Mooring Lines Break

Fishy Cover · 07-14-2009, 03:36 PM

I returned to my lakeside home this afternoon and looked out the front window to see a beautiful like new 28" pontoon boat with a mooring cover on, drifting by dragging a mooring ball. Fortunately a neighbor was home (I don't think I could have rescued this alone) and we reached the boat when it was 15' away from a very large rock. We towed it back and put it on another mooring ball.

The owner had a new 3/4' line with a metal eye from the boat to the loop under the mooring ball secured with a U-bolt, and there was a 3/4' line with 3 snap hooks (2 of which had broken snaps) hamging off the bottom of the mooring ball. The last snap hook had remnants of a line, so the failure appeared to be that the snap hook abraded the line underwater, near the anchor weight.

Mooring lines should have one or more swivels between the anchor and the mooring ball and all connections should be metal to metal. It is also important to inspect and replace underwater lines every few years especially because I may not be there if yours fails. Don't trust what you don't see.

Interestingly enough, the same thing happened with another boat from the same mooring field about 20 years ago.

Hope this helps someone.

jrc · 07-14-2009, 08:34 PM

The mooring ball was connected to the anchor by rope, not chain?

Well I guess one failure every twenty years is not too bad. But I would use chain.

BTW almost forgot, Good Job!!!

07-14-2009, 03:36 PM	#1
Fishy Cover Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 134 Thanks: 9 Thanked 13 Times in 12 Posts	Mooring Lines Break I returned to my lakeside home this afternoon and looked out the front window to see a beautiful like new 28" pontoon boat with a mooring cover on, drifting by dragging a mooring ball. Fortunately a neighbor was home (I don't think I could have rescued this alone) and we reached the boat when it was 15' away from a very large rock. We towed it back and put it on another mooring ball. The owner had a new 3/4' line with a metal eye from the boat to the loop under the mooring ball secured with a U-bolt, and there was a 3/4' line with 3 snap hooks (2 of which had broken snaps) hamging off the bottom of the mooring ball. The last snap hook had remnants of a line, so the failure appeared to be that the snap hook abraded the line underwater, near the anchor weight. Mooring lines should have one or more swivels between the anchor and the mooring ball and all connections should be metal to metal. It is also important to inspect and replace underwater lines every few years especially because I may not be there if yours fails. Don't trust what you don't see. Interestingly enough, the same thing happened with another boat from the same mooring field about 20 years ago. Hope this helps someone.

07-14-2009, 08:34 PM	#2
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	The mooring ball was connected to the anchor by rope, not chain? Well I guess one failure every twenty years is not too bad. But I would use chain. BTW almost forgot, Good Job!!!