Permanent Mooring Anchor Installation

[joebro14]

I am in the planning stages of installing a permanent mooring buoy on Orcas Island, in the Puget Sound. It will be primarily used for smaller sail, speed, and fishing boats. I am a certified SCUBA dive master and I am planning to dive to install the buoy. I am currently considering the following options:


I have free access to steel (grandparent own a steel company) so the first option is to use a multiple dead weight anchoring system. I have been looking around for information on how much weight would be needed to hold a 25ft boat (roughly). I understand that the calculation is more difficult (surface area, wind speed, tidal currents, ect) but some rough estimates would be helpful.


The second option would be to use multiple helix anchors but I am having trouble finding the size I would need and I believe installation would be extremely difficult due to the depth of the preferred mooring spot.


The third option would be a hybrid of helix and dead weight.


I would like to avoide paying $2k+ fora professionally installed system. The only benefit of that would be the ability to moor larger boats. If anyone has installed a permanent mooring anchor please share your story. Any advice is helpful.



Thanks and happy sailing.

[kcamfield]

What did you end up doing? I am considering doing something similar at Beckett Point near Port Townsend.

Originally Posted by joebro14

I am in the planning stages of installing a permanent mooring buoy on Orcas Island, in the Puget Sound. It will be primarily used for smaller sail, speed, and fishing boats. I am a certified SCUBA dive master and I am planning to dive to install the buoy. I am currently considering the following options:


I have free access to steel (grandparent own a steel company) so the first option is to use a multiple dead weight anchoring system. I have been looking around for information on how much weight would be needed to hold a 25ft boat (roughly). I understand that the calculation is more difficult (surface area, wind speed, tidal currents, ect) but some rough estimates would be helpful.


The second option would be to use multiple helix anchors but I am having trouble finding the size I would need and I believe installation would be extremely difficult due to the depth of the preferred mooring spot.


The third option would be a hybrid of helix and dead weight.


I would like to avoide paying $2k+ fora professionally installed system. The only benefit of that would be the ability to moor larger boats. If anyone has installed a permanent mooring anchor please share your story. Any advice is helpful.



Thanks and happy sailing.

[Minnewaska]

kcamfield,

This post is almost 2 years old and you'll note, in the post count on the top right, the original poster has never posted again since. Seems unlikely you are going to get an answer. If you have questions of your own, I would start a new thread and ask them. Good stuff here, welcome aboard.

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by kcamfield

What did you end up doing? I am considering doing something similar at Beckett Point near Port Townsend.

Aside from what Minnewaska points, which is good advice... and I'd also recommend you read the POST in my signature.

You might want to check to see what the local regulations REQUIRE. Most areas will have at least some guidelines on what is required for a mooring. Most areas will also require a permit for placing a mooring, and often require annual or bi-annual inspections of the gear.

A good starting place to do research on this stuff is Hamilton Marine's catalog Mooring gear pages, as they have fairly solid basic guidelines for a reasonably sized mooring: