I'll be able to put my boat on a mooring buoy at a family members place this summer. I'd use it occasionally for weekends.
Does anyone know how to calculate the needed weight for the mooring anchor ?

ed

Our lake has specific standards for mooring buoys and you have to pay every year for the permit. Those standards say to use a 50 gallon drum full of concrete. I'm sure michigan is different.

Just for a mooring bouy I would say the 55 gallon drum size would be more than enough. Check your regs on your body of water though.

Ya, that's a pretty common practice. A 55-gallon drum filled with concrete weighs about 1050 LB, which will have an apparent weight of about 620 LB when submerged in water. It should be fine for calm waters. Rough waters are a different story, then I would suggest a true mooring anchor like a pyramid or shroom.

Here's a good site:

Pyramid Suggested Sizes
Boat Length Anchor Size in Lbs.
15 15, 35, 70
20 135
25 200, 270
30 375, 500, 600
50 1000
60+ 2000

http://www.newenglandmarine.com/Prod...es/Mooring.htm

Thanks guys.

I don't know if you could find them, but for the last mooring buoy I had I used old elevator weights. There was already a hole through them, just bolted the chain to the first weight, then slide the rest of them down the chain. I sold the house about 6 years ago, and after 10 winters, and 10 summers tha buoy is still there.

If you can get your hands on some old residential cast iron steam radiators, those work really well. Odd shaped, so they tend to not "drag" and weigh a S/L! Just string a few together on a chain, drop 'em in and done.

Nick - still can't get over that avatar!! Dayum - what a great set of mooring ballz! (to keep it on-topic!).

They're real, too! You can see more here.

Yeah - saw that thread... she is smokin'!