Found a cool tool for mooring at last year at the boat show in the Svendsens Marine booth, it’s called the Grab’n Go Mooring hook by Johnson. It looks like a heavy-duty gated lifting hook, the gate does not lock the line in the hook, you attach it to a boat pole/hook with a hose clamp, the hook slides into the attached slider and jams against the boat hook holding it in place, a line is attached to the hook. As you glide by the mooring ball, you snag the ball with the hook and give the pole a jerk and the hook detaches from the pole. The hook has a small 3" cable loop to hook and release with your boat hook when leaving.
The Grab’n Go Mooring hook is not intended for permanent mooring. http://www.csjohnson.com/pages/new_for_2003/grab_n_go_information.html
Here is the trick to look cool while leaving the mooring, it will baffel your friends and neighbors. Buy two of the Grab’n Go Mooring Hooks, attach one to your stern line, to the release loop of the hook attach a small trip line, when you snag the stern mooring ball feed out your stern line and trip line as you pass the stern mooring ball. Keep just enough tension in the line to keep it clear of the propeller. Move forward to the bow mooring ball and snag the forward ball with your second Grab’n Go hook attached to a temporary line; pull yourself forward to the mooring ball and run your heavy duty bow line through the mooring ball and back to the bow, when secure, release the forward Grab’n Go and bring it back on board.
When leaving the mooring, pull the stern trip line and the aft Grab’n go will pop free from the mooring ball and bring it on board. Slip the bow line and pull it through the mooring ball and back onboard, then power or sail away. During the mooring ball release process, you will be centered between both mooring balls, no more playing tag with encrusted mooring balls, this will leave your friends and neighbors bewildered, it’s fun to screw with their minds. Make sure you leave your mooring just as your neighbors are coming on deck, it’s fun to watch them scrambling around looking for their glasses.
Marty Chin