Old fashioned mooring system with floating pole ...

[kengrome]

I saw an interesting mooring system on a web page a year or so ago, and I cannot find it again, so I thought I might ask if anyone here can help me ...

The mooring system I'm looking for was (from what I recall) made of a wooden pole that was maybe 4-6 inches in diameter and it was attached by a chain or rope to some kind of anchor, or chunk of concrete, or engine block, or something else that didn't move on the bottom.

The pole floated vertically and maybe 1/2 or 1/3 or 1/4 of it was out of the water and the rest submerged. It had some kind of steel ring on it, and I think this is what the boat attached to.

From what I can remember, the ring on the pole was supposed to slide up and down, and the whole system was supposed to act like a shock absorber to dampen the effects of waves and currents.

I recall that the article said it was an old-fashioned system that few people use any more but that it was very inexpensive and effective.

If this info "rings a bell" with anyone, and if you can point me to the web page or send me a copy of the pix and/or the description of this mooring system I would certainly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

[George Ray]

Still in use in state of Maine, USA. You could google around or maybe sent an email to a 'harbor master' at some salty seafaring town like Camden, Rockport, Jonesport, Portland, Bath, etc etc and they could surely point you in the right direction.

[Bruce Hooke]

Actually, while I remembering seeing that system in days gone by in Maine, I have not seen pole moorings recently (as best I can remember), except sometimes as a winter substitute for the usual inflatable ball if the mooring is left in your round. One issue may be that a wood pole is not as gentle on the topsides as a plastic ball.

The ones I remember had large holes through the pole for the rope & chain rather than steel rings.

[Bill Perkins]

Harold Payson gave a good description in the back of one of his Instant Boat books .I think .

[laxreff]

Try the Backyard Boatyard by Buhler (sp?) one of the first editions. I believe I saw it there. Also try one of those boy's adventure/craft how-to books from the 20's and 30's. Similar to the early Popular Mechanics books put out at that time.

[Sal's Dad]

Nothing complicated about it. A log or pole, with (heavy) chain conecting the bottom end to the mooring anchor or slab, and a hole, or hardware at the top end to which the boat is secured. The weight of the chain holds the pole vertical, unless there is significant strain, in which case the whole assembly will straighten out. No moving parts, and the only "permanent" connections are at either end of the chain; the only part that will cost money is the chain.

[rbj37]

Small boat journal, march 1980, p. 26-27. "Safe in the clutches of the devil's claw".

[rbgarr]

The spar/devil's claw arrangement doesn't have a 'sliding ring' but is virtually fool proof once made up. I'll post my scan of the pages here, but they may not be readable:

http://i17.tinypic.com/4orrm6b.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/537dvkw.jpg

[Tylerdurden]

If anyone needs one, I have a 600# cast iron mixer body they can have for a mooring. If you have seen old Hobart mixers you would see its potential for fixing to the bottom. First thing I thought of when I saw it.

[kengrome]

Small boat journal, march 1980, p. 26-27. "Safe in the clutches of the devil's claw".
The spar/devil's claw arrangement doesn't have a 'sliding ring' but is virtually fool proof once made up. I'll post my scan of the pages here ...Thanks rbj37 and rgbarr!

This is the exact article I remember reading a year or more ago. You're right, it was not a sliding ring, it was the "devil's claw" that impressed the writer of the article -- and me after reading it. I like things that are "simple and foolproof" and I believe the devil's claw pole mooring is likely to be a great solution for mooring a boat in exposed places.

[Bill Perkins]

Thanks for taking the trouble to scan ,I'll print that out . Who was the author?He mentions that the Devils claw can simply be "batted " back out of the post hole when dropping the mooring .It seems it's intended that the central "U" in the claw be long enough to project right through the post to allow this foolproof method of removal . This would maximize frictions hold on the post too, keeping the claw from falling out in calms . The illustrator may have misrepresented this important detail in the sections drawn ,tho it looks closer to right in the sketch of the boatman (the "U" looks impossibly wide there) . Also the text describes the mooring chain being attached to the fat end of the post , though it's shown attached to the thin end , which seems wrong .

[rbgarr]

Harold Payson wrote the article (I see now that his name got cut off in my scan). There are a couple of things to keep in mind about using these moorings:

1. Don't drop the devil's claw! They bounce like springs and can go overboard easily.

B. The mooring will only work easily for the boat that has the devil's claw to go with it, so if you loan out your mooring to others....

III. On the other hand, B. may be an advantage.