Mooring Pick-Up Float / Mast Buoy

[sailorboy1]

I have determined due to the mooring ball I'm at this year that life is going to be a lot better with a pick-up bouy. How are you suppose to attach the float/mast bouy to the mooring pennant? Should it be able to slide along the pennant, or be attached to maybe the middle of the pennant line?

Seems a basic thing, but a search on-line didn't find answer and why reinvert the wheel.

Thanks

[speedoo]

Just run a line (maybe 3/8") from the bottom of the pick-up buoy to the end of the mooring pennant. I use that 3/8" pennant to secure the mooring pennant to the mooring cleat.

[Ziggy]

What Speedoo said. Also, when buying a pick buoy, beware of ones with uncoated fiberglass masts that will shed sharp fiberglass shards into your hand when you try to pick them up.

[Bash]

I prefer a floating line with a float at the end, but no mast. Use the boat hook to pick it up. There's no really good way to store the pick-up buoy when the boat is on the mooring.

[John A]

To pick up a mooring buoy, I use a dock line. One end in each hand, and just throw the loop over the buoy. Bring the ends of the dock line together, simple.

[klem]

Like Bash said, think about whether you really want a mast on the buoy or not. They are super handy for picking it up but are less than ideal once you bring them aboard.

As far as lashing goes, a piece of light line tied between the pickup buoy and the pendant is the way to go. If you go to the eye, you can tie it loosely and let it slide around and if you don't go to the eye, tie it so that it won't slide. With most mooring setups, having a few smaller floats along the pendant is a good idea to prevent it from wrapping the chain and sometimes you don't even need a real pickup buoy like this.

[sailorboy1]

Doesn't tieing the float/bouy etc to the end of the pennant result is the 2 lines tangling up when trying to bring the pennant on board (under the life lines to the cleat)?

[speedoo]

Originally Posted by Bash

There's no really good way to store the pick-up buoy when the boat is on the mooring.

I just lay it on the foredeck, bottom end forward. The line to the mooring pennant and cleat keeps it from going anywhere. If I'm going to be off the boat for more than a few weeks or so, I can use some small diameter line to further secure it to the bow pulpit and a stanchion.

[speedoo]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Doesn't tieing the float/bouy etc to the end of the pennant result is the 2 lines tangling up when trying to bring the pennant on board (under the life lines to the cleat)?

What you have to do is first take the mooring pennant under the lifeline or bow pulpit and secure the mooring pennant to your cleat. Once the mooring pennant is secured, you can bring the mast buoy aboard as well. As long as the line from the mast buoy to the mooring pennant is long enough (eg almost as long as the mast buoy), bringing the mast buoy aboard under the lifeline or bow pulpit is not a problem because the mast can be bent a little.

[zeehag]

i use a pick up buoy and when i get to the mooring i merely pick it out of the waterand place over samson post.
i attach it to my mooring line ends--which are looped--the pickup buoy is tied with a bowline to the looped ends of the mooring lines so they are tied together, i separate them after placing over the samson post......goooodluck ... everyone has a personal favorite method dependent on the type of mooring system in use.
is different in catalina than in virgins and florida--and different in california than on east coast....

i have never had my lines tangle with my buoy. i have had the 2 lines twist but that is fixable as the lines are separated from the buoy and placed properly. immediate pick up is not the final result.

[Boracay]

After one too many mooring disasters we decided to get a Mooring Pick Up Pole.

It really is a very neat setup. I won't do a photo as this is something Trehane Moorings has clearly spent a considerable amount of time, money and effort working out.

I'm sure there are others who can supply them.

Funny thing is, once I could see where the mooring was I found it was my fault much more obvious where the problem was and with slight adjustments to my technique things go much more smoothly.

[sailorboy1]

Thanks for responses. I'm sure the pick-up is going to be a plus overall. We got real good last year of picking up our mooring line, but this year the ball is different so the line hangs a lot different.

I'm still unsure of the besdt way to tie the pick-up to the mooring line though.

[Boomp]

I've seen a couple of balls with containers on top that keep the lines out of the water. That way they stay dry and don't gunk up w seaweed if left dangling for a week when you sail away. I usually tie a thin line between the two that go to my cleats so a simple grab of the float gives me both and I don't need the boat hook. I do like the idea of keeping the lines out of the water and just letting the float get gunked.

[sailorboy1]

So I got a 7 foot mast bouy today for install tomorrow. Look almost like a weapon!

So just posting to move this to the Home Portal to get more input on best practices to tie this 7' stick to my mooring lines.

[Boracay]

What I found I was doing wrong was to come to the buoy with any speed at all on the boat.

Now I aim to stop about a metre (3') before the buoy and come closer as needed with a very light touch on the throttle.

The other mistake I was making was to always come in with the bow straight into the wind. When I looked at the situation more carefully I found there was always a north or south setting current, so now I look at how similar boats to Boracay are sitting and come in on the same alignment.