Temporary "permanent" mooring on the cheap

[youngson]

Hello there, I'm about to purchase an oday 27 and I will need to keep it anchored for the next 8 months or so, it will be in a river with a slow- medium current and a nasty mucky mud bottom, I was wondering if you had any techniques for cheap mooring that I can pair with the anchor? And what weight of cement you'd recommend and in what configuration etc.. Etc..
Thank you for any feed back

[onestepcsy37]

No cement. Cement loses 40% of its weight in water.

Around here we buy brake drums at the truck junkyard and tie them together with chain. They sink into the deep mud and so dont rust (no oxygen). The brake drums from dump trucks weigh 60 to 80 pounds each.

[Greenhand]

You need to check with locals
-local authorities: what kind of moorings are allowed?
-locals who moor: what works in local conditions?

[youngson]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

No cement. Cement loses 40% of its weight in water.

Around here we buy brake drums at the truck junkyard and tie them together with chain. They sink into the deep mud and so dont rust (no oxygen). The brake drums from dump trucks weigh 60 to 80 pounds each.

How many do you think is enough for an oday 27?

[youngson]

Thanks for the feedback guys,

[Jim Cate]

Somewhat better than brake drums is a junk railroad car wheel. These make very good morings, for they are both heavy and have a large, flat surface area which generates "suction" on the bottom, and that markedly increases their holding power.

These are commonly used in Tasmania that I know of... but I don't really know where the hell they buy them!

Jim

[Snowpetrel]

Ha, got three train wheels holding my boat. Working well so far. Best to run them in series, linked by a meter or so of 40mm chain.

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[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

Ha, got three train wheels holding my boat. Working well so far. Best to run them in series, linked by a meter or so of 40mm chain.

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So, Ben, where the hell did you get them? They don't stock them at Woolies!

Jim

[Snowpetrel]

No, a mooring contractor sourced them, and the chain, and charged well over scrap prices for them. My mooring cost over 3 grand all up. They are about 250 kg each, so we are talking some serious weight.

TMD used to sell them in Tassie, they were gas axed up so they can't be reused on a train. Apparently all ex tas rail.

Pretty much every mooring we pulled used them, either one, for under 30, two for 30-40, and three for 40+ depending on the bottom type, and paranoia level of the owner.

There are a few different sizes, can't remember the weights.

I also saw some old cone crushers. once even saw an old dozer track.



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[youngson]

Yikes 250 kg each? I was going do it myself so I don't think train wheels would work, hmm maybe scrap yard for for a few v8 engine blocks?

[Shrew]

Anchoring is transient and mooring is not. You're not proposing anchoring, you're proposing installing a mooring. Most places have requirements for installing moorings. Many places require a permit. I don't think anyone is using engine blocks or cement filled radiators anymore. I know of many places where engine blocks are no longer allowed as moorings.

And we wonder why there are increased anchoring restrictions and mooring fields popping up everywhere.

[zedpassway]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Anchoring is transient and mooring is not. You're not proposing anchoring, you're proposing installing a mooring.

I don't know where you are located, but where I'm located in New England, USA, this is not something you do yourself. All the moorings are regulated by the town government that has jurisdiction over that section of water off shore. You have to go see the HarborMaster or whoever the town official is that has legal jurisdiction.

They will tell you who puts in the moorings, who monitors them, and you will have no choice but to pay for that.

I currently have a 1300 lb. sailboat on a 2500 lb block of granite in the channel of Frenchman's Bay. Granite is what we use, so you will have to use what they use. You may not have a choice. Granite is only 64% underwater of its weight on land. So that means that my mooring weighs in at more than the boat. Its unlikely that my boat could pull that much weight even in a hurricane.

But in any case this is unlikely to be a choice that you will have. You will have to go with whoever does it. They will have a barge with a lifting system that can put your mooring in. You sure can't take a 500 lb block of steel out on your sailboat and throw it in the water!

Maybe you can rent one from somebody....

[CREX]

Why not just a, or couple, of mushroom anchors. Legal anywhere, and with a bit of digging out, tempory. Size appropriately.

[a64pilot]

I've seen a cattle crossing that was built from drill pipe used very effectively as a mooring. If I recall drill pipe weighs something like 10 lbs per ft or so?

[FreeFloater]

Drill Pipe weight is variable with wall thickness, but common sizes likely found in cattle guards would approximate
3-1/2" dia. @ 13.30 lb/ft
4-1/2" dia. @ 16.60 lb/ft

More common in cattle guards would be production tubing
2-3/8" 4.6 lb/ft
2-7/8" 6.4 lb/ft
3-1/2" 9.2, 10.2, 12.7 lb/ft
4-1/2" 13.5, 15.1 lb/ft