to the buoy line with some sort of clip, releases it and backs off. When he leaves he pulls up, unclips and backs away.

Is there a locking caribiner/hook that anyone recommends? Any suggestions on technique to make it easier?

 

[captndale]

The technique you use is entirely dependent on the size and layout of your boat. I would love to be able to tie my boat up solo, but I can only do it when the seas are dead calm.

 

[Charlie99]

IIRC, Eric of BlueWater Divers in Key Largo is one of those that has lines rigged as you describe. Scuba Diving and Snorkeling with BlueWater Divers in Key Largo, Florida

I vaguely remember him pulling up alongside the buoy, and then right from the helm station using a boathook to retrieve the trailing line from the mooring buoy and either clipping to it, or passing his line through the loop and clipping back onto itself.

Maybe a phone call would get you the info you are looking for. Or maybe you can just pop down to Key Largo for a trip with him to check it out in person.

 

[rjack321]

I would never use an installed line on a mooring. Who knows how how crappy, worn, or weak it is??

Put your own line on a bow cleat. Bring the line aft as far as possible on the port side. Preferrably to the helm. Motor up to the buoy on the port side. Pass the line through the buoy's top ring. Leave the helm and walk the other end of your line to the bow. Tie it off to the starboard bow cleat. Drift back and ensure everything is kosher.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

Of course that assumes that every mooring has a "top ring". In the Keys, none do, the line passes through the ball, and at around 30 inches in diameter, it would present a bit of a challenge to get close enough to actually reach from the boat.

The permanent line, with integral loop, works pretty well there.

 

[DennisS]

I would never use an installed line on a mooring. Who knows how how crappy, worn, or weak it is??

Put your own line on a bow cleat. Bring the line aft as far as possible on the port side. Preferrably to the helm. Motor up to the buoy on the port side. Pass the line through the buoy's top ring. Leave the helm and walk the other end of your line to the bow. Tie it off to the starboard bow cleat. Drift back and ensure everything is kosher.

This is the kind of mooring they have on the reefs down here in S Fl. The problem with walking the line around is that I have a pretty good size cuddy cabin and I don't want to be climbing on it while I'm rockin and rollin.

 

[rjack321]

That's basically what we have here, just rarely with a pendant attached. Just a big galvanized ring on top. Its expected to use your own line here.

Using your own line allows you to use a long enough one to bring the end back to the cockpit which is almost always much lower than having to reach over the bow (with a hook of otherwise).

In your case, I would probably still bring a line back to the cockpit, just pre-attach both ends to port and starboard bow cleats. Then put a big sliding carbiner in the middle and bring that back to the cockpit. This is just much less nice to cast off from since you need to get your carabiner back. And its somewhat of a failure point.

 

[DennisS]

What I need is a source for a big locking stainless steel caribiner or hook. I've checked McMaster Carr and they don't have anything big enough.

 

[idive2]

When I moored a kayak to a mooring ball that had a drift line with a loop
at the end I had a line on my kayak tied to the bow cleat and then ran it back
to just next to the cockpit and clipped it off. When arriving to buoy I just paddled
up to end of buoy drift line and unclipped the end of my line, ran it through loop
of buoy drift line and clipped it back on itself. After reboarding I paddled back toward
the end of buoy drift line and unclipped and reclipped my line right next to the cockpit.
I thought next time I would put a small loop in my line about a foot from the end and
after passing through the loop of the mooring drift line I could clip off to the loop in my line.

 

[Gilldiver]

What I need is a source for a big locking stainless steel caribiner or hook. I've checked McMaster Carr and they don't have anything big enough.

Do a search for "Pelican Hook" or in a boat store a sail rigging shackel aka "Snap Shackles".

There are stainless onse rated for over 4000 pound load.