Shop mooring gear at West Marine.

If you use your boat in an area where marina space is limited or in high demand, a mooring buoy can be an economical alternative to renting a slip in a marina.

What is a mooring buoy?

A mooring buoy (or mooring “ball”) is a floating device anchored to the bottom of a body of water, used to secure boats in a specific location. Mooring buoys are part of mooring systems which typically consist of an anchor that is connected by a chain to the large buoy which itself is normally shackled to a mooring pendant that is held at the surface of the water by a smaller buoy. The mooring pendant is the rope to which boaters make their boats fast. The mooring process involves slowly approaching the mooring buoy and picking up the mooring pendant with a boat hook and making a boat’s mooring line fast to it. Mooring buoys are commonly used in marinas, harbors, and other areas where boats are moored seasonally during the summer.

Seasonal Mooring Buoys

Seasonal mooring buoys are typically used by boaters who want to leave their boat in the same location for an extended period of time, such as the summer months. Some marinas and harbors offer seasonal mooring buoys, which can be rented for the duration of the boating season. These types of mooring buoys are usually well-maintained and inspected regularly to ensure they are safe and secure.

Assemble your own mooring system.

Rather than renting a mooring buoy, where regulations allow, you can create your own mooring system and “plant” your mooring where you wish. West Marine offers everything you need to do this. From mooring anchors, to mooring chain, mooring buoys and mooring pendants, you can find it all at West Marine. Along with everything you need to create the mooring itself, West Marine also offers related hardware like mooring bridles, hawse pipes, bow chocks, boat hooks and more to make your system complete.