Forums > Sailing General

How often do you service your mooring ?

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Created by SHM > 9 months ago, 23 Dec 2017
SHM
3 posts
23 Dec 2017 5:42PM
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A mooring should be serviced every 12 months.

We are mooring contractors in Sydney harbour,
We only use Australian made materials, we can use cheap Chinese chain & swivels, you guys would never know, but for our own piece of mind (and our insurance company) we don't ! we could buy Chinese equipment chains etc for less than 1/2 the price.
our swivels are made by a Aussie guy who is 83 years old in Mona Vale, we could buy a "knock off" of his swivels for 1/3 the price , but we don't !
our ropes are the best you can buy UV stabilised, We heat shrink our spliced ropes , but again you will never see this, we do this because spliced ropes can unlay under water (very rarely), with heat shrink they never do !

We have seen some shocking mooring done by who knows who !

we don't compromise on quality, but if you want to , we are there to help you, as we offer a very efficient salvage service for sunken vessels.


New rules coming in 2018 all mooring need service, like a pink slip on a car.

Chris 249
NSW, 3420 posts
23 Dec 2017 9:05PM
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Mine's serviced annually. However, I'm slightly concerned that you may end up getting bitten hard if many people give up on owning boats due to the increasing hassle of paperwork.

Oddly enough, there's also a legal case in which it was found that a mooring contractor was not liable for laying a mooring that dragged or broke when new. It seems a little bit as if boat owners are getting hit both ways; they have to pay for a service but they cannot rely on that service being adequate.

Obviously, broken moorings are an issue. I used to live on the waterfront as a kid and every year I would end up chasing someone else's boat. However at some point a cost/risk analysis has to be done and from what I've known Waterways NSW cannot be trusted to do it.

SHM
3 posts
23 Dec 2017 6:11PM
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Chris 249
Interested that there is a legal case, can you point me to it ?
We don't get every job we quote because we may specify a larger mooring block / Blocks , but another contractor can use a lighter equipment and get away with it till we get a big blow !
we have never lost a boat or a mooring.

You only get what you pay for.

nswsailor
NSW, 1441 posts
23 Dec 2017 9:44PM
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Well its seems we were ripped off by the marinas with the 28/90 rule and now it seems we are going to get ripped of by the mooring contractors [labourers] . [SHM "New rules coming in 2018 all mooring need service, like a pink slip on a car."]

No doubt there are some boat owners out there who don't care about their mooring but there has to be leeway for those of us who are quiet capable of servicing our own moorings and who in most cases built their own!

I suppose what SHM is hinting, is that RMS is going to issue a minimum standard for which NEW [I hope & not retrospectively] moorings have to be built too?

This is interesting as all the moored boats in my area have received, WE ARE GOING TO INSPECT YOUR MOORING notices. That period has passed and we are now receiving requests for receipts and/or stat decs that the mooring has been serviced. I wonder if they even did an inspection as its pretty obvious that my mooring has been replaced by just looking at the new rope!

I have also wondered if that has anything to do with a local guy who has set himself up as a mooring labourer???

Can anybody indicate whats going on in QLD, may have to move the yacht there permanently!!

simmrr
WA, 194 posts
23 Dec 2017 10:35PM
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People just cant sit still these days

I feel sorry for you nsw people reading some of the threads on here.
Liken it to afl and nrl. Bloody rule changes every bloody year. The games survived countless decades with hardly a rule change and since the nineties ended there hasnt been a year where there hasnt been some bleeding idiot needing to justify their job by changing this and that.

Same with the bureaucrats. Rules every year. Its just getting too stuffy and its creating such a mundane funless existence which is exactly what these people who write these rules exsist in. We dont need a litigious society where everyone is wrapped in cotton.

We need a world where adults are treated as such and common sense applies and runaway boats cause a bit of excitement. Life should be unpredictable.

Sorry to derail the thread OP i will get off the soapbox now.

And anyone else if your offended I dont care. Go suck eggs.

twodogs1969
NSW, 1000 posts
24 Dec 2017 5:04AM
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Select to expand quote
simmrr said..


We need a world where adults are treated as such and common sense applies and runaway boats cause a bit of excitement. Life should be unpredictable.

And anyone else if your offended I dont care. Go suck eggs.


SHM is obviously touting for business new member and first post.
The thread is poisd as a question but his post is an advertisement for his business.

But this remark shows you have obviously no idea have you ever had your boat damaged by a runaway boat? It' not so. Exciting when you are out if pocket thousands of dollars.
The people who can be bothered with servicing their moorings usually can' be bothered insuring eithet. Try recovering money from someone who has none.
The boat that hit mine didn't beak his mooring he dragged it and was insured. Guess what still cost me thousands. His boat was to big for the mooring.

So sorry yes I do get offended by people who's negligence cost me money. Or people who get excitement out of others misfortune. Should we all be cheering on when it' your boat that you had only owned for 3 weeks gets damaged through someone else' incompetence?

Ramona
NSW, 7651 posts
24 Dec 2017 8:21AM
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Select to expand quote
SHM said..
A mooring should be serviced every 12 months.

We are mooring contractors in Sydney harbour,
We only use Australian made materials, we can use cheap Chinese chain & swivels, you guys would never know, but for our own piece of mind (and our insurance company) we don't ! we could buy Chinese equipment chains etc for less than 1/2 the price.
our swivels are made by a Aussie guy who is 83 years old in Mona Vale, we could buy a "knock off" of his swivels for 1/3 the price , but we don't !
our ropes are the best you can buy UV stabilised, We heat shrink our spliced ropes , but again you will never see this, we do this because spliced ropes can unlay under water (very rarely), with heat shrink they never do !

We have seen some shocking mooring done by who knows who !

we don't compromise on quality, but if you want to , we are there to help you, as we offer a very efficient salvage service for sunken vessels.


New rules coming in 2018 all mooring need service, like a pink slip on a car.


Who is going to check the checker? Till we have some training and qualifications required for professional mooring contractors we will be just handing more money over to strangers. An IQ test should be the first consideration for people wanting to call themselves mooring contractors. All you need at the moment is an ABN number and your name listed with the local council. Pink slips on cars are handed out by mechanics who are qualified. Lets see who gets qualified to inspect moorings. When I was a fisherman we had to have Safe food inspections annually which cost $300 and was carried out by a retired dairy farmer! Perhaps we should find a few of these.
Every one has horror stories about professional mooring contractors. Locally we have had one of the contractors service the wrong mooring [number on the buoy not good enough], naturally the chap that paid good money had his yacht come off in the first flood a couple of weeks later. Mate and I had to recover that yacht because marine rescue don't do salvage. Same contractor put in a new mooring that was in 3 feet of water at low tide! lucky the yacht never settled on the block! Took 2 weeks to get him to sort that out. Probably 40% of the local moorings are serviced by their owners. They are the only ones that don't fail.
New mooring installed during the week here. I rowed past on the way to my yacht yesterday and it was immediately obvious it was too close to a Swanson 32. Tide was running hard and the mooring buoy was 20 feet to the South of the yacht. When I returned from sailing and rowed past the yacht again it was slack water at the top of the tide. The riser was floating about 5 feet from the hull. By the time I grabbed my camera it had drifted out about 10 feet to the East of the Swanson. I could have easily pulled 20 feet of riser into the cockpit. I don't know who put the mooring in yet but the riser is Sea Green which is what the local contactors use.
There is another new mooring nearby with out a yacht on it that touches a neighbouring yacht in some tide/wind conditions.



Ramona
NSW, 7651 posts
24 Dec 2017 8:52AM
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Another professional job.


samsturdy
NSW, 1659 posts
24 Dec 2017 10:20AM
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I guess anyone in business who doesn't do a good job first time everytime doesn't stay in business
for long. In Pittwater I use one of the Big Two, to much reputation to lose if they slack off, so they do
a reliable job every time. But as stated 'you only get what you pay for'.

valo
NSW, 309 posts
24 Dec 2017 12:06PM
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So how much should a service, no repairs required, cost?

samsturdy
NSW, 1659 posts
24 Dec 2017 12:33PM
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It's about $230 for me valo.

UncleBob
NSW, 1234 posts
24 Dec 2017 12:45PM
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valo said..
So how much should a service, no repairs required, cost?


It's about $350 for me if I pay on the day.

Planeray
NSW, 213 posts
24 Dec 2017 1:03PM
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UncleBob said..

valo said..
So how much should a service, no repairs required, cost?



It's about $350 for me if I pay on the day.


Wow - my last one was $335, and that included it being moved from Gladesville to Drummoyne. Jubilee Marine.

MorningBird
NSW, 2678 posts
24 Dec 2017 2:54PM
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Mine was $238 for a straight service by Jubilee Marine.

From the RMS website.

"To ensure your mooring is installed correctly, Roads and Maritime recommends you engage an experienced mooring contractor and use only quality materials. To ensure it remains in good condition, the mooring apparatus must be serviced every 12 months or more frequently if it is subject to specific mooring conditions.Failure to maintain your mooring apparatus in good condition may result in mooring failure and your vessel going adrift, which can have consequences. Penalties may also apply in this situation.Proof of mooring service must be produced to Roads and Maritime on request.As the mooring licensee, you're responsible at all times for damage caused by your vessel and/or mooring apparatus to any other vessel or property. It's strongly recommended that you have adequate insurance to cover such contingencies as Roads and Maritime bears no responsibility."

At the moment you don't have to use a contractor. I reckon if you can show a record of inspection and parts used you can safely show you serviced your own mooring.

If they force use of a contractor in the future, RMS would have to licence all the contractors. What standards would be used to do so? As RMS would be responsible for the contractor standards, I would expect RMS would take responsibility for the work the contractors do.

nswsailor
NSW, 1441 posts
25 Dec 2017 12:10PM
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Gosh that's cheap, services to morningbird etc, our "NEW" mooring contractor charge $400 to replace a couple of shackles on one mooring, he only dived on it did not lift it out.

Can't wait to here how much he charged the other for the replacement of rope, swivel and two shackles!!!

valo
NSW, 309 posts
25 Dec 2017 2:05PM
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I recently paid $242 for a straight service / inspection on a 12 month old mooring.
I was told $220. Obviously they then added the GST!
No record of condition of the mooring. Just an invoice. Not professional in my opinion.
I had a bloke do a scrub for around $100 and he text me pictures and a report on the condition of the existing antifoul and hull from his obversations.

Ringle
NSW, 190 posts
26 Dec 2017 8:46AM
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I dive on mine regularly when I clean my hull. I am in a quiet bay with no ferries and very little wash. I check the wear on the swivel and chain links, the seizing on the shackles and the overall condition. I've gone 4 years between services this way.

I disagree that it is like a pink slip and should be mandated in law. Cars are 2 tons of metal with people inside travelling at speed in close proximity. People die or are maimed regularly. The very occasional failure of a mooring is not of the same order.

Why do we as Australian love ever creeping bureacracy to take over our lives?

UncleBob
NSW, 1234 posts
26 Dec 2017 11:04AM
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Select to expand quote
Ringle said..
I dive on mine regularly when I clean my hull. I am in a quiet bay with no ferries and very little wash. I check the wear on the swivel and chain links, the seizing on the shackles and the overall condition. I've gone 4 years between services this way.

I disagree that it is like a pink slip and should be mandated in law. Cars are 2 tons of metal with people inside travelling at speed in close proximity. People die or are maimed regularly. The very occasional failure of a mooring is not of the same order.

Why do we as Australian love ever creeping bureacracy to take over our lives?


Not all of us,not at all. Like the 90 day rule, just more yes minister bull****.

FelixdeCat
NSW, 234 posts
9 Jul 2018 10:19PM
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Keeping the books on boat expenses is like a part time job :)

Heres the last 3 years worth. Like a pink slip on a car except 10 times the price :)










Ramona
NSW, 7651 posts
10 Jul 2018 7:43AM
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Is that catamaran swinging on 24mm silver rope? Expensive chain and swivel.

Purfler
NSW, 48 posts
10 Jul 2018 10:05AM
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Naturally safety is paramount, but I wonder how often RMS exercise this power:

"Proof of mooring service must be produced to Roads and Maritime on request."

Recently there was an inspection of boats and I assume moorings to the extent that they could be seen above water in the Lane Cove River where mine is moored. I assume that any mooring they thought suspect was the subject of a notice to produce. (One sad old yacht - sadder than mine - and clearly a mooring minder had notice of compulsory acquisition on it after the inspection)

Not wanting to verbal the very helpful RMS officer who showed me possible locations when I got the mooring late last year, but he said with a new mooring apparatus I could go for 18 months without an inspection. This of course would mean nothing the face of a demand to produce evidence of inspection.

Tim

Serenite
46 posts
10 Jul 2018 12:07PM
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Ringle said..
I dive on mine regularly when I clean my hull. I am in a quiet bay with no ferries and very little wash. I check the wear on the swivel and chain links, the seizing on the shackles and the overall condition. I've gone 4 years between services this way.


I used to dive on mine but feel a lot less comfortable on the bottom of the Parramatta River than I used to. Visibility can easily be less than a foot and quickly goes to zero when you disturb the ground tackle to have a look see. Wait 30 seconds for the tide to move the silt away and repeat.

Never seen a noah in/on the river but isn't it the ones you don't see that are dangerous?

plev
QLD, 181 posts
10 Jul 2018 5:18PM
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Anyone use anodes on their mooring chain?

PLEV

nswsailor
NSW, 1441 posts
10 Jul 2018 5:55PM
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Select to expand quote
Purfler said..
Naturally safety is paramount, but I wonder how often RMS exercise this power:

"Proof of mooring service must be produced to Roads and Maritime on request."

Recently there was an inspection of boats and I assume moorings to the extent that they could be seen above water in the Lane Cove River where mine is moored. I assume that any mooring they thought suspect was the subject of a notice to produce. (One sad old yacht - sadder than mine - and clearly a mooring minder had notice of compulsory acquisition on it after the inspection)

Not wanting to verbal the very helpful RMS officer who showed me possible locations when I got the mooring late last year, but he said with a new mooring apparatus I could go for 18 months without an inspection. This of course would mean nothing the face of a demand to produce evidence of inspection.

Tim


Yes they asked all of us in the Camden Haven Inlet this year.

As I did my own I had to send a stat dec. I worded it so they couldn't shoot any holes in it, determine who did the work or what was done, only that it was serviced. Maritime were happy with that!

SandS
VIC, 5904 posts
10 Jul 2018 7:52PM
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SHM you sound like you provide a really top quality product !!!! Do you guarantee your product ?

Purfler
NSW, 48 posts
11 Jul 2018 8:02AM
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Serenite said..

Ringle said..
I dive on mine regularly when I clean my hull. I am in a quiet bay with no ferries and very little wash. I check the wear on the


Never seen a noah in/on the river but isn't it the ones you don't see that are dangerous?


My youngest used to work at a business on the marina at Cabarita, on the Parramatta River. Bull sharks were not uncommon, a diver based there wore an electric shark repellent and a dog was taken a year or so ago. I can dive, but buggered if I'd do it in the Lane Cove river, I like to see what's around me.

Regards,

Tim

MorningBird
NSW, 2678 posts
11 Jul 2018 1:56PM
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Select to expand quote
Purfler said..

Serenite said..


Ringle said..
I dive on mine regularly when I clean my hull. I am in a quiet bay with no ferries and very little wash. I check the wear on the



Never seen a noah in/on the river but isn't it the ones you don't see that are dangerous?



My youngest used to work at a business on the marina at Cabarita, on the Parramatta River. Bull sharks were not uncommon, a diver based there wore an electric shark repellent and a dog was taken a year or so ago. I can dive, but buggered if I'd do it in the Lane Cove river, I like to see what's around me.

Regards,

Tim


Same same. I sometimes clean my prop but I am always aware of the danger so am really uncomfortable in the water at Drummoyne.

Bristolfashion
VIC, 490 posts
11 Jul 2018 10:06PM
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Servicing every 2 years is compulsory in Tassie . Seems reasonable. A lot of people seem not to do it.

Quite a few bays are completely stuffed with moorings. If you get into minor strife, you can't anchor 'cos of the moorings and can't trust the moorings for an emergency 'cos they're not serviced.

Personally, I'd like all moorings adequately serviced and to be able to use empty moorings upon booking & paying a reasonable fee - some bays are otherwise unusable (or, at least, the prime anchoring spots are full of moorings) & most moorings are unused most of the time in some locations. Obviously happy for clubs etc to give their members preferential booking / rates. In busy or environmentally sensitive locations, this would also minimise sea bed damage.

Cheers

Bristol

Gos2017
NSW, 47 posts
13 Jul 2018 2:20PM
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Curious...is there anywhere to check the service history of the RMS public moorings? Given that basically any size vessel can tie up to them, it would be good to know they are being kept in the best possible condition. Couldn't find anything on the website.

Gos

UncleBob
NSW, 1234 posts
13 Jul 2018 5:52PM
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Select to expand quote
Gos2017 said..
Curious...is there anywhere to check the service history of the RMS public moorings? Given that basically any size vessel can tie up to them, it would be good to know they are being kept in the best possible condition. Couldn't find anything on the website.

Gos


Good point, I have wondered about this myself. Heaven forbid that the hallowed RMS may not have been servicing their own moorings within the required time frame.

Bundeenabuoy
NSW, 1239 posts
19 Jul 2018 7:45PM
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valo said..
I recently paid $242 for a straight service / inspection on a 12 month old mooring.
I was told $220. Obviously they then added the GST!
No record of condition of the mooring. Just an invoice. Not professional in my opinion.
I had a bloke do a scrub for around $100 and he text me pictures and a report on the condition of the existing antifoul and hull from his obversations.


Were you happy with the $100 job?



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"How often do you service your mooring ?" started by SHM