Installing a helix (corkscrew) mooring.

[Popeye2]

Originally Posted by captstu

How desperate is the water?

I put in many in 12’ with 2 dinghies, 20 feet of the largest pipe that will fit in the screw and some patience.

1 fit a float like an old life jacket to a pipe firmly attached to the top of the eye.
2 attach a float to the pipe soo so it floats just below the waterline to keep the screw upright
3 attach a t to the top of the pipe
4 drop the assembly in the water until the tip bites
5 put something thru the t and turn by hand as far as you can easily
6 put a pipe thru the t and each dingy grab an end facing opposite directions
7 slowly run both dinghies
8 by the other dinghy operator a beer

11' of water. Nice idea.

[hellosailor]

Bill-
"Remember, even if you have a full scuba outfit, you weigh nothing underwater, so can't stand and brace yourself. "
Yes and no. If you're wearing twin large tanks you can actually find you're solid as a brick. If you're wearing less, taking down excess lead can also help. That makes up for your buoyancy and lets you plant your legs firmly on the bottom.
Still, not a casual job.

[mvmojo]

Agreed. Put enough weight on your weight belt (30 lbs or so is usually sufficient if not wearing a wet suit) and you can walk around on the bottom with no problem. This allows you to push almost as if you were on land. Two people walking in a circle with a long pole through the mooring eye can easily screw it into the bottom. If not, get a longer pole for more leverage!

[Popeye2]

Originally Posted by Fundy Sailor

A diver installed my 5' helix a few years back using about a 5' bar through the eye. Took him all of 10 minutes, maybe. I suspect the bottom in this case is pretty much loon sh*t, so added about 40' of 3/4" chain which mostly lies on the bottom an acts as the main anchor. Another 40' of 3/8" chain up to the ball. If the wind gets up enough to drag the big chain out straight, then the helix holds it in place. I'm glad the system wasn't put to the test in the first few months while the ground was still 'disturbed', but suspect that after a few years of settling back into place, it would take a significant pull to get that thing out.

Thanks. As there are boats moored nearby, a long chain would not work.

[Popeye2]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Borrow 3 dingy anchors, manually set them in a triangle pattern around the site. Place them so you will be pulling perpendicular to a line extending towards the screw.

By pulling on the line, you can develop enough force to turn the lever arm on the screw. By moving from anchor line to anchor line, you can rotate thru 360.

While diving?