Mooring on a Lake

[Richard Bares]

I've looked and looked and can't find what I'm looking for.
My family and I are renting a cabin in northern Minnesota in a few weeks. Ideally we will rent a lift, which we did last year and it worked great.
Lifts aren't guaranteed, however, so I need to be prepared to either moor or beach.
I can't for the life of me find the best way to moor a 19' boat. Do I simply get a dock line and tie up? Do I have to do anything special?
I have a keel guard so beaching isn't the end of the world. If i end up going that route I may purchase a beach spike or anchor.
Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you in advance.

 

[tdonoughue]

Well, mooring generally refers to tying to a mooring buoy, which is basically a permanent buoy affixed to the bottom. Don't think you will probably have that available to you...

I think you have two options, then: beaching or anchoring. If you beach, you still want to tie up (in case there is a wave or wake--don't want your boat leaving during the night accidentally), but that one is pretty easy. If you anchor, you may want to do an anchor out in the water and a shore spike on shore. Many folks do that and then use a bungee-type line on the anchor side. That let's you pull the boat into shore (pulling against the spike), disembark, release the line and the boat goes back out near the anchor. Then, when you want to leave again, pull in the boat via the line at the shore spike, board, let go of the line and the bungee will pull you out to the anchor.

If you are going to be in the same place for a few days, you can even drop an anchor and tie a buoy to the top--then you basically have made a temporary mooring point, only with an anchor (so not a true mooring, as if you pull the opposite direction on it, the anchor will release). That will make it so you don't have to reset the anchor each time. Then when you come back you use a boat hook to grab the buoy and tie to the line going to the anchor.

Make sense?

 

[Richard Bares]

Well, mooring generally refers to tying to a mooring buoy, which is basically a permanent buoy affixed to the bottom. Don't think you will probably have that available to you...

I think you have two options, then: beaching or anchoring. If you beach, you still want to tie up (in case there is a wave or wake--don't want your boat leaving during the night accidentally), but that one is pretty easy. If you anchor, you may want to do an anchor out in the water and a shore spike on shore. Many folks do that and then use a bungee-type line on the anchor side. That let's you pull the boat into shore (pulling against the spike), disembark, release the line and the boat goes back out near the anchor. Then, when you want to leave again, pull in the boat via the line at the shore spike, board, let go of the line and the bungee will pull you out to the anchor.

If you are going to be in the same place for a few days, you can even drop an anchor and tie a buoy to the top--then you basically have made a temporary mooring point, only with an anchor (so not a true mooring, as if you pull the opposite direction on it, the anchor will release). That will make it so you don't have to reset the anchor each time. Then when you come back you use a boat hook to grab the buoy and tie to the line going to the anchor.

Make sense?

They actually do normally have a permanent mooring bouy available. It depends on how close they installed the owners docks to the bouy is the main question which I won't know until I get there. The main problem with beaching is how gradual the depth is. Waste deep could be 20' off shore.

 

[tdonoughue]

With our boats, waist deep won't beach it! But I get your point.

If you have an actual mooring buoy, then it is just a matter of how you get the captain out to it. If you are decent at swimming, you can just swim out to it if it is some reasonable distance. Otherwise, I guess you could bring a little canoe? Or see if the place has a little rowboat you can use (row out, tow the rowboat back...).

 

[Richard Bares]

With our boats, waist deep won't beach it! But I get your point.

If you have an actual mooring buoy, then it is just a matter of how you get the captain out to it. If you are decent at swimming, you can just swim out to it if it is some reasonable distance. Otherwise, I guess you could bring a little canoe? Or see if the place has a little rowboat you can use (row out, tow the rowboat back...).

Getting to and from it isn't the issue. I'm looking for the best/easiest way to connect to it. The point i'm trying to make about beaching is, i would have to cut the engine a decent ways offshore in order to avoid sucking up sand and rocks.

 

[Bluewater272]

Is a short dock line with a carabiner on both ends not an option? Latch onto the ball, then latch the other end to your bow eye?

Seems logical, but i've never used a mooring buoy.

 

[Richard Bares]

Is a short dock line with a carabiner on both ends not an option? Latch onto the ball, then latch the other end to your bow eye?

Seems logical, but i've never used a mooring buoy.

That's the idea I had. I just wasn't sure if that is acceptable or not. I have never moored either.

 

[tdonoughue]

A real mooring has a pennant (usually a floating line) attached to it. Usually its yucky, so a short braided nylon line with an eye, like a dock line, can then be used to go through the eye on the pennant, through the eye of your dock line and back to tie off at the cleat on the bow of your boat.

 

[Sotally Tober]

What @tdonoughue said.

1. You can use a shore spike to beach the boat: Shore Spike — Slide Anchor
or
2. You can attach an anchor buddy to your anchor. Throw your anchor off the stern just off shore. Then attach the bow of your boat to the shore spike on shore. From there your boat will remain in the deeper water while being tied off to the shore. When you need to retrieve your boat, just pull on the rope attached to the shore spike and bow. The anchor buddy (bungee) will allow the boat to be pulled ashore.

Anchor Buddy info below:

All Products — Slide Anchor

www.slideanchor.com