2011-01-05 P & R Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Pat, Each member of our community is responsible for their own mooring ball to include the cost of installation which we do ourselves. It's easy. But the procedures are prescribed by the harbor master who manages the mooring field. He lays it out according to the needs of the boats (draft and length), the water depth, tide, and the wind. The harbor master lays out the field and it never changes. The field is laid out with rows (alpha) and balls (numbers). The separation is maintained based upon the length of the boats and their expected swing. All rows are offset from one another by 50 %. The deep draft boats are in the center of our field because that is where the water is deepest. Our harbor master does specify the design of our tackle which consists of a large mushroom anchor, galvanized swivels, heavy chain, and then light chain, and a mooring ball. The mushroom will fall over after a little wind and then rotate on the bottom if the wind is really strong. The balls are supposed to be numbered and lettered to identify ownership. The heavy chain lies on the bottom and normally buries itself in the mud and the light chain goes to the buoy. The light chain is about 1.25 times the depth of the water at high tide. I also have about 10 -12' of heavy chain. All of the connections (clamps and swivels) need to be stainless steel wired and twisted in place. This keeps them from turning out. My mooring system has been in place for three years. This year, I replaced all of the light chain. The heavy chain which is buried in the mud is pristine. The corrosion and wear from the salt water takes place near the water surface where there is more sun light and living creatures that attach themselves. In fresh water, I think you will get a lot more wear as the corrosion will not be so bad. Here, we do not remove the balls. If there is heavy ice accumulation, it will tear the ball away or crush it. A solution is to remove the ball and tie a light line to it the goes to the shore and is staked. In the spring, you follow the line back to the light chain and reattach the buoy. The cost of a buoy system for a boat around 20' is about $500.00. The material is cheap but the cost to transport heavy chain and 100# mushroom anchors is expensive. People that have really big boats have a screw anchor installed by commercial firm. That costs a lot of money. We charge $200.00 for the privilege of keeping a boat on the mooring ball. This is really the top of the charge we can make because anyone can put a ball in the water if they are approved by the county. The water belongs to the State of Maryland and anyone can place a mooring ball so long as it does not hinder navigation. OSPIA owns the license for the mooring field and manages it on behalf of the county. We use the fees to cover the cost of having a diver inspect annually each mooring and provide a report. If they are identified to be in poor condition, then the harbor master issues a letter to the owner that the mooring must be serviced. I will scan some information and send it to you later today that show the design of mooring systems.