Mooring Kit on 795

[ihsan]

  Mooring kit costs 184 Euros tax included according to Jeanneau guide. If I am not mistaken you get 4 fenders and 3 meter ropes for each.  I recall that probably you get two sets of ropes,  2 for aft and 2 for bow, to dock your boat. That must be it.  It may be a little different for USA. There is no explanation in the Jeanneau mooring kit option paragraph, where as it would be nice if they had.

  If you choose the option, these come from the factory, in my case Poland,  placed inside the cabin, in the hatch under the table. They are not provided by the distributer.  Do not expect high quality metarial.  Just enough to do the job. By the way, in my case, 4 fenders are not enough. I think 4 on each side needed. Anyway, this option helps you at the day of delivery, you don't have to run for them. It may be better to talk to your dealer first, he may be willing to supply you with or without charge on that critical day.  

[rene460]

Hi Viewfinder, I did not buy the offered mooring kit, but as they always advertise based on “sail away” prices to imply complete, nothing more to buy, I do feel that they have to offer it, in case the buyer really takes that literally.  I have often quipped that “sail away” is fine, providing you don’t want to come back, as it does not normally include fenders and mooring ropes.  Even if you take delivery neatly moored and fendered in the dealers marina, as when you sail away the ropes probably belong to the marina. Note you had better be able to sail away as it might not include fuel, (or is that too cynical?) 

The kit we were offered did include the compulsory safety kit, such as anchor, flares, bailing bucket with rope etc, that are legal requirements in out area, and I feel it is good that they took some responsibility to make sure that I had the necessary equipment on board.

But I suggest that you make a list, with the dealers help if required, and prepare for delivery day by selecting and buying the necessary equipment before hand.  At a minimum, fenders suitable for your intended home marina and some ropes, preferably four, of generous length, even if they are cotton cords from the back of your shed.  Four allows bow and stern lines, anything over half a boat length will do, plus two spring lines, each 1 to 2 boat lengths, and brush up on your knots so you can preferably tie a reliable loop that does not slip, preferably a bowline, and a round turn and two half hitches, for fixing a rope to a post or other fixed part of the marina.  These are not intended to be your permanent equipment, but allow you to tie up and adjust to length with your knots while you measure up the lengths you need for your particular location and facilities.    But do then go and get what you really need, don’t wait until the next storm passes through.

I can see the old hands laughing at this, but my point is that the requirements are highly specific to your marina, and the other facilities where you may want to tie up in your boating adventures.   Then I would buy a complete reel of say 100 meters of the suitably size good quality rope, and take the dealers size suggestion if you have no better idea.  Oils ain’t oils, to quote the ad, and “ropes ain’t ropes” I would add.  Ropes vary in quality and some feel better in the hand than others, and if you want the admiral to help, spend enough to buy something that feels nice on the hand.  Ropes also vary in their stretch, and a bit of stretch makes a big reduction in the impact forces when waves move your boat to where they suddenly pull up tight.  I use a good nylon three strand for this.  A full reel allows you to cut the four ropes described with splicing allowance, plus the 50 metres of anchor rope to meet common requirements, though your area may require something more, eg chain for a rocky area.  In any case a boat length of chain at the anchor end is part of a proper anchor system.  And choosing an anchor is another whole topic where you don’t just want the cheapest available.  Most chandlers will splice the rope you buy to your chosen length if you can’t do your own.

Similarly fenders.  You don’t simply want any old bit of padding to put between your pride and joy and the rough old marina posts, you want ones that will work in your situation.  And you want ones that you can conveniently store on board without them occupying that prime saloon seats.  Personally I find the spherical ones hard to store, but notice that the hull shape of some boats makes them necessary.  Similarly, I find the flat ones that can also double as cockpit cushions, thus helping with temporary storage while you are on board, are also best for mooring against posts on a jetty, where the round ones, even if tied horizontal, are very prone to rolling off the posts.  This protects the fender but not the post.  In my waters I would not be without a couple of flat ones.

All of these little differences do affect the cost, so your preference on where to spend a little more will not likely be included in a one size fits all package.  As with life jackets, choose your own and decide for yourself where to spend your money.  And don’t leave it all to a quick trip through the Chandler on the way to the delivery point, allow plenty of time to work out what is available, and make careful selection, if necessary returning to finalise your choice after sleeping on it.

I am sorry if I seem to have oversimplified the issue, but I assume from the question that you might appreciate a few thoughts.  Above all, what ever you decide, don’t be afraid to go back and buy an upgrade, as it is all important safety equipment which is necessary to look after your boat, but it is really only tested when a storm passes through, and you are not on board, and not even in a position to go and check that all is ok.

And to be fair to my dealer, he was a bit dubious about my decision not to buy the kit and put it in anyway.  And he did not stint, beautiful black 8 plat mooring lines, professionally spliced at each end, expensive folding buckets with a rope attached, and a set of good quality inflatable fenders.  It all really Looked smart in his fancy relatively new floating marina with white rubber bump strips all around.  But the 8 plat catches on every splinter of the weather worn posts at my marina, and cannot be seen if in the dark if you are arriving at night.  The Buckets store easily and would be great for bailing should the need arise, but if you are using them while washing the decks, and set them down while you scrub a bit, the folding sides collapse neatly down, spilling all your water and detergent.

I hope those few thoughts are helpful, and no doubt they will prompt others to come in with more.

rene460

[ihsan]

Thanks Rene for providing extensive information on this subject. Highly useful.