# Mooring vs slip?



## Jiminri (Aug 26, 2012)

The marina where I'd like to have my boat may or may not have any slips available for next season, but they definitely have moorings available. I'm trying to figure out how much of a pain a mooring would be or if there might actually be some advantages of a mooring.

Some stuff is obvious. For example, with a mooring...arrive at marina,have to get dinghy off rack, haul to dinghy launch site, and row out to sailboat. (The mooring is pretty close.) Then use dinghy to get rest of passengers/provisions or motor sailboat from mooring to t-head, tie up, and load from there. Repeat when returning, especially if I want to hose the boat off, top off water tanks, etc.

Getting a contractor on the moored boat would require more effort on my part. In the past, if, for example, I wanted an electrician to check something out, I could just tell him the slip number and the combination for the lock. If I were on a mooring, I'd have to bring the boat to the dock at a pre-arranged time.

Batteries may or may not be a concern. I'm guessing they would charge enough with the motoring I'd do to get out into the bay. (I do not have solar panels or a wind generator.)

On the plus side, the mooring is cheaper. And more private.

Not sure which is better in storms.

So, I am I considering the right factors? Or am I missing something important here on my "one the one hand and on the other hand" discussion with myself?


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## rockDAWG (Sep 6, 2006)

For me, it will depend on how often I want to go to the boat and how far I live from the boat. I assume there is no water taxi. It will get old real fast if we go to the boat 2 to 3 time a week. If I go to the boat once a month and sail for a few days, mooring is not bad. 

Anyway, I would get a slip if available.


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## IronSpinnaker (Mar 28, 2011)

Do you sail alone ever? It is hard to hook back up to a mooring when you have a dingy in the way and nobody else with you.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

I have the opposite situation. I am on a slip, but would love to find a mooring! (you can't please all the people, all the time...).

Plusses of being on a slip:

Easy on / Easy off the boat for people and gear
Power is readily available to charge the batteries
Water is readily available to fill the tanks
Dinghy is optional
Neighbors on the dock watch out for each other, and each other's boats
Cleaning (because of water availability, and 120V power for shop vac)

Plusses of being on a mooring;

I could single hand (I can't get in and out of my slip alone)
Less staining near the waterline from the scum that floats in and out with the tide
Less danger of wave action popping out a fender, and risk of dock chafing against boat.
During Irene, many people were very concerned that the storm surge would combine with high tide, and the docks would float off their pilings. Storm surge should not be as much of an issue with a good mooring.
CHEAPER!


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## dinosdad (Nov 19, 2010)

As this has been my first year with my boat(any boat period!) , I spent the season on a mooring and can offer these observations. It can be a hassle to grab the dink, take the motor out of the locker, load up and get out to the boat, but it becomes very routine after a few times . The peace and quiet afforded by the mooring is one the best positives, relaxing in the cockpit watching the world go by, nobody walking by and having to engage in small talk, but if your in the mood to be social a dinghy ride around the moorings or to the dock will provide you with plenty of opportunity for conversation . Picking up a mooring was a easily learned skill(even non boaters grasped the concept quickly). You'll be amazed how much crap you can bring out to your boat on the dink, enough for a weekend easily, guests can be picked up at the dock. If you need someone to work on the boat your marina may let you put it in a open slip for a few hours(provided someone's left theirs vacant and the marina is outside vendor friendly). I seldom went more than a week without being on the boat and the batteries never got run down( no solar panel or wind generator). If the marina is somewhere you want to be you could take a mooring and if it isn't working for you ask to be put on a waiting list for a slip.


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Moorings rock!
Cheaper. More private. Sweet.


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## santana30RI (Dec 4, 2011)

IronSpinnaker said:


> Do you sail alone ever? It is hard to hook back up to a mooring when you have a dingy in the way and nobody else with you.


I have a 30 SANTANA on a mooring and sail alot by my self it is not bad at all


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

$ vs $$$

I think as RockDAWG says depends on how often you want to spend on the boat.

I looked at a cheap boat nearby with some partners. Slips while very expensive are also unavailable in most places, so a waiting list and mooring are the only option. If you can single hand the boat, you can go out in a dinghy and bring it to the dock to pick up the rest of the crew.

The one thing I would miss on a ball would be cocktail-ing or evenings sleeping in the slip.


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## macswift (Jul 30, 2012)

My preference would be the mooring providing it's a swinging mooring, and not a trot mooring where you have to pick up both a bow line and a stern line. They can be a real pain to pick up in strong winds and tides, whereas it's relatively easy to sail on and off a swinging mooring. 
It's the privacy of a mooring that I like, along with the way the boat behaves how a boat should, reacting to both wind and tide. 
Alongside on a pontoon berth (UK) or slip (US) with the ropes and fenders squawking it's no fun at all, you might as well be ashore. And all the hassle wriggling in and out of the slip and getting the lines on, particularly if you have a long-keeler. You'll need help to do it without drama, but you can deal with a mooring on your own.
Yes, it's the mooring for me...


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## CatMan22 (Apr 16, 2012)

Mooring versus slip, the never ending debate. I spent this summer on mooring and learned that everytime I sailed there was something new I could do to make it easier the next time I came out. This went from the type of lines I tied off with to how to get there to location of the lines to styrofoam insulation on lines to keep them from wrapping around bottom of buoy. The only downfall I found was the buoy cable snapped at its anchor during a storm and resulted in my boat being blown intilo a cove and the adjoining seawall, luckily I left fenders on both sides of boat on and always raised keel when tied off. I have inquired about a slip for next year but moor than likely will be back on the buoy after the solitude while overnighting.


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## SkywalkerII (Feb 20, 2008)

Here's a vote for a mooring. Sail on and off with ease, private, and often safer for the boat, providing your neighbors maintain their tackle!

Skywalker


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

This is simple. Take a look at just how much more expensive a slip is. That is precisely how much better one is, or people wouldn't pay it.

No slips available, but there are moorings. Again, the vote is in.

We've all been on mooring for one of two principal reasons.

1. there were no slips available
2. they are less expensive

I agree with some of the other ancillary niceties of a mooring, such as privacy or ease of landing, but they are grossly outweighed by access to power, water, bathrooms, your car, guests, loading groceries, etc. 

Much harder to manage a holding tank from a mooring too. If we are going to be away, we keep the level low and avoid "solid waste" sitting stagnant all week, by using shore facilities for that after we pump out. My kids call it "the walk of shame", as all know why you are walking to use the bathroom ashore. 

You're probably rugged enough to deal with getting to your mooring in the rain. Wait until you have to get your guests there, who've never been on a boat before. 

I hope I never find myself back on a mooring for a season. Having the fridge stocked like it is home, the dehumidifier running when we are away and not worrying about the charge state of our batteries is remarkably better. Your batteries can and typically do, take a beating from the inconsistent charging, especially without solar or wind.

I have to start the winterizing process this weekend and will undoubtedly be on and off dozens of times at our slip. That's just not possible on a mooring.

Can you make a mooring work. Sure. But a slip is worth every penny if its an option for you.


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## CorvetteGuy (Jun 4, 2011)

Our club has 30 plus swing morings but docks are avalible for loading unloading cleaning ect. We can sleep on the docks but often I find myself going back to the hook in the middle of the nite due to the squeeks and knocks from fenders ect. Slips are convienent but at a cost..


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## IronSpinnaker (Mar 28, 2011)

Mooring fields look cooler than a marina full of slips.


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## Sunday Driver (Oct 25, 2011)

We are on a mooring , 
i enjoy it , though storms are always a worry ...

we used to have a dry dock for the dingy , till we finaly smarten up and put in for a dingy slip .
now its the best of both worlds , still have to taxi things out but the dingy slip is a big help
no more ramps at low tide , and the slip is cheaper then the launch service they offered.
always bugged me they stopped the service 1/2 hour before sunset .
thats is the best time to be out .

also we added a solar pannel no issues with power now should have done that years ago !


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

When we bought our boat in the middle of the summer, we couldn't find a slip so had to get a mooring. Next summer I'm definitely sticking with the mooring. The benefits of a slip are obvious, but here's some of the benefits of a mooring:

* cheaper
* better place to hang out when not sailing (we'll often have dinner on the mooring--to me, it's better scenery than crammed into a slip)
* more privacy for sleeping or hanging out
* no banging against a dock
* easier to come and go. Docking, especially in a tight or hard to access slip, with wind, can be stressful and even damaging. Picking up a mooring is cake.

I was dead set against a mooring, but now would never go back. Get a good, stable dinghy and it's really not an issue having to dinghy out every time. We keep our dinghy in the water at a dinghy dock, and then it's a 3 minute paddle to the boat, so it's just really not a big deal for us.


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## cb32863 (Oct 5, 2009)

I didn't mind being on a mooring this season and getting to and from the boat was pretty easy, like some have said, you get used to the process. It really depends on what you do with your boat and where you are. I am on a nice lake in the Twin Cities metro area so no need to worry about hurricanes and all that. My biggest worry is all the other boaters out there, like the nice ladies that ran over the no wake buoy with their rented pontoon boat. I also have a dock area I can head over to to pick people up and all that. For my situation, having guests in the rain is not going to happen. The only thing I am going to change for next season is to be on a different mooring as the one I was on was right at the no wake line and well, let's just say that certain folks really have no idea what that means..... 

Try the mooring first and then if it is not your thing, get in line for a slip if you can afford one.

FWIW


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

I have my boat at my slip in front of the house. You can't beat the convenience. 

Having said that:

I've considered laying down a storm mooring. There are pluses and minuses to everything in life. Not having to pick wood chips out of my gelcoat after a storm is a plus.


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

Pro's:
My mooring is at least 10 degrees cooler on a summers night than at the dock.
I'm out just far enough where there are NO BUGS.
I can play music and have drinks with friends till the wee hours, no worries about keeping awake those people 10 feet a way.
There are exits from the mouth of the river due east and SSW from my mooring. This means I sail on and off the mooring regularly.
Access to my mooring comes with a T-head with water and power. I use it for repairs the occasional battery charge and water top up.
My harbor has a free pump out boat that I can even set up an appointment online and don't even need to be on the boat for the pump out (I choose to be there, but, it's an option).
My mooring is about 1/3 the price of a slip.
My Dink has wheels and I leave the outboard attached so I only need to roll it down the ramp.

Con's:
Constant power at the dock.
Easier access to the car, marina head.
Easier to just stop by the boat for an hour after work and tinker with something.

Other concerns:
Loading and unloading for a trip is pretty much a wash as I have access to the T-head.
Having a decent size inflatable with a reliable outboard is important. My inflatable will easily hold 1000 lbs. How much crap do I really need to go away for a weekend


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## Familycruisers (Dec 15, 2011)

I love being on the mooring, way better nights sleep swinging. My marina does have a tender which makes things easier, ie leave the dinghy tied to the boat. My marina also allows mooring holders to pull up to the docks for pump out/cleaning/charging for free. If I want to stay the night, its a smaller fee ($15) than regular prices.
During storms the mooring is so much better than bucking in a slip worrying about lines and bumpers.


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## rockDAWG (Sep 6, 2006)

Mooring vs slip?

It is actually very easy to settle this age-old question. If you remove the money factor from the equation, ask yourself which you would rather have. That is your right answer.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

caberg said:


> ....... We keep our dinghy in the water at a dinghy dock, and then it's a 3 minute paddle to the boat, so it's just really not a big deal for us.


Most of the time, I don't really mind a wet butt or shoes, if it rained recently. Sometimes, however, it's downright annoying.


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## rockDAWG (Sep 6, 2006)

This is also dependent on if you have a fixer upper or a 50 Jeanneau or 45 HR. If I own a half $MM boat, I doubt I will do mooring at my home port. If the privacy is my concerns, I will lease the whole finger dock.


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

Minnewaska said:


> Most of the time, I don't really mind a wet butt or shoes, if it rained recently. Sometimes, however, it's downright annoying.


Shoes? Can't recall the last time I wore such things on my boat. Flip flops get kicked off on the dock and are stowed until I step onto land again. Wet butt? Yea, that's happened a time or two. Guess I could wipe down the seat in about 10 seconds if I really cared. Most of the time I'm already wearing swim shorts anyway.

What would be really annoying is being crowded together with a whole bunch of other boats and people. I like to socialize with other folks in the marina, but I also like to "go home" when I'm ready to have some peace and quiet.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

rockDAWG said:


> This is also dependent on if you have a fixer upper or a 50 Jeanneau or 45 HR. If I own a half $MM boat, I doubt I will do mooring at my home port. If the privacy is my concerns, I will lease the whole finger dock.


We have Hylas, HRs, Swans, etc on moorings all around here. 50+ footers to boot.

Interesting thought you gave me. I think these are hardly ever used. So there is another factor. If you don't use your boat, you won't need the convenience of a slip.


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## Ninefingers (Oct 15, 2009)

Minnewaska said:


> We have Hylas, HRs, Swans, etc on moorings all around here. 50+ footers to boot.
> 
> Interesting thought you gave me. I think these are hardly ever used. So there is another factor. If you don't use your boat, you won't need the convenience of a slip.


Do they charge by foot for moorings?


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Ninefingers said:


> Do they charge by foot for moorings?


Not usually by the foot, but there are often different rates for ranges of LOA.


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## smallboatlover (May 11, 2011)

for me id live a mooring but i know itd not be any use to me with my outboard unleass i have a huge opening and no one around so mooring it is exspecailly sinces it's cheaper. Also im at a yatch club so i leave the dinghy there and i can either bring friends out to the boat on the dinghy filled with gear or just row out there and motor to the dock and let every one on and all the gear it's not that hard. dockings easy after a while.


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## chuck53 (Oct 13, 2009)

I boat in an area where boats on a mooring is rare to say the least. I wouldn't own a boat if I had to keep it on a mooring. We like hanging out with our friends at the marina.


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## DrB (Mar 29, 2007)

*Mooring - But spoiled*

I have a mooring, and it is extremely cheap. $130/yr permit + $175/yr mooring service for a 33ft boat. We also pay for a launch service ~$480/yr for unlimited rides. The launch service runs from May 1 to Nov 1. From Memorial Day W/E to Labor Day W/E hours are 8 AM -10 PM M-Th, and 8 AM - 11PM W/E. There are reduced hours in early May and Later Sept/Oct. The dock where we pick up the launch has free parking with a PortaJohn and the dock itself has space for quite a few tie ups and fresh potable water.

Often the Admiral and I will go out for a sail, come back have a cocktail, relax, then call the launch and head into town for a nice meal, head back to the boat around 9:30 via the launch and turn in.

In my area, there are only a few "marina" with slips and the cost is astronomical, $135+/ft.

I'd rather have a mooring. I agree with others, safer in a storm, easier to sail on/off of, quieter, cooler, and cheaper.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Explain to me how a mooring is safer than a slip in most storms. I like the convenience of a slip. Not only for loading, but also for working on the boat. If I want privacy I can pull out of the slip and anchor in the cove. Basically the same effort as rowing out to a mooring.

I like to be able to fill up with water daily. Wash the salt of the boat after using each time. Our slip is tucked back amongst trees in a more protect place from he wind, an an open mooring field.

Most boats in our area on he Chessie are in marinas as there are few moorings. Converse rules in the LI Sound and NE. Because of this most premium spots not open to most in terms of anchoring in towns and coves. In NE most of the premium places in many harbors are choked with tightly packed moorings leaving visitors or travelers only unprotected anchorages or less than spots to anchor. I find this a very unfriendly set up sometimes. In the Chessie you can lost nchor anywhere because no one has claimed the public waterway for the residents only.

Dave


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Chef, I get your point, mooring fields would naturally choose the best locations. However, in just about all that I can think of, you can find a good anchorage immediately next to the last ball. Do it all the time. I will admit, a kid will very occasionally come along and try to say you can't anchor there or try to tell you there is a huge rock under you or some other nonsense to protect their revenue. But its almost never true. (almost)

On the other hand, I will often take one of their transient moorings, which I'm thankful are plentiful in the NE. Now I am in that theoretical best spot for the night. Moorings may be a bit of false security, but for me, it reduces the worry of what is going to happen to the boats around me. I've seen boats drag on anchor about 100 to 1 over a mooring failure. So, when its going to blow all night long and the anchorage is crowded, I'm grateful for the transient moorings.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

As some have introduced the idea that grabbing a mooring is easier than docking, it got me thinking. If you do not routinely dock your boat, you will be extraordinarily out of practice and probably avoid some great experiences along the way. I think its much less likely that you would avoid grabbing a mooring for being out of practice, but that may be possible too.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Interesting survey....... to reply, you must have already stated that you prefer a mooring over a slip in the above posts.

Q. Assume all marinas change their pricing next year and the moorings are more expensive than the slips. Will you still pay more for the mooring, as you prefer it?


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## chuck53 (Oct 13, 2009)

I pay $140 a month for my slip. I'd rather pay $200 as opposed to a free mooring.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Minnie,

I too usually take moorings when in NE or the LI Sound, but it is really only because of the set up in most of the towns, the anchor area outside the last mooring is so exposed. Like you I sleep very securely on a mooring ( maybe falsely) , but I sleep pretty good at anchor since I got one of the New gen anchors ( Rocna) 5 years ago, but iStill set anchor alarm in both places. I was just making a list of the t owns we have visited the last 5 years comparing the mooring vs anchoring.
This year, Montauk, Greenport, (actually Doering Harbor) , Coakles, Stonington, Pornt Jeffereson, Northport, Olde Saybrooke were virtually no anchoring areas but plenty of moorings. Cape May, Atlantic Highlands, Barnegat, good anchorages. 

On the Chesapeake there are virtually no moorings except private ones. In NE the moorings appear to be money making set ups for the towns. I am not a lawyer and my knowledge of riparian rights is limited to houses on the beach, how is it these towns are able to rope off large areas in front of them in the water. Is it the town that owns the water? The county? The state? Are marinas to expensive to build there, but are not on the Chessapeake?

I have found it to be very unfriendly to travelers who just are passing through and want to drop hook for the night. Over $1 a foot to ull up on a mooring when I carry sufficient tackle is hard to swallow.

I also agree with what you are saying about losing practice in getting into slips, dockage, fuel docks when you never have to do it. Some of our greatest calamities or "teaching moments " have occurred pulling into a slip with swirling or following 35 knt winds or narrow fairways to menu ever in. Picking up a mooring is relatively easy.

I still need an explanation from whoever posted that moorings are safer from slips in a storm. 

Dave


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

chef2sail said:


> I still need an explanation from whoever posted that moorings are safer from slips in a storm.
> 
> Dave


Dave,

You'd not catch me dead at a dock in a storm. In fact many up this way move off docks and out to moorings. I would rather have my boat on my mooring, in a bad storm, than on the hard with the risk of being blown over.

Properly moored the boat will suffer no damage unless hit by an inappropriately moored boat.. On more than one occasion I have moved our boat from a dock to our mooring when a storm was coming. In fact last year in the "Hurricane that wasn't" there were dock spaces available at NE Harbor yet no moorings. People wanted off the docks and onto moorings. We waited it out and got a mooring.

In the Perfect Storm the boat I was working on at the time, a 2+ million dollar sport fishing boat, had a 6' hole in her stbd side and was snapping 1" dock lines like it was kite string. The other crew mates who were there bought a 600' spool and kept replacing them. When high tide came, and the ocean made the break wall useless, the damage got even worse. The boat suffered more than 6 figures in damage in what was considered a "protected" marina. Only one boat on a mooring broke free yet nearly every boat at the docks had damage.

Last fall while up in the Harrasseekett River I moved our boat off the dock and to a mooring when a 40-50 knot predicted storm was due. It never even blew 40 but did blow over 30. The boat next to me, who remained on the dock, had a toasted Awlgrip job and was beam to the wind pinched against the finger pier....

We survived this storm on our mooring with zero damage as did all the boats in this video:





Most boats in this marina had damage and many sunk like these two:








and these two still in the water:









My mooring keeps me pointed into the prevailing storm and in over 40 years of myself and our family using moorings, even in severe storms, no damage....... On our offshore islands, where fisherman bet their lives on their boats to live there year round, they use moorings not docks because they are safer. You won't see a single commercial boat on an off shore island left tied to a pier or dock during a storm.

Heck, even our kayaks that were in their racks on the beach were destroyed in the waves and storm surge. One of them was even Kevlar, yet both were snapped like toothpicks. Our boat, on her mooring, road it out with zero issues. Never even chafed through a pendant...









Some marinas are better protected than others but up here being on a dock during a storm can be a liability when compared to a good mooring.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

chef2sail said:


> I still need an explanation from whoever posted that moorings are safer from slips in a storm.


From my earlier post;


> Less danger of wave action popping out a fender, and risk of dock chafing against boat.
> During Irene, many people were very concerned that the storm surge would combine with high tide, and the docks would float off their pilings. Storm surge should not be as much of an issue with a good mooring.


Of course this assumes that the mooring is up to the task.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

chef2sail said:


> Explain to me how a mooring is safer than a slip in most storms.


It depends on were you live BUT in the Northport area the storm surge and the normal 8' tide is the big issue along with the wind direction

On a mild full moon northeaster it is common to have all the streets underwater making it imposable to even get to any boat

In bigger storms plenty of large docks have floated right over the piles

If we get a prolonged north wind the Northport mooring field takes some serious abuse

If we get a prolonged south wind the CT side of the sound mooring fields and docks takes some serious abuse

If its really big Places like Seymours pull all there docks and launches and even if you were on a dock your riding it out on a mooring


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

IMHO,

This argument for moorings vs slips is a matter of personal preference. I don't think anyone is trying to convince others that they should change their preference.

We could change this argument as to who's slip is preferable to another because in fact each marina is very different. Is backing into a four point tie up with a prevailing 15 knot cross wind and two knots of current better than a bow first port side floating dock with fixed fenders?

When I do dock, I "prefer" a port side tie up because I have learned the art of prop walk. So I get less practice backing into that four point tie up. My bad.

As to why a mooring may be preferable in a storm; I can only speak for MY mooring.
The mooring is an 800 lb mushroom set up.
The mooring has been jetted into the bottom.
The bottom chain is US Navy surplus anchor chain from a Destroyer.
The top chain is sized for a much larger boat.
The pennants are over sized.
Depending on the tide, I have at minimum 10 - 1+ scope.
I have 100 feet of swing room.
There are none of the worries of being tied up against a fixed object. The boat swings into the wind and waves as it was designed to.

Most days I raise my main, drop the mooring and off I go, unfurling the jib as I sail through the mooring field. Return, I furl the jib, approach the mooring, head up, grab the pennant and loop it over a bow cleat. I pop open a cold one as I drop the main and cover it up for the night.

Given the proper prevailing winds, I can sail from my mooring to Block Island and anchor or pick up a mooring and never start the engine.

I sleep under a cover when those tied to land need airconditioning. There are no mosquitos. My neighbors are at least 100 ft away.

http://marine.geogarage.com/routes?...0IiwieiI6MTF9LCJvIjp7Im5vYSI6eyJ0Ijo4MH19fSAg

My way may not be for everyone, but I'll take it any day over a slip.
Disclaimer: My opinion is subject to change.

As to towns closing off their anchorage to offer rented moorings:
Busy transient anchorages are very bad for the sea bed.
Many people don't know how to anchor and it's often a hazard to anchor in a crowded spot.
Mooring fields allow many more boats than anchoring.

In a perfect world, I would prefer towns didn't do this. However, the world is far from perfect.

I have had too many problems anchoring in busy summer spots. I don't sweat the $40 for a mooring. I do sweat the 35 ft Bayliner who just anchored over my rhode with his little baby danforth and 2-1 scope on fishing line.


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## NewportNewbie (Jul 30, 2011)

I have done both. I'm in a slip now. In liked the mooring but for me it was more of a hassle. Keep a dingy at the dock. I ha o move the dingy every 3 days as it was only 72 hour parking. Had to keep gas in the dingy. If I had work to do I was shuttling back and forth with tools and gear. Night hookups were more of a hassle. Always feared running over others mooring lines. Windy mooring hookups were also harder. Why I like a slip. Easier to dock. Easier to get in and go. More convenient parking for me. Easier to clean!! I can wax an polish on the dock. I can also hose off. I have shore power. My view from te slip is better than it was from the mooring. That though is dependent on the mooring and the slip. It really does depend on the particular slip. I'm in my second slip now and the first was convenient yet not scenic. The new one is much easier to get in and has a much nicer surrounding than the old slip. In the mooring j was surrounded by broken down abandoned boats. In the slip they were pristine and polished boats. Made me do ALOT more cleaning and upkeep. Also MUCH easier to work on. The wife comes on the boat more at the slip. That's a good thing.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

chef2sail said:


> ......Montauk, Greenport, (actually Doering Harbor) , Coakles, Stonington, Pornt Jeffereson, Northport, Olde Saybrooke were virtually no anchoring areas but plenty of moorings. Cape May, Atlantic Highlands, Barnegat, good anchorages.


I'm familiar with anchorages in many of those places. But, I agree, they are often either much further from town or less protected than the mooring fields.



> In NE the moorings appear to be money making set ups for the towns. I am not a lawyer and my knowledge of riparian rights is limited to houses on the beach, how is it these towns are able to rope off large areas in front of them in the water. Is it the town that owns the water? The county? The state? Are marinas to expensive to build there, but are not on the Chessapeake?


I'm familiar with a pretty even mix of private and town owned mooring fields. No standard formula that I recognize. I don't think either are in it for a money grab, there is demand for them.

I can't speak for the Chessy, but the environmentalists target marinas here. If not just making it expensive, it makes it undesirable to deal with. Then the locals that paid 7 figures for their home that is one block from the water, don't like it obstructing their view. Want to bet the marina was there first? So, how does the millionaire keep the reins on the marina? He drives his gas guzzling SUV down to the environmentalists and makes a donation.

Building a new one will never be feasible again, it seems. The waterfront property is too valuable. In fact, it's more common that marinas are being torn down to build condos or office buildings.



> I have found it to be very unfriendly to travelers who just are passing through and want to drop hook for the night. Over $1 a foot to ull up on a mooring when I carry sufficient tackle is hard to swallow.


$1 per foot? I'm going there. Low end is $3 per foot and $6 per foot is common in the tourist traps. I don't think it's unfriendly, it's simply charging what the market will apparently bear. There are almost no slips available unless yu reserve in advance.


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## Familycruisers (Dec 15, 2011)

Most of my reasons were already covered Dave.
I'll add something else. 
During storms I prefer to actually pick my anchorage, use my own ground tackle and use natural windbreaks to remain in the lee.
That being said my GYB mooring is very sheltered from all but the north.
During most storms boats at the Skipjack, Granary, Sassafras Harbor and GYB get hammered by waves if the winds are out of the west. They can't face into the weather either. 
That huge storm that rolled across the NE Chessy on July 4th weekend saw lots of boats damaged at the docks.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Our dock is in a protected hurricane hole. Other than a storm which brings 8 foot storm surge ( we have very little todal change unlike Maine) our bat is much safer tied up in 8 places vs t an anchor or mooring. 

My question is not for the once in a ten year storm, but is for the normal storms of 30-40 knott winds which are common to have 5 or so a year. I can't beleive its safer to go anchor my boat out than leave it in a marina protected 360 degrees. 

Fairly cruisers, does tht mean every storm you untie your boat and anchor t setting on it?

Dave


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

Minnewaska said:


> We have Hylas, HRs, Swans, etc on moorings all around here. 50+ footers to boot


My guess is they have a large powerboat in a slip they use for cocktailing or as a tender when they want to go sailing.:laugher


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

chef2sail said:


> Our dock is in a protected hurricane hole. Other than a storm which brings 8 foot storm surge ( we have very little todal change unlike Maine) our bat is much safer tied up in 8 places vs t an anchor or mooring.
> 
> My question is not for the once in a ten year storm, but is for the normal storms of 30-40 knott winds which are common to have 5 or so a year. I can't beleive its safer to go anchor my boat out than leave it in a marina protected 360 degrees.
> 
> ...


I sailed out of Herrington Harbor South on the Saturday of the boat show.

Image Courtesy Water Way Guide:









It was blowing approx 20-25+ when we returned at about 9:00 pm. Despite this being a very "protected" hole with a narrow fairway to get in, my friends boat was still heeling in the slip and pinned against the dock after we tied her up. He's only got a few inches between his boat and the pilings.. All that in only 20-25 knots in a "protected" hole.. During the day while we were out sailing it blew harder but I was not there to see how the boats reacted..

Down there you don't have a choice as there are very limited moorings. Up here there is a choice and many of our local marinas don't have a wait list while at the same time the mooring fields do..


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## cyasurfin (Jun 12, 2012)

How does one safely secure the outboard on a mooring slip. I know there are locking systems available, but are they reasonably secure. That is my greatest concern. I am considering a mooring in Mission Bay in San Diego


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## NewportNewbie (Jul 30, 2011)

cyasurfin said:


> How does one safely secure the outboard on a mooring slip. I know there are locking systems available, but are they reasonably secure. That is my greatest concern. I am considering a mooring in Mission Bay in San Diego


You mean the dingy? I tied it to the mooring lines. Was also a good visual of where I need to go. It was secure except once in bug wind conditions. The line somehow unwrapped from the mooring. Dingy goes flying through the mooring field because of the current. Had to swing around an maneuver a 30 foot boat and chase down a dingy that is caught in the current. All while making sure I don't hit other boats and don't run over other mooring lines. Then one guy had to jump out of the boat and into the dingy to retrieve it. It was hairy but we had a great laugh when it was all done.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

jephotog said:


> My guess is they have a large powerboat in a slip they use for cocktailing or as a tender when they want to go sailing.:laugher


Painfully true. One I know only races his Swan, but parties on his 70 ft power boat.

In my current marina, bragging rights don't go to the guy with the biggest boat. They go to the guy with the most boats.  One guy has three, all in their own slip.


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## daledog (Oct 16, 2009)

Usually wherever you are you can tie up for a few hours during the day, at a gas dock or marina dock, whatever to fill water, scrub the boat, do laundry. I like to row so no engine hassles. On a mooring the boat is always in line with the breeze so there is always a nice breeze through the boat, and less bugs usually...both big advantages. And yeah, sitting in the cockpit having dinner or a pop is much more pleasant moored. I moor at 79th st in NYC when there. A tough spot for the elements (current, wake, tide, traffic) but ashore you are in the heart of Manhattan...


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## JulieMor (Sep 5, 2011)

Jiminri said:


> In the past, if, for example, I wanted an electrician to check something out, I could just tell him...


...or her...

Having been on both on a can and in a slip, the first thing I'd say is the boat got a lot more use in the slip. It was there, ready to go at any time.

1. The frig was always cold, often with drinks and sometimes food already in it Ice stayed frozen in the freezer.
2. The batteries were always charged
3. Great water pressure w/o running the pumps or draining the water tank
4. The slip made loading and unloading very easy
5. We never did overnights on the can but often did in the slip. 
6. I no longer had to row out to the can (one time the wind was blowing so hard I gave up) and then try to find someplace to dock the boat to load guests and provisions
7. We worried a lot less about the boat being damaged. Boats tend to lose their mooring a lot easier on a can. One time I was lucky enough to be on the boat when a loose boat came our way. We managed to stop it then towed it to the nearest can. I often wondered how the owner found it.

There's more, but for me, if there's a choice, I'll take the slip any day.


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## cyasurfin (Jun 12, 2012)

Actually I was referring to the Outboard motor for a Catalina 22. The dighy discussion was very helpful. I really have not thought a lot about that. Do folks lock up thier motors in the cabin or is that too much trouble


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

cyasurfin said:


> ......Do folks lock up thier motors in the cabin or is that too much trouble


Not a good idea to put gasoline inside a boat. Not even for the main engine.  Fumes are flammable as are spills.

In some parts of the world, small outboards are worth their weight in gold and you must go to great lengths to secure them. A good chain or cable are about the best you can do.

An old marina actually required your outboard to be chained to your dinghy, so we used a bicycle lock. The combination mechanism rusted in place the first season. Most, however, do not lock them at all.

When in Nantucket a few months ago, I was surprised to see how many dinghies were cabled and pad locked to the dinghy dock.


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## Familycruisers (Dec 15, 2011)

chef2sail said:


> Our dock is in a protected hurricane hole. Other than a storm which brings 8 foot storm surge ( we have very little todal change unlike Maine) our bat is much safer tied up in 8 places vs t an anchor or mooring.
> 
> My question is not for the once in a ten year storm, but is for the normal storms of 30-40 knott winds which are common to have 5 or so a year. I can't beleive its safer to go anchor my boat out than leave it in a marina protected 360 degrees.
> 
> ...


Dave, yes if I'm at the dock (charging, washing, whatever) and I see a storm I'll go out to the mooring, which is overkill for my boat and tucked up in a nice spot.



cyasurfin said:


> How does one safely secure the outboard on a mooring slip. I know there are locking systems available, but are they reasonably secure. That is my greatest concern. I am considering a mooring in Mission Bay in San Diego


I just use a padlock through the clamps, seems effective.


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