There are similarities and differences here on the Maine coast. Moorings are regulated by the towns that the harbor is in. All harbors are in a town because of the way municipalities are set up here. To set a mooring you first get a permit from the town. In almost all places there is a waiting list to set a mooring. Where my mooring is in Southwest Harbor, Maine the wait list is on the order of 10-15 years. The waiting time is generally longer for bigger boats. You pay an annual permit fee to the town where the mooring is located. The fee is normally higher if the mooring owner doesn't live in the town. Locally our moorings normally consist of a granite block, two chains, a mooring ball and a line mooring pendant. For my 36' boat I have a three ton block. You can also use a concrete block similar to what you use in BC, but it will have to be heavier than a granite block. Some people also use steel mushrooms or pyramids. Concrete and steel are more expensive than granite so granite is by far the most common. There are two 1.5"-2" holes drilled through the block. A "U" shaped steel bar called a staple (typically 1'5" diameter) is passed through the holes in the block and bent over on the bottom of the block. The bottom chain is attached to the staple normally by passing the staple through the last link of the chain when the staple is installed, but the bottom chain is sometimes attached to the staple with a shackle. Typically the length of the bottom chain is about half way between the low and high tide depth where the mooring is set. Bottom chain for a mooring like mine is 1-1/4" natural finish. The top chain (typically 1/2" to 5/8") hot dip galvanized long link chain is normally attached to the bottom chain with a pair of shackles occasionally with a swivel between the shackles. The top chain is typically one and a half times the high tide depth at the mooring. The mooring ball is shackled to the top chain about 4-5 links from the end of the chain. The mooring pendant is shackled, normally with a swivel to the end of the top chain. We secure the swivels with stainless wire like you do. Locally (it varies from town to town), moorings have to be inspected every three years. That can be done by a diver, but mostly a mooring service barge is used. The inspections are set up so that the mooring from the bottom chain up is inspected in one inspection than at the next inspection the entire mooring is inspected. With the barge, they use a crane on the barge to haul the mooring up out of the water to the junction between the two chains for the top only inspection. At the next inspection the entire mooring is hauled up onto the barge. We generally have muddy bottoms, so the heavy bottom chain sits in the mud except during really bad storms. Because of that bottom chains and the mooring staple last 20-25 years. Top chains last about 6 years or maybe longer if the mooring isn't used in winter and the top chain is dropped into the mud for the winter. Most moorings are not used in winter because of the weather. W had two 70+ knot storms last week.

Solid and helpful info. Thank you

hope to see more on old dog soon its been a while. thanks simon!

Thanks for sharing 👍

Very informative... thkU 🎉

I have heard that mooring balls start to be questionable at or above 40knot winds because the scope is small and the bow lifting violently can smash the cleat right out of the deck. In such a case, anchoring in rougher water with lots of scope might be a better option. The fisherman's wharf behind a break water is better for long times even if rafting is required and still not too expensive.... a lot less than a marina. Still lots of people prefer to pay the extra just so they don't have to deal with (tight) rafting. Note that I do not live aboard so that is a difference too. Have a good one.

Give doggo a pat for me. Can we get a mini og boat video for 2024

CHAMP!!!! ❤💔

I've learned a lot. By the way, De Courcy Island is the same lineage as my Coursey surname.

I use the heavy duty zip ties. Still good after 7yrs.

Would it help to soak that rusty chain in phosphoric acid to convert the rust to a hard oxide? Or is that just overkill?...🤔😋

👍👌👏

You put your shackles the wrong way on the swivel. That used chain also fails.

You pay 50 to the federal government

0300 call about your boat on a reef is bad... 0300 call about your boat jammed into someone else's boat is much worse. Just sayin'

It sounds like anybody can attach to your buoy and basically steal it .