Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

60' is pretty deep..depth really increases the cost....

Assuming that the 60' depth is at low tide, you are looking at more like 72-75' at high. The reccommended length of bottom chain is 1 to 1.5 times the depth at high tide. My Hamilton Marine catalog shows that you can get a 90' shot of 1-1/4" chain for $2,467.99. That hunk of chain weighs about 1,400 lbs. You would also need about 80 foot of lighter top chain. For that depth I would go with 5/8", which will set you back about $700 for ACCO mooring chain. 80' of ACCO mooring chain weighs about 300 lbs, so you need a mooring float that can support that much weight. A suitable float (~35" diameter) will run around $400. Then you need shackles to attach the chain to the mooring anchor, etc. Figure about $200 for those. Finally you need a pennant. A 1"x20' Yale or Rockpoint pennant will run you $125-$180. Although it isn't necessary, I also like an 8' pickup mast buoy which will run you around $65. Finally you need a mooring anchor. Since you are looking at a year round use mooring, you need a good heavy anchor. For your boat I would go with at least a 1,000 lb steel anchor ($1,700 for a mushroom or $2,300 for a Dor-mor pyramid). So the cost of the bits and pieces should run about $6K.

If you can get into shallower water, the cost goes WAY down I will be setting a new mooring next year in 20' depth at high. I expect that mooring to cost about $1,200.

Remember, the top chain will need to be replaced about every two years for a year round use mooring, so figure about $500 a year for the top chain and $150 a year for a new pennant

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