Hi all

With my recent forced change of insurance companies the new company requires me to lift and inspect my mooring every 12 months

MAST in Tassie has a lift and inspect rule every 2 years and previously i used to do it at around 18 months but now i will do it every 12 months to keep the insurance company happy

A year or so ago a boat broke away from its mooring here in the bay and ended up aground on the shore and this is what the chain looked like and because of this i am hesitant to pick up any mooring other than my own because you never know how what is onm the bottom and when it was last checked

Just wondering how often do others do theirs

Regards Don

Every 12 months for me.

I dive on mine several times a year normally.

According to the RMS in NSW it's a requirement of the mooring license that you have it inspected and serviced every 12 months. Further, if your boat comes adrift and it damages any other structure or boat and you haven't serviced the mooring, your insurance may not cover you. Frankly, for me the $350 or so it costs every year to have it serviced is a much cheaper option than having it come adrift and damaging lots of other boats on it's way to a beaching.

12 months is also required for moorings by Parks Victoria. Mind you, it seems any mug could get accreditation from PV to be a approved contractor, so ymmv etc.
Amazingly, they don't specify lifting to inspect and most of the contractors don't seem to have a lifting barge. The bloke who does mine seems reasonably good, but I still dive it a few times a year.

Cheers, Graeme

Every year even if I haven't been using it , at least when I do I know it's good

Every year and inspect when I clean the prop.

But I am now using only tested shackles and swivels.

May even go to tested chain next time as well as the chinese stuff is crap!

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nswsailor said..

May even go to tested chain next time as well as the chinese stuff is crap!

If anyone is buying on price alone, then I wager that most of what you end up with, will be Chinese crap.

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MichaelR said..
According to the RMS in NSW it's a requirement of the mooring license that you have it inspected and serviced every 12 months. Further, if your boat comes adrift and it damages any other structure or boat and you haven't serviced the mooring, your insurance may not cover you. Frankly, for me the $350 or so it costs every year to have it serviced is a much cheaper option than having it come adrift and damaging lots of other boats on it's way to a beaching.

Yep, as above ^^

Mine gets serviced every year automatically - they come & do it every October then send me the bill. Peace of mind!!

DOT in WA mandate that moorings are checked once every two years. But in my club the rule is that we need to get a report done every 12 months. It only costs about $150 to get someone to dive on it, clean and check it. I'm only in 2m of water though, so that might make it cheaper.

I occasionally do my own inspection when I'm wiping the slime off my hull.

Do these contractors have qualifications? Are any qualifications specified by insurance companies?

i do mine yearly when i see my mooring guy floating around the bay. pay him cash. 160. he does it all right in front of me. lifts it out, changes anything that needs to be changed etc.

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nswsailor said..
Every year and inspect when I clean the prop.

But I am now using only tested shackles and swivels.

May even go to tested chain next time as well as the chinese stuff is crap!

I think the best method is to use quality chain from the mooring block then Chinese swivels and shackles moused with electrical ties. The Chinese stuff will need changing regularly but if the chain is quality stuff it will be perfect for many years.
I use a rope riser and recently I spliced in the swivel a couple of feet up from the bottom so it keeps clear of the sand. The rope is also sheaved in fire hose where it passes through the swivel. I only have one shackle now where it joins the chain and I turned up a plastic bush over the shackle pin that keeps the quality chain separate from the cheap shackle.

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dralyagmas said..
Do these contractors have qualifications? Are any qualifications specified by insurance companies?

Locally you just get your name listed with the local council!

Parks Vic requirements are being reviewed with changes underway early next year.
Local Contractors renewal certificates have only just been issued, and they are now renewed for a 6 month period, instead of the normal 12 months.

It's not as easy as suggested to be authorised, and you do have to have a pretty good system in place, in terms of safety, inspection reporting etc.
Try and do anything these days involving lifting heavy weights,often in tidal/exposed, with a diver present, and be insured and see how you go.

There are better mooring systems than chains and trainwheels these days.
Google rubber mooring strops.

Also you want to minimise lifting the block.
Highest chance of dragging is going to be in the few weeks after lifting a block, before it resettles in the mud.

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crustysailor said..
Parks Vic requirements are being reviewed with changes underway early next year.
Local Contractors renewal certificates have only just been issued, and they are now renewed for a 6 month period, instead of the normal 12 months.

It's not as easy as suggested to be authorised, and you do have to have a pretty good system in place, in terms of safety, inspection reporting etc.
Try and do anything these days involving lifting heavy weights,often in tidal/exposed, with a diver present, and be insured and see how you go.

There are better mooring systems than chains and trainwheels these days.
Google rubber mooring strops.

Also you want to minimise lifting the block.
Highest chance of dragging is going to be in the few weeks after lifting a block, before it resettles in the mud.

I agree with minimising lifting the block. I now use a diver, Aquaman, in Pittwater. If they can't service it on the bottom they will lift it but that is very rarely required.

Thats good to know about minimal lifting. Makes sense!!

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crustysailor said..
Parks Vic requirements are being reviewed with changes underway early next year.
Local Contractors renewal certificates have only just been issued, and they are now renewed for a 6 month period, instead of the normal 12 months.

It's not as easy as suggested to be authorised, and you do have to have a pretty good system in place, in terms of safety, inspection reporting etc.
Try and do anything these days involving lifting heavy weights,often in tidal/exposed, with a diver present, and be insured and see how you go.

There are better mooring systems than chains and trainwheels these days.
Google rubber mooring strops.

Also you want to minimise lifting the block.
Highest chance of dragging is going to be in the few weeks after lifting a block, before it resettles in the mud.

Hi Crusty

I googled rubber mooring strops and came up with this gsm.sealite.com/files/pdf/products/SL-SM_pdf.pdf

I thought with the heavy chain/light chain/rope, traditional mooring, the heavy chain that lies on the sea bed would act do some of the work (like a anchor chain does) instead of relying on the weight on the bottom as it seems a synthetic strop would

Any thoughts would be appreciated

Regards Don

Also wondering if anyone is using a screw anchor instead of a mooring block



Regards Don

Hi Don,
that is the form of the mooring strop we use, although I'm pretty sure ours come from a standard lifting supplier in Melb.
We use either a single or double concrete mooring block, approx. 1200mmx 1200mm x 500, then with bottom chain, then strop to surface level.

Having a cat, my rope bridle then goes on, and the whole strop ends up remaining underwater due to bridle length needed. Mono's have either a topchain or rope.
Biggest advantage of using strop is the lifespan: our oldest strop is now older than 8 years, and has been destructive tested ok. You avoid having a middle chain which takes a lot of the wear. Plus the weight difference is much better on you back than all chain.

If you do have a topchain, check where it goes over the bowroller!

As others have said NSW requirement is every 12 months. I've had the mooring lifted twice in the 2.5 years I've had it.

But I've never seen the complete assembly out of the water, as such am totally reliant on the mooring service company. They appear a profesional outfit, at least they invoice quickly.

Given my pride an joy is kept safe on this singularly simple and relatively cheep item, with multiple single point failure locations, I've decided next time the mooring is serviced I'm going to witness the service and see for myself the condition and type of equipment used along with the quality of the insection completed.

Just for my own piece of mind!

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Donk107 said..
Also wondering if anyone is using a screw anchor instead of a mooring block



Regards Don

New moorings in Jervis Bay are supposed to be screw in anchors, it's a National park. They are twice the cost because it takes two divers. Traditional moorings are still being put in though.