MOORING MAINTENANCE

MOORING CONSTRUCTION & USE - Each mooring is designed with sufficient weight and chain to hold a large power boat, but no guarantee is expressed or implied.  We have two types of mooring balls:  

1. The mooring chain slips freely through a tube in the center of the ball and terminates on a 4" diameter steel ring on top of the ball.  Use your mooring pole to pick up the ring to attach YOUR mooring line.  Use two turns around the ring to minimize chafe.  A single turn around the ring will likely chafe through during a stormy night. 
2. The mooring chain terminates on the bottom of the ball.  Use your mooring pole to pick up the ball to attach YOUR mooring line.  Use two turns around the ring to minimize chafe.  A single turn around the ring will likely chafe through during a stormy night. 

WINTER STORAGE - The moorings are installed in pairs so they can be tied together for winter storage and easier Spring retrieval.  Here's how:

• Tie a 1/4" poly line 1/2 meter from the end of the chain and remove the float.  Keep the quick link and steel ring with the float for future inspection.  Straighten the chain towards shore and towards the other mooring as much as possible.  
• Tie a milk jug (marked AOSA) to the end of the chain using 5 meters of 1/4" poly line.  Fill with water leaving about 3" of air in the bottle.  Coil the excess line so the bottle floats about 1 meter below propellers and ice.
• Tie the chain ends together with 1/4" poly floating line and drop to the bottom.  The line should float about a meter up from the bottom to ensure retrieval with a grappling hook. Do not let it float higher as it may create a hazard. 
• ( If the combination is pulled towards shore from the center it will create a right angle presenting the largest target for retrieving with a grappling hook in the spring.) 
• Tools required - medium size crescent wrench, vice grips, large screw driver.

SPRING RETRIEVAL - The moorings are relatively easy to retrieve if you use a grappling hook on the end of a 40' line. A 2' length of 1/4" chain will prevent the hook from bouncing across the bottom. Heave out the grappling hook across the poly line and drag it over the bottom.  When you feel a solid bite, maintain light tension till you are directly over top of it, then pull up with constant tension. 

• Pull the line to the surface and drain the water from the bottles, release the bundle of line and let the bottle float. Repeat for the other mooring. 
• Attach the hard shell AOSA mooring to the end of the chain. Tie the chain to your boat so you can't loose it, open the quick link, slip the chain through the mooring ball, reattach the quick link and steel ring to the end of the float.
• Release the works without capsizing your boat in the cold water! Keep your fingers clear. 
• Tools required - Grappling hook, 2 medium size crescent wrenches.

- Two 130 lb steel truck drums.
- 30 feet of 7/16" chain bolted to the bottom drum.
- 10' of 1/4" chain.
- 1 hard ball float, white with reflective blue stripe.
- 1 steel ring on top of each ball.

- 20 feet of 1/4" cable bolted to 10' of 3/8" chain.

- anchored with a 20 lb navy anchor.

NOTE - This mooring has sunk.

NOTE - This mooring will NOT be deployed till it is repaired.

CARDINAL BUOY MAINTENANCE.

RETRIEVAL - When you are alongside pull the mooring cable to the surface with a boat hook till the buoy is horizontal.  With a gloved hand, grab the cable attachment and swing it over the gunwale.  Pull the buoy over the gunwale and tip it into the boat.  Be careful you don't hit the strobe on top of the sail.

LANTERN - Each Fall the lanterns must be removed from the buoys (use a Phillips screw driver and a 3' long 3/8" nut driver to remove the 4 screws that fasten it to the sail), and placed in a cardboard box to exclude all light. The computer measures the hours of darkness and if it exceeds 8 hours, the system shuts down to save the battery.

BATTERY MAINTENANCE - During the winter expose the lanterns to sunlight every 90 days to charge the batteries and then return the assembly to total darkness for storage.  The 3 AA Ni-CAD batteries have a life expectancy of 5 years.  It is best to replace them every 4 years.  See LANTERN above to remove the lantern from the top of the buoy.  Open the battery compartment at the bottom of the lantern (4 Phillips screws) and remove the battery pack (2 Philips screws inside the compartment).