Mooring Setup Question From a Newbie

[J. Howard]

Hi all,

I recently purchased a used 25' Sea Ray and I plan to moore it at one of the Chicago harbors on Lake Michigan. My understanding is that all of the below-water gear (anchor, chain, etc) is provided and maintained by the harbor service (if this is incorrect, please let me know).

My question is this: I'm pretty sure that I can get by with just a mooring pendant attached to a cleat on the boat, but is there something more that is generally used to provide more security/peace of mind? A buddy of mine who has a slip and doesn't need to worry about this sort of thing mentioned that he often sees people using some sort of Y-shaped harness possibly involving shackles and/or swivels, etc.

I searched around and couldn't find anything commercially available and I figured there'd be plenty of expert advice to be found here.

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to participating more in the forum as I gain experience.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Mooring Setup Question From a Newbie

i would not depend on a deck cleat, i would use the bow eye. who ever you are getting the mooring from and give you the best advice.

 

[J. Howard]

Re: Mooring Setup Question From a Newbie

Sounds good, thanks. I'm new to the forum and very much appreciate the help and wealth of information that is available here.

 

[12vMan]

Re: Mooring Setup Question From a Newbie

When mooring, 'the cleat is a cheat, give the eye a try'.

 

[J. Howard]

Re: Mooring Setup Question From a Newbie

Hi again,

I was given my mooring permit at Monroe Harbor this morning and I spoke to the harbor service there, so I thought that I'd update this thread in case there are other folks in the future who are curious about this. Apparently the harbor master actually creates custom harnesses based on the specific boat. I'm not sure if this is a requirement or just a way for them to make some extra coin, but being new to this, I'll probably go with that option. Lake Michigan can get pretty rough so I'll be more comfortable going with a known solution that others are using.

I'll try to take a picture of the harness on the boat when I get set up so that others can see it in the future. And you all can let me know if it's actually necessary, etc.

Thanks again!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Mooring Setup Question From a Newbie

That sounds like a fine solution. I'm sure they know what's needed for their anchorage, and it'll eliminate the trial and error process you might otherwise use.

Looks to me like you picked a good place to moor.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Mooring Setup Question From a Newbie

When mooring, 'the cleat is a cheat, give the eye a try'.

Nice!