found a possible mooring anchor

[scottyt]

i have found a few train axles, they are old and solid as heck. the wheel measures about 2 foot tall, with an 8 inch axle that is part of the wheel. one side ( one wheel side ) has a large gear about 18 inches in dia that is about 16 or so inches away from the wheel it self. it looks kind of like the pic i linked to at the bottom ( for some reason my laptop wont let me post pics but feel free to post it), but the gear is further from the end. i think i can get permission to cut a "wheel" off, but i will take the gear side. it has the large stub out the end to for the bearing. the web site that i found this pic on says the axle with wheels weighs about 2200

basicly if i cut the axle a few inches above the gear it would look like a dumb bell, that i would think should hold my 8000 lb 27 foot boat pretty well. i think in one way its kind of like a mushroom anchor, but the gear will hold the top part up if it tips over

any opinion on them, or does anyone near baltimore need one

[CalebD]

scottyt,
I like the idea to a degree but ...
Why would you not find a used mushroom mooring for sale from somewhere (boatyard, boat club, yacht club etc.) that was around 250# - 350# and just go with that?
If you find a well worn mushroom it can be welded to increase the stock of the stem and loop for not much and it is time proven design. How many crabs and oyster beds have to die because your train wheels drag over them? Once you buy an anchor like that it is yours and you can use it for many seasons if you take care of it.
How much metal does the Chessy need in it?
I am a cheapskate and freely admit it. You should be able to get a used mushroom anchor in your size range (250 - 350#) for not that much. Add some new chain and a swivel and you are good to go for several years.
Why re-invent the wheel (as it will tend to spin anyway)?
We have a 350# mushroom anchor for our boat in the Hudson which has way more current then most of the Chessy most of the time and the start up cost of buying a used mooring was under $350 while we added new chain, swivels, ball etc.
I am not with the EPA or DNR of any state but seriously, why re-invent the wheel? I have never been in the non-profit or government sector for employment.
Those train wheels are massive amounts of metal compared to what a traditional mushroom anchor takes to dig in.
Of course, it is your choice.

[scottyt]

where i anchor my boat has no oysters and not many crabs. the bottom is nothing but muck with a layer of plastic bags over it. the area has a storm drain out put and it loves to have boats drag in less than 30 knot winds. i once saw a large cat with a huge like 75 lb bruce drag in 20 knot winds. the owner was from down under and sailed here so i would think they know how to anchor.

every type anchor i have heard of has dragged there, except for some reason deltas. i use 2 dansforths set out stern and bow both set under motor. i have not dragged sense doing that and i think the danforths and deltas can work down thru the bags. but the dansforths wont reset becuase they foul with bags, thats way i use 2 so i dont spin with the wind

i want to do a mooring, because we know anchors can drag. i have also never seen a used mooring for sale around here except one still in the water. we dont need permits to set them so people have no need to pull them when they dont want em any more.

edit: i just cruised craigslist. there are 2 moorings for sale, both in water ones is a 200 lber they 1500 bucks, the other is a 250 lber and they want 1200, both still in the water. none for sale in the last month other than these 2, wet or dry

[NautiG]

I used to go for my morning run right by where you anchor. I remember when they dredged that area so they could put some slips in front of the new townhouses. Along with a lot of other crap, they dredged up an old car.

Too bad the car isn't there anymore. You could have used it as an anchor. But seriously, I think the train axle idea is great. That's just what Baltimore harbor needs. More crap in it.

Scott
Gemini Catamaran Split Decision

[sailingfool]

If you put a jury-rigged mooring like a train wheel down, you are engaging your boat in an experiement - will a wheel serve as an effective mooring or not? If it works well, you're OK, if it doesn't work well, you may trash your boat, lose it completely and/or have to pay thousands to have recovered.

If the downside is a little unclear to you, you might read this thread http://www.sailnet.com/forums/genera...at-i-have.html to see what can happen when a boat is not properly secured.

You get to decide - one of the great characteristics of being the captain of your own boat.

[rikhall]

Moorings - our style.

Here we use cement block moorings in. For the cement blocks, our club has a set of plywood forms that are easy to come apart (when you want them to). We take the forms to a cement place (the place that had dozens of cement trucks and pours foundations all day). We set the forms up where the people clean out the cement trucks. We have pre-wired in the large bar for attaching the shackle and chain. Every couple of days, we go down, take off the form, set it up again and go away. When we have enough mooring blocks, we get a large trailer and drive it down to the cement yard.

The cement guys use their front-end loaded to put the blocks on the trailer for us. We depart with the blocks, leaving an appropriate number of cases of liquid refreshment behind. We get our moorings, they don't have to bust up and dispose of the remnants in the cement trucks and both parties are happy.

I know that concrete is "lighter" in water than in air, but we just make the blocks a bit bigger to compensate. We have never had one drag.

Just another option - not recommending it as the best (just saying what we do) and no, I do not have shares in the cement company, the trailer rental nor the beer company.

Rik

[scottyt]

i think if i used one of these wheels, it would act just like a mushroom anchor.

i wanted to do a screw mooring, but i talked to a city guy who is involved with the marinas. he said the inner harbor is 10 feet of muck where i want to put a mooring. which gets me into a pro job screw mooring, which is out of my price range right now.

i am also not saying i would abandon the anchor when done, i would use it for years, and is it easier to get up a 1000 lbs of steel or 1500 lbs of comcrete. probably a wash after the steel sinks some.

[xsboats]

The train axles sound like a great idea for a mooring anchor. Much better than the engine blocks many used to put down. The point of attachment for the chain on a mushroom always fails first and the gear on your axle looks to have good points of attachment. Screws aren't all that great as they never reset themselves after they drag. It seems odd to me that a sailor would be criticized by others for being creative in their solution to a common problem. I always thought we were a group that thought outside the box.

[rikhall]

Originally Posted by xsboats

The train axles sound like a great idea for a mooring . . .I always thought we were a group that thought outside the box.

xsboats

We always take the concrete out of the box before we put it in the water.



Rik

[Vasco]

Train axle and wheels are excellent. A yacht club in the Niagara river uses them for all their moorings.