Keeping a boat on a mooring ball year-round?

[GTom]

I am planning to buy my first boat and a key concern is where to keep it? The boat I have in mind is a 35-40' full-keel classic and the first cruising ground would be either the Baltic or Scotland (where I end up buying the boat).

Marina prices in the skies, I am reluctant to use a pontoon. What about using a mooring ball in the entire season even full year? Do mooring lines wear out it the boat is left unattended for couple of months and there is some constant swell in the mooring field? I am aware, that parts of the Baltic freeze in winter, obviously I would lift out in those areas.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by GTom

I am planning to buy my first boat and a key concern is where to keep it? The boat I have in mind is a 35-40' full-keel classic and the first cruising ground would be either the Baltic or Scotland (where I end up buying the boat).

Marina prices in the skies, I am reluctant to use a pontoon. What about using a mooring ball in the entire season even full year? Do mooring lines wear out it the boat is left unattended for couple of months and there is some constant swell in the mooring field? I am aware, that parts of the Baltic freeze in winter, obviously I would lift out in those areas.

I don't know anything about the areas you mention but here in Maine, with a similar climate, almost everyone keeps their boats on moorings and marina slips are extremely rare. During winter months most people haul out but some do not.

If you have an oversized mooring in a protected location with a heavy duty pennant protected with good chafe gear, I wouldn't worry about that at all. If hurricane Irma makes it this far north next week, rather than scrambling to haul out, which would put my boat in a more exposed position, all I'd do is to remove my jib and add my heaviest chafe gear to my mooring pennant and if I have to be gone for a few days am confident my boat would be right where I left it on my return. However, I wouldn't leave my boat in the water unattended for more than about a week or so. Bilge pumps get clogged and float switches fail and chafe gear can shift so even well protected lines can chafe. A small problem can become a big problem if left unresolved for a long time. For example, even if you have 2 independent automatic bilge pumps, if one malfunctions and runs constantly, the other one will soon be useless as well because your batteries will eventually fail so even a steady drip around your prop shaft could cause serious problems. In cold climates with below freezing temps you need to consider how ice will impact your boat. Will cockpit drains freeze solid? Will the additional weight of ice on your deck or rig push above water thru hulls below water level? Do the lines from your bilge pumps to overboard have a path that is always above freezing temps even if the rest of the boat is not?

It's completely feasible to keep your boat on a mooring all year round. Lobstermen where I live do it routinely. But the "unattended" part is something to avoid unless your boat is stored indoors. If you can't be there to check on your boat for extended periods of time, maybe you can hire a knowledgeable and trustworthy local person to go aboard and check on it before and after every weather event and at least weekly? Lots to think about but it's not impossible. Good luck!

[rwidman]

In my area, unlike the post above, most valuable boats are kept in marina or private slips. Few boats are kept on moorings year round and those that are appear to be run down or even abandoned.

I would think the biggest risk in leaving a boat unattended on a mooring is vandalism or theft. Any electronics would likely disappear.

The other danger is weather or equipment failure. The boat could be blown loose and drift away or something could fail and the boat fill with water and sink.

Owning a boat is not cheap and storage costs are part of the overall cost.

[Lepke]

Properly setup a mooring buoy is fine. Many commercial fishermen do this for the off season. Bigger boats usually shackle to the buoy with the anchor chain.

[GTom]

Thanks all for sharing your views, after checking the local safety (weather) and security (theft/vandalism) issues, I won't completely abandon the idea of using a buoy. I expect to see my boat every month, but that won't help much if a burglary happened 2 days after I've left = no buoy deal in risky places.

[jtsailjt]

I guess it depends on your location but I wouldn't worry about the burglary aspect at all. The key to start my boat is always left in and the only reason my current boats companionway is locked is that my wife was brought up in NJ where locking everything up was the norm and it's not worth fighting with her over it. But my last boat was left unlocked for 11 years with no issues. I once saved a boat from sinking on its mooring due to a failed valve in the marine head and this was only possible because the companionway was unlocked so I could get below before the water got too deep to reach the thru hulls.
If locals perceive the boat as abandoned then burglary might become more of a risk but if you or someone reliable that you hire are seen checking on it fairly regularly, I really don't think you have any need to worry. If burglary is that big a problem in an area, that would tell me it's time to move someplace where it's less of a problem.