Proper way to use mooring ball?

[flightlead404]

I picked up a mooring ball the other night in Fernandina Beach. I've never used one before and the boat is new to us.

I did get it on the first attempt

These balls have a permanent pennant of heavy line with an eye. I noticed that all the monohulls I could see had their connections to the eye of the pennant running out through a bow roller.

I have a double bow roller but one side is temporarily inop waiting for a part, and the other occupied by my anchor.

I have two forward deck cleats. What I did was use a dock line on each side, using a larks foot through the eye of the deck cleat, pass the line through the eye of the pennant, then cleat it off on the same deck cleat. This was done on each side with enough line so the mooring ball was a couple feet ahead of the stem.

Is there a better way?

[Knotical]

Sounds right, or if you only wanna use 1 line you can cleat it off on one side, pass it through the pennant eye and then cleat it off on the other side.

Btw, congrats on your first mooring ball pickup, I am pretty good with picking it up under sail as I have done that hundreds of time with a smaller boat but it took me more than 5 attempts to do under engine the first time, I kept on overshooting it.

[JPA Cate]

Some of us like to pull the mooring up so there is strain on it, so that the ball doesn't come bumping into the side of the hull at night when the wind drops out.

I'd far rather be on our own ground tackle than listen to that racket half the night.

Ann

[AA3JY]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

I picked up a mooring ball the other night in Fernandina Beach. I've never used one before and the boat is new to us.

I did get it on the first attempt

These balls have a permanent pennant of heavy line with an eye. I noticed that all the monohulls I could see had their connections to the eye of the pennant running out through a bow roller.

I have a double bow roller but one side is temporarily inop waiting for a part, and the other occupied by my anchor.

I have two forward deck cleats. What I did was use a dock line on each side, using a larks foot through the eye of the deck cleat, pass the line through the eye of the pennant, then cleat it off on the same deck cleat. This was done on each side with enough line so the mooring ball was a couple feet ahead of the stem.

Is there a better way?

The Marathon mooring recommendation..

https://commutercruiser.com/how-to-t...-mooring-ball/

..I’m sure there will be many interpretations..

[Dave_S]

I'd always go back to the same point otherwise, on my boat, the line can slide through the eye and chaffe or the boat can end up sideways. The way you described is the best way for me.

[BlackHeron]

Originally Posted by Knotical

Sounds right, or if you only wanna use 1 line you can cleat it off on one side, pass it through the pennant eye and then cleat it off on the other side.

No, that is not correct. The line will saw and chafe on rhe pennant eye as the boat sails back and forth and cut right through it once the winds pick up. If the eye is equipped with a thimble that will saw and chafe right through your line instead.

Always come back to the same side and run it through the same bow chock and cleat so the two sides of the line are the same length and have the exact same amount of stretch.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Some of us like to pull the mooring up so there is strain on it, so that the ball doesn't come bumping into the side of the hull at night when the wind drops out.

I'd far rather be on our own ground tackle than listen to that racket half the night.

Ann

I'm with Ann, the best way to get a good night's sleep plus reduces the chafing risk.

[DefinitelyMe]

+1 to posts by Black Heron and Ann.

[Cabo Jim]

You got it right captain. After 10 years of cruising I finally learned a trick to stop the bump bump in the middle of the night. I attached a third line running through the bow roller. What you see on deck is just the rubber snubber on the line I used, snubber not required at all. See attached photo.

[BlackHeron]

On the US East Coast the vast majority of the transient mooring balls we have seen or used come with an attached mooring pendant. Usually they are quite long at around 10-12 feet (-/+ 3M for the IMD or Imperial Measurement-Disadvantaged.)

I think that most of these moorings have been designed around using that extra scope and hooking directly to the ball itself may cause issues and the mooring possibly dragging and/or pulling up. I have seen the moorings at NYC's 79th street boat basin drag to the point where the orange transient balls were coming up against long-term lease moorings. Too short of scope plus the ridiculously large wakes of the NY water taxi boats doesn't help especially when a larger displacement boat is on them even if they technically meet the boat length limits.

If one is using a longer pendant to tie your own moorings to then the only cure is having a bumper around the ball. When we lived in Chicago most of the people on mooring balls in rhet Chicago harbors system would use a half plastic 55-gallon drum over their mooring ball with pool noodles for padding zip-tied around the top perimeter of the drum.

In the Great Lakes and in Canada the use of an included/supplied pendant is much rarer we have found in our travels. In those cases you use your own bow lines or your own bridle/swivel system. Your photo looks like a good idea in those cases if one has a bowsprit or roller that sticks out far enough like yours.

[bailsout]

OP, a picture would help me, but as I read your description it still sounds like there is chafe on the two docking lines, but less than if one was using only one line. What about a lark’s spur equally divided on the eye and then each end cleated?

[carlosproa]

Originally Posted by AA3JY

The Marathon mooring recommendation..

https://commutercruiser.com/how-to-t...-mooring-ball/

..I’m sure there will be many interpretations..

Works for me for over 20 years of mooring in south florida

[twig]

I was at that marina and used about a 10 foot bridal thru pendant which ended up being to long. Ball drifted down side of boat and boat went over ball and came up on other side of boat behind keel. Only way we could free it was to cut bridal off since I had eyes over the cleats. Keep your bridal as short as you can

[Tomodore]

Thanks for starting this thread. Certainly anchoring on your own ground tackle is preferable but using moorings is a handy skill and where we are this summer the only local hurricane hole is all moorings. The moorings with pendant are a different kettle of fish than the moorings that you tie directly to. cabo Jim is spot on if you have a bowsprit and no pendant for keeping that pesky float from banging on the hull. Big concept to keep in mind IMO is that heat usually melts modern line rather than failing through cutting or chafe. Think of rubbing sticks together for fire. That’s the problem with tying line to each forward cleat and through loop on mooring. In a good blow the line goes back and forth under load creating heat. I would love to see a photo of pool noodles around a mooring so I can try it here, even if it doesn’t last at least it would help.

[Caleb_Grey]

Always a good read
https://marinehowto.com/mooring-pend...ughts-musings/