Mooring Up.

[MauriceMynah]

On another thread, the question of mooring on the southern waters has come up, with mention of a mooring board. I have not come across this before, and whilst I can guess roughly how this works I'd like some pics and detail of how to make and use please.

Whilst I'm at it, another difficulty I have met is fender deployment when the tide is likely to over flow the bankside. (quite common at Reedham for example). How should I set my fenders for this situation.  Is there such a thing as a fender which doesn't float?

And finally (Cyril) can someone explain how a mudweight can possibly achieve anything when a boat is moored stern on in a tidal area for a full tide cycle.

[eddybear]

Hi, Maurice, I found this picture Hope it helps to explain, regards Ted

[vanessan]

37 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

On another thread, the question of mooring on the southern waters has come up, with mention of a mooring board. I have not come across this before, and whilst I can guess roughly how this works I'd like some pics and detail of how to make and use please.

Whilst I'm at it, another difficulty I have met is fender deployment when the tide is likely to over flow the bankside. (quite common at Reedham for example). How should I set my fenders for this situation.  Is there such a thing as a fender which doesn't float?

And finally (Cyril) can someone explain how a mudweight can possibly achieve anything when a boat is moored stern on in a tidal area for a full tide cycle.

If Paladine gets to see this post, you may be lucky and get more pics and explanations re the ‘mooring board’, I know he covered it very well ‘elsewhere’ a few years back. 

[Poppy]

Enter 'fender board' into your favoured search engine.

[BroadAmbition]

Re mooring stern on using a mudweight through a full tidal range - easy- floating mudweight 

Griff

[MauriceMynah]

23 minutes ago, Poppy said:

Enter 'fender board' into your favoured search engine.

Yes Poppy, I could do that (and will) but if anyone else is reading this thread, looking for answers, then I hope said answers will be here. :)

[Regulo]

I think Paladin made his from sections of heavy drainage pipe, which could be "push fit" together to suit the situation, and dismantled for storage. He'll no doubt be along to enlighten us. 

For the other situations - no idea. We tried weighting down a fender, to see if it could be held half-submerged, but you'd need a set of mudweights aboard!

[JennyMorgan]

Over topping, a mooring rope to the opposite shore in order to hold your boat off the jetty that you are moored to is one answer. Alternatively a couple of long poles, quant poles maybe, pushed into the bottom. However such poles are not always available so move onto a windward shore or one with a higher bank. Last time that I was in such a position I basically laid to my anchor whilst still having ropes ashore.  In a nutshell if a mooring is unsuitable then move!

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, MauriceMynah said:

And finally (Cyril) can someone explain how a mudweight can possibly achieve anything when a boat is moored stern on in a tidal area for a full tide cycle.

Normally you would not moor stern on in a river with a tidal current but it is possible on the upper Yare at Surlingham, or at Coldham Hall.

The same as with anchoring, it depends on the "holding ground" of the river bottom. If it is soft mud, no problem but if it is gravel then the weight will drag. If you drop the weight as you are backing in, so that it ends up some way out in front of you, this will hold your stern off the bank. 

Not so easy if you are single handed! 

[JennyMorgan]

Re fender boards, such things are also useful as gang planks so well worth carrying.

[Hylander]

move onto a windward shore or one with a higher bank.

 

 

 

 

We did that one night at Cantley ,  luckily enough the wind (Gale) was blowing off the bank and keeping us well away from the side and from getting stuck.  The tide was running very high and over topping all along the mooring. 

 

However, a boat further down from us was so tightly moored that in the end the inevitable happened as the tide went down.    Luck was there was a load of them on board and they were able to give it a good shove to free it up.

[JennyMorgan]

Re dropping a mudweight whilst single handing a boat, have a long rope that can be lead aft through the cabin to the cockpit, easy! 

[ZimbiIV]

At Reedham, if the tide is expected to be topping over. I take the fenders from the other side and tie them so they will hang lower than normal.

paul

PS It pays to move them back BEFORE leaving Reedham

[BrundallNavy]

I have tied the fenders to the posts that way they will float up and down with the tide.  You only really need a fender board on the moorings with the steel piling as the fenders tend to go in the gaps.

[Paladin]

3 hours ago, MauriceMynah said:

On another thread, the question of mooring on the southern waters has come up, with mention of a mooring board. I have not come across this before, and whilst I can guess roughly how this works I'd like some pics and detail of how to make and use please.

 

I used a piece of scrap timber, drilled a hole near each end and threaded a piece of quite thin rope through the holes, securing the rope with figure-of-eight stop knots underneath and simple overhand knots on the top. This is a photo of it in use at Loddon. I didn't go down the water-pipe route, as the board wouldn't be used very much (being based in the North) and so I didn't want to spend any cash (yes, I'm a tight-****).  It can be made as long/short, fancy/plain as you like, but, as it will be used against rough metal piles, I didn't bother varnishing it.

[MauriceMynah]

Some interesting replies but some of them are missing my points. If the tide comes in at Reedham and is likely to over top the mooring, it doesn't matter what the fenders are tied to, they will float and will protect nothing. A fender that is not buoyant however, would protect the boats waterline from the edge of the quayside. I need something like that (I think).

When on a stern on mooring, say at Oulton YS or Beccles YS, if a mudweight is deployed at low water for example, as the tide comes in the boat will draw the weight towards the boat, and if the rise and fall is enough, the weight will just hang above the bottom doing nothing. As the boat then drops with the falling tide, the rope will just slacken, again, causing the mudweight to achieve little or nothing. I see no value in deploying the mudweight when being moored stern on in tidal waters. If I am wrong, please advise, with an explanation as to why. In a river situation as at St Olaves, the same applies but with the addition of the weight trying to hold a 5+ ton boat against a strong tide. Only one winner there me thinks.

1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

Over topping, a mooring rope to the opposite shore in order to hold your boat off the jetty that you are moored to

Try THAT one at Reedham :)  :)  :)

Thanks Pally & Eddybear, good pics. Thanks Ray (Regulo) that was what I meant.

[Paladin]

25 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

Some interesting replies but some of them are missing my points. If the tide comes in at Reedham and is likely to over top the mooring, it doesn't matter what the fenders are tied to, they will float and will protect nothing. A fender that is not buoyant however, would protect the boats waterline from the edge of the quayside. I need something like that (I think).

Think fishing float. Throw it in the water, and it will lie on the surface (as will a fender). Add weight to one end, and it will float upright, partially submerged. Add an appropiate amount of weight to one end of your fenders and they will sit upright, partially submerged. It will be a matter of trial and error to get the set up right, though. The longer the fenders, the less adjustment will be needed to cope with the rise and fall of the tide.

[Jonathan]

MM,

I'm just thinking out loud so tell me if this is a stupid idea!

Tie two or three of the "tube" style fenders in series (like a string of sausages).  Secure one end to a cleat as usual, Tie a LONG rope to the other end, and walk said rope via the bow, under the keel to the other side.  Pull tight and secure to the "opposite" cleat.  You now have one or two submerged fenders.  The only additional equipment required is the long rope(s).

[ranworthbreeze]

3 hours ago, ZimbiIV said:

At Reedham, if the tide is expected to be topping over. I take the fenders from the other side and tie them so they will hang lower than normal.

paul

PS It pays to move them back BEFORE leaving Reedham

Same here, I then put the shorter fenders out of the racks to replace the longer ones used. We have got up in morning to see some of the higher place fenders sitting on top of the mooring especially when moored at Reedham Ferry.

Regards

Alan

[Smoggy]

Quote

Some interesting replies but some of them are missing my points. If the tide comes in at Reedham and is likely to over top the mooring, it doesn't matter what the fenders are tied to, they will float and will protect nothing. A fender that is not buoyant however, would protect the boats waterline from the edge of the quayside. I need something like that (I think).

This bit copied from my post in St.Olaves thread.

"I have a set of hard plastic pipes that slot together with a rope through for either use as a fenderboard horizontally or from the handrails vertically for places like reedham with it's concrete edge, once folded down they sit in the lazarette nicely over the rudder gear along with dinghy oars and broom/mop. "

And this bit added.

They are open ended so don't float and run down to about 18" below the chines so perfect for reedham. (in fact that is where I made them for)

[rightsaidfred]

As Paladin said hang weights from the bottom of the fender.

Fred

[annv]

Hi Maurice I use a length of  3/4 inch plastic mains water pipe with a length of rubber heater hose slide over the outside, drill a hole in the top to thread the rope through, you can make them as long as you wish they don't float and tied to railing stop boat floating over the quay heading and they are cheap to make and don't rust/corrode and will bend to get in locker . John

[JennyMorgan]

Just a thought, rather than a weight on the end of a long fendoff, how about a long rope that passes under the hull so that you can pull a fender as far under the water as required, if you see what I mean.

[Regulo]

Er, keep up, JM, Jonathan posted that 4 hours ago!