Mooring question

P

pluscount

New member
I pick up my 16 Cruiser next week. Some of the large lakes in Idaho/Montana have mooring buoys. How does one attach and detach to a buoy while single handed?
 
The way I do it is to have a mooring pendant (through the bow eye) that is long enough to reach round to the cockpit. There is also a retrieve line attached to the mooring buoy end that is the length of the eye to cockpit plus the length of the pendant (basically double the pendant length. The pendant end is held in the cockpit. Maneuver the boat so the buoy is by the cockpit and then step out and grab it. Attach the pendant to the buoy and let it go. Let the retrieve line pay out so that it is slack. The boat is now on the buoy with the line from the bow eye. When you want to leave pull on the retrieve line until the buoy is along side and detach. Done.

Two things to keep in mind. One is that you usually have to put the mooring pendant on the bow eye before you launch. Two, make sure that the pendant and retrieve line is tied off in the cockpit when the motor is running. The retrieve line is long enough to get in the prop when the motor is running should it get in the water.

Most of buoys I see are just balls in the water with a ring on top to tie to. Other have a float and a line. The float has a pole sticking out that makes it easy to grab. You can then use the line between the buoy and the float to moor your boat. In cases of those setups you probably need to pick up the float from the bow of the boat, or grab it from the cockpit and then walk it around to use the bow cleat.

You do have a boat hook, right?
 
Hey pluscount,

You can find telescoping floating boat hooks. One I've looked at adjusts from 53" to 92". This will fit between your seat boxes and the transom on either side.

One thing to remember with the CD 16...she's a "lively" boat at idle/ slow speeds. Also, she is light and the pilot house acts like a sail, if there's breeze she'll react to it fairly quickly.

When you leave your seat to catch the pennant it will shift weight aft rising the bow and it will react to a breeze even quicker.

If possible practice, practice, practice to get the feel of this little boat. And remember, "There's old coxswains and bold coxswains, there are no old bold coxswains"
Have fun and be safe. Spuncopper
 
Some mooring floats with wands, are just a pickup--and they will lead to a actual bow line. Sometimes there is a stern line also attached-with a "sand line", which leads to the stern line. These you just pass a line thru the heavy lines, since they are often too large for a C Dory.
 
During my recent trip to the PNW, I used a mooring ball for the first time, and wasn't impressed. In fact I hated it! The type I used just had a ring on the top to run a line thru or hook on to. (Bedwell Harbour in BC). I had no problem picking the ring up, or even connecting a line on to my bow eye by just going up and reaching over the bow of the boat. The problem was, how to keep the damn ball from slapping up aside the boat. My thought process was the boat was suppose to blow away from the ball. However, rather it was from tidal current with opposing wind, small waves, or no wind, several times over the night I had issues with the ball up against the hull of my boat, and of course that noise is amplified in the berth. A couple times my line managed to get wrapped around the ball. I asked someone from another boat I met later, and they said they run a line from one side bow cleat, thru the mooring ball ring, to the other side bow cleat. I suspect that might work for larger boats where the ball is not able to touch the hull due to cleat placement and high bows. So another question I'd like to add to this thread, is how exactly do other C-Dory 22's tie to the mooring ball, i.e. how much line is used between the ball and the boat, and do others just put up with the ball hitting the boat in no wind, no current situations? Colby
 
So one word of advice on mooring balls when single handling a boat. In a c dory wind is a factor and will blow you off the dock or mooring very quickly. That is why we back up to the ball and attach a line from the bow that reaches the stern. its a lot easier to back up into the wind. you will not blow off to one side or the other, just forward and away from the ball. I like to use a snap on the end of the line to attach to the ring. Once you are hooked up you can go to the bow and shorten the line from the cleat to the ball. We pick up crab and shrimp pots the same way.

Another problem is to much wind while anchored casueing the boat to fish tale back and forth. a second line from the side cleat to the main anchor or mooring ball line about 5 ft off the bow to form a V will stop most of it, if you have current a drag bag or 5 gallon buck off the stern cleat will hold you straight too. The bucket will work if you have current but the wind is blowing you around.
 
Some boats will run a pole out from the anchor roller, to put the mooring ball at an "Arm's" length. This has to be very well secured. I agree that hitting the mooring ball can be a real issue.
 
spuncopper":tge8sdrc said:
You can find telescoping floating boat hooks.
Click to expand...

I've given up on those 3-part aluminum hooks. It's probably because of salt water. Some of them even say to rinse them off after use. So I use it to push away from the dock and then immediately return to the dock to use the fresh water hose? Rinse and repeat? Don't get it wet? Never leave the marina if you want your telescoping boat hook to work?

If you don't rinse them, they are only good for several outings. I just used tin snips on my last one to tear its two (non)telescoping sections off. Now I just have one 3 1/2 foot section. But at least it doesn't collapse when I try to push something away and I don't waste time trying to extend it when it's frozen.

My plan is that when I can't maneuver within 4 feet of the dock or mooring buoy, I'll sell and take up shuffleboard.

Mark
 
Hey Marco Flamingo,
:lol: I don't have on either, but I looked in Defender Marine and they have one made of glass reinforced nylon. My wife is quick and nimble...but she might smack me if I called her a boat hooker. :mrgreen:

Ouch! She just read this over my shoulder!
Spuncopper
 
Boathooks: we like the "Shurhold" 9' model, Two button models in SS. they seem to hold up well, and have attachments for the boat hook, gaff, "happy Hooker", a device specifically for latching onto mooring balls, deck brushes, and mops etc. The smaller 6' model may be better for the 16; (length 40" to 72").
 
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