Use your noodle

Say hello to the North Coast mooring pick-up buoy

Issue 33 : Nov/Dec 2003

North Coast sailors (those sailing on the Great Lakes) count on two major seasons: sailing and snowing. The two minor seasons are commissioning and decommissioning. As a North Coast trailersailor, I was experiencing the latter of the major seasons as I cleared snow off my O’Day 222, which was “moored” on her trailer in my backyard.

To take my mind off of the task at hand, I was reviewing my sailing “to do” list when I came to Item 10: Replace mooring pick-up buoy. I mumbled to myself, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a handle on the pick-up buoy like the one on this snow shovel?” As if on cue, a loud crack filled the air.

Not paying full attention, I had wedged the snow shovel between a roller and the trailer frame and inadvertently (or maybe subconsciously) twisted and broken it. I now had the bright red handle I would need for my new mooring pick-up buoy. Off to the workshop I went, hoping that the unshoveled snow would melt by commissioning season.

The construction of my North Coast pick-up buoy is relatively straightforward. The major components consist of a 6-foot length of 1⁄2-inch PVC pipe and a 2-foot piece of swim “noodle,” a readily obtainable, plastic-foam cylinder with a hole through the center that will form the buoy. You’ll also need a 6-inch section of 1⁄2-inch wooden dowel, a galvanized eyebolt with a wood-screw end, and, of course, the snow-shovel handle. Fastening requires a small amount of epoxy and a couple of 1 1⁄2-inch or 2-inch stainless-steel machine screws with locking nuts.

Slide the swim noodle onto the 6-foot length of PVC pipe. The noodle’s exact location will ultimately depend on the weight of your mooring chain. This can be determined at the dock when final adjustment and assembly are made. If you are using line instead of chain, it may be necessary to fill the lower third of the pipe with BBs or to add three to four links of heavy chain to the bottom eye. The goal is to have the pick-up buoy float straight out of the water.

Next, drill a hole into the end of a 3-inch piece of wooden dowel. After screwing the eyebolt into the hole, insert the dowel into the lower end of the PVC pipe, approximately 1⁄2 inch past flush. Use a 1 1⁄2-inch stainless-steel screw and nut to secure it in place. Fill the 1⁄2-inch space with epoxy, creating a watertight seal.

At this point in the assembly process you may want to test the buoy. If, after sliding the noodle up and down, the buoy does not float vertically when attached to the mooring line and chain, this is the time to add the links of chain or pour BBs down the pipe. If you use BBs, once the desired number have been added, pour some epoxy down the pipe to secure them in place. Finally, insert the other 3-inch piece of dowel into the top of the pipe, sealing it with epoxy. Use a stainless-steel screw and nut to fasten the snow-shovel handle through both the pipe and wooden plug.

Just as the Riviera has its Mediterranean mooring and the Caribbean its Bahamian anchoring, we Great Lakes sailors now have our North Coast pick-up buoy.

Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com