Living on a mooring

conery · #1 03-12-2008

I tried to live on Mooring in a Bay in NJ one summer and got beat up.
Has anyone else parked on a mooring and had good luck living for a summer season.
I found the wind and weather just took its toll on my body and boat.
Maybe I need to eat more spinach!

Conery

zaliasvejas · #2 03-12-2008

Was it just wind and waves?
Yeah, you should start with spinach and progress to raw tuna.....
Learn how to open beer bottles with your teeth, crush oisters with your pinky and you will feel better....
Forget about heating in the winter..

The seeker

LarryandSusanMacDonald · #3 03-15-2008

We've lived at anchor for weeks at a time - while working, not cruising. Lots of drawbacks, like no air conditioning - but the boat points into the wind (unless the current is strong) so you usually have a fresh breeze. You have to pick your spot to avoid the gassholes with the big wakes. Most of the time the seclusion is very nice. We love each other and even more, we enjoy each others company. I wouldn't want to do it by myself.

There are a couple of guys in our marina (each on his own boat) who prefer living at a mooring. In the winter, they have to come in to the docks. One always gets a T out on the end so he still has his view of the water. Both actually prefer their moorings.

tdw · #4 03-17-2008

We love being out on a mooring but for permanent liveaboard when you have to go to work it's a bit of a pain.

If our new boat comes through we plan on moving aboard if and when we dispose of our main business and just do a bit of consulting were we don't need to keep regular office hours. Even then we are seriously thinking of moving from mooring to berth cos it's simply more convenient.

Hopefully we'll even ditch the consultancy and just go cruising, then we will certainly spend most of our time anchored, maybe berthing if we are visiting a town where we'd want to spend days exploring.

Nonetheless, if the mooring is in a quietish bay , its our preferred option. Even in a relatively crowded port it's nice having that space around you, particularly if you are relatively antisocial.

PBzeer · #5 03-17-2008

I've spent 3 months here at Boot Key Harbor on a mooring. On the plus side, it's cheaper than dockage, and that's about it for pluses. At least here, you get a weekly pumpout and dinghy dock with your mooring. That means using the dinghy though, for everything you want to do. From showering at the marina, to shopping, to dining out. But you either have to take the boat in, or ferry jerry cans for water. I wouldn't want to do it if I didn't have alternatives to the engine for charging my batteries.

sailingdog · #6 03-17-2008

PBzeer's got a good point... You shouldn't live on a mooring, unless you've got alternative ways to charge the batteries on your boat, other than running the engine. If you have to run the engine everyday to charge the batteries, it won't be good for your engine.

SVDistantStar · #7 03-17-2008

Ah this one is right up my alley.

I live aboard my Pearson on a mooring with my wife and 2 kids. Granted right now we are staying with my grandparents on land, we do still spend alot of time on the boats.

When we were living aboard, it was a bit tough. The marina won't allow anyone from the anchorage to use the showers, so it was either a solar shower on the boat or grab one at my grandparents(or sneak in to the marina and get a quick one). The kids love the boat, they sleep alot better out there. We have learned to cook without the use of a microwave or anything that runs on AC power. Our fridge is an icebox. That does get a little old after awile, but ive gotten used to hauling ice every 2 days.

As for power, we dont have an inboard so i have a 1400w Onan genny setting in the back of the cockpit behind the pedestal. Its noisy so it only gets run when we arnt there. The 12v system is decent and keeps enough power to run our lights and TV at night. We dont have pressure water, so there is a foot pump in the galley. I keep the water jugs in the skiff and fill them as needed. I dont use a normal dingy, ive got a 14' skiff with a 9.9 Johnson on it. We also have a smaller rowing dink with a 3hp motor on it.

Overall, we do enjoy living on the hook better than we enjoy marinas, but we do still visit the marina with the smaller boat for the weekends when we have the extra money. Our biggest perk to being on a mooring is there is no one to bother us. Marinas are full of drunks and loudmouths and we dont care for either.

Sailpilot · #8 03-19-2008

I lived on a mooring for 3 months while waiting to find a house. I stayed in a hotel for 3-4day here and there (work). The dink dock was 1 boat length away. I thought it was the best of both worlds. Get close if you want easy, get far if you want to be alone. Never slept better.

petegingras · #9 03-19-2008

some marinas utilize dolphins or pilings in channels, they're an alternative to the mooring, but it's a little difficult to tie-up single handing. The genset/generator is the way to go for consistent battery charging, the wind generators, I’ve never used, so can’t comment.

But living aboard without the convenience of electricity is one thing, but how close is the pump-out for you? That’s more important.

merttan · #10 03-20-2008

About the charging the battery with engine... Aren't diesels supposed to be ran as often as possible like daily basis unless they are winterized? That's what I know from my previous power boat... I had a automatic starter and shut off for the days I couldn't get to the boat back then...