Mooring options

S

South of Heaven

New member
I have a mooring/docking question. We have a summer home with waterfront property. We do not however have a dock. Both of my neighbors have told me that I can use their docks (and I have! ) but this year I'm thinking of taking a different tack.....

We live on the bay (salt water) and it's very calm. There are also big tide changes. The depths where I've moored my old boat usually vary from 5 feet at high tide to about 2 feet (or even less if it's a very low tide). My mooring is like 15-20 feet from my sea wall/shore.

What I'm thinking of doing is buying some sort of small dock or swim platform and then I can tie up my boat to that. Then I'll keep a dingy or raft there and row back.

Anybody have any experience with a small floating dock? Am I biting off more than I can chew? I don't wanna have to drive pilings into the sea floor to secure this. I'm hoping I can just anchor it in the 4 corners? I'm thinking something like 5x8 would be good?

My other option would be to just keep a dingy on my mooring and forget about this whole silly idea! That would be more economical too. I'm already estimating that this project will be about $2k or so....But it would be so cool! HAHA!


The JetDock stuff looks promising because it's modular. I can dismantle it in the winter and put it away.

http://www.jetdock.com/

This swim platform could be an option too.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/PlayStar ... lsrc=aw.ds
 
Where I am, there is some controversy over having docks, platforms, and even mooring buoys. Some require permits which Bill Gates can get but others can't. Some mysteriously disappear.

Here's my version of the common "retrieval system" used here. Set a mooring anchor out past low tide if possible. That's not possible in front of my property, but the bottom is sand and the CD's bottom is flat. For a mooring anchor, I used an old stainless steel sink (others have used cast iron sink and even a bathtub). The sink is filled with concrete and sank flush to the surface with the "faucet holes" just barely above. Connected to the sink is a salmon trolling pulley like shown in this picture (available at a few places in Seattle for about $15). Their bearings are stainless and the work for years even submerged in saltwater.

http://westcoasttrollers.com/sustainability/

Drive a grade stake into the beach above high tide and put another pulley on it. Run leaded crab pot line in a loop and splice it together. Splice in a length of line with a float and a stainless clip on the end.

What you have created is a giant version of the old school tenement clothes line, the kind that ran from an upper window and across the alley. You hook the clip to the boat, and then pull it out away from the beach using the loop of leaded line. Tie it off by taking the line out of the beach pulley and taking several wraps on the grade stake. The system is almost invisible when the boat isn't there and can't be fouled by other boats.

A 19' boat will take some work to retrieve, but not as much as building a dock.

Mark
 
I would settle for the single point mooring. With a deck/swimming deck/dock, you have some issues, with mooring. Although 3 to 4 foot tides are moderate, many members here have 25 foot tides. Permitting for 4 anchoring point might be an issue.

Looking at your photo it looks as if there is a good fetch and with strong winds--which I know certainly happen in your area, I would not feel comfortable with only 2 feet under the keel of the C Dory. The larger boat (plus platform) would put much more load on the mooring system. With a platform, you have to unload gear and people from the dinghy to the dock, and then dock to the boat: Two steps.

I would just leave the dinghy on the mooring when you are out--easier to pick up the mooring with the dinghy there anyway.
 
We have a 27 foot + tide. Not possible for a dock.
Beach launching with a tractor is the preferred way to go although it is pricey.
The only available harbor is totally filled with commercial fishing boats and they have zero tolerance for sport boats in "their" harbor paid for with state money.
 
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