CLSA Mooring Instructions
A. All boats must have valid Ohio watercraft registrations with numbers and decals affixed according to Ohio regulations. They shall also have the state dock decals affixed to both the boat and dock.
B. Boats not using a lift will moor using lines from bow to shore and lines from stern to provided mooring buoy.
1. Lines must be at least 3/8" diameter nylon with thimbles or other chafing gear to protect from wear. A short length of chain should used at the sea wall to prevent chafe. There should be one end knotted to allow for adjustment at times of high or low water levels.
2. Connection at the buoy end should be not to the buoy itself, but to the chain below the buoy using a screw pin shackle.
3. Bow lines should be arranged in a vee attached to two anchor points on shore and to a sturdy fitting at the bow of the boat. Likewise, and especially on larger boats, stern lines should be arranged in a vee with two lines attached to sturdy fittings at the stern of the boat and to the mooring chain. These dual lines not only give lateral control to the moored boat but provide redundancy for safety.
4. All lines should be adjusted tight enough to prevent boat touching shore bulkhead, dock or neighboring boat, but loose enough to be able to move with waves and accommodate changes in lake level.
5. It is acceptable to rig a poly or other floating "pull" line between the top of the buoy and shore to aid leaving and returning.
6. Moored boats are almost in constant motion and therefore prone to rig failures. Stay turnbuckles should be firmly locked and taped. Clevis pins should have their cotter pins or rings inspected and taped in place. It is good practice to attach the jib halyard to the tack fitting and secure it for redundancy.
7. If you cannot be at the lake for an extended period, arrange with a friend to check your boat for you.
C. Members using a lift should make provision to secure the boat in the event
the lake is in flood and the boat floats free of the lift. Some members strap
the boat down and leave their bailers open, but even so, there is likely
buoyancy enough to pick the lift off the bottom and move it. It is better to
place lines to restrict the boat from moving out of position. Some use vertical
side guide posts for this. In any event a bow line to shore should be used.
Since ice on the lake in the winter has been known to damage docks and lifts
left on the lake bottom, there are opportunities both in the fall and spring to
remove and replace them as a group effort.
Lift design must be approved by the state and the CLSA harbormaster. Most
commercially made lifts are approved by the state, but "home made" designs may
require approval. CLSA strongly recommends new lifts be of aluminum construction
to facilitate easier seasonal handling.
D. Although lift and mooring line installation is the responsibility of the members, the CLSA harbormaster will be the judge of the safety and adequacy of all installations. He is also responsible for the installation and maintenance of the mooring buoys and anchors.
F. Unless they are being actively repaired, no boat lifts are allowed on shore after Memorial Day. Lifts remaining and unidentified may be sold or cut up and disposed of by CLSA.