Berthing single handed at a finger pontoon?

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Andrew E

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I’ve read many methods on how to do this, the most famous of which is the stern bridle which involves lassoing a cleat then driving against the stern bridle to bring the boat alongside. This video - https://vimeo.com/110882884 explains the method really well.

However the stern bridle will not work because my boat is a good 40% or so longer than the finger pontoon. The illustration below shows my boat in relation to the pontoon…

docka.jpg


The other method which I believe will work is the midships spring. This involves setting up a line from the midships cleat, stopping the boat alongside and finally stepping off and securing that line to the aft most cleat on the pontoon. Obviously making sure the line is led under the guard wire :o

Do you think the midships spring is the best method for my pontoon? Or are there better/easier methods ?

Thanks
 
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Set up a well fendered v shaped receiver on your main pontoon.

Drive the bow gently into the V then leave it in gear at tickover with the rudder hard over away from the finger.

Meander forward and pick up the lines from the pontoon which you have left attached to the mooring cleats. Anxiety is over.
 
TQA said:
Set up a well fendered v shaped receiver on your main pontoon.

Drive the bow gently into the V then leave it in gear at tickover with the rudder hard over away from the finger.

Meander forward and pick up the lines from the pontoon which you have left attached to the mooring cleats. Anxiety is over.
Click to expand...
Yes, a well-fendered berth is ideal, but when visiting a strange berth, a mid-section spring is almost the only way that works reliably. In tricky conditions it is often easiest to berth alongside the "other" boat and sort oneself out at leisure. Failing that, there is no dishonour in berthing on the lee finger and hauling oneself across later.
 
I single hand a 10m boat and always use a midship line. With the midship line you can come in forwards or backwards. I reverse into my home berth, i rig the midship line as a slip, drop it over the cleat on the end of the finger and reverse in, slipping the line. When i'm far enough in i tie the line off on the boat (2 or 3 turns around a sheet winch) and leave the engine in astern. If i get blown around a lot i can also snub the line at any time, whilst leaving the engine in astern and the boat is pulled tight to the pontoon.
 
On your home berth it is best to have lines already attached to the finger cleats and made up with eyes to the correct length. A line from the end cleat to midships is the first to pick up, putting the boat in against a bow fender. Pick the line up with a boat hook (or have it on a pole if it helps) and hook it onto the midships cleat on the boat. If the wind is blowing you back leave in gear at tickover. You can now walk along the deck picking up your other lines at your leisure. No panic, no jumping off and worthy of a round of applause.
 
I have been using this method since my first marina berth in the 80's with boats up to 42 ft singlehanded.

Short line from mid-ship cleat to end of finger. Use it as a spring and motor in against this line, adjusting length until bow is where you want it. Attach other lines while engine holds boat. Usually tick over is sufficient but have used full power in a gale. Works in own berth or when visiting other marinas. I have a line made up with a hook on a detachable pole to get the first cleat (or ring on many Norwegian built marinas).
If your midship cleat is not in the right place fit another pair, its well worth the effort. Once a short midship line is secured the boat can not go very far so is safe and easily controlled.
 
Tranona said:
On your home berth it is best to have lines already attached to the finger cleats and made up with eyes to the correct length. A line from the end cleat to midships is the first to pick up, putting the boat in against a bow fender. Pick the line up with a boat hook (or have it on a pole if it helps) and hook it onto the midships cleat on the boat. If the wind is blowing you back leave in gear at tickover. You can now walk along the deck picking up your other lines at your leisure. No panic, no jumping off and worthy of a round of applause.
Click to expand...
Definitely. Anyone hoping to lasso a hoop in Titchmarsh marina is going to be disappointed, since we only have hoops to moor to. Although we are always two up, I have a geriatric pole on the pontoon to holm my shore lines.
 
Does anyone use those hook & loop boathook affairs that automatically passes the rope through the loop of a mooring ring and then pulls it back?? Expensive but seem to work well. My winches are my midships cleats when I moor to my fore & aft, come alongside and use boothook to pull the line between the 2 bouys and then hook over the winch. Gives my stability and time to sort out the fore & aft lines. It's quite a tight mooring so it's a bit of a rush.
 
Andrew E said:
The other method which I believe will work is the midships spring. This involves setting up a line from the midships cleat, stopping the boat alongside and finally stepping off and securing that line to the aft most cleat on the pontoon. Obviously making sure the line is led under the guard wire :o

Do you think the midships spring is the best method for my pontoon? Or are there better/easier methods ?
Click to expand...

That's what I use (40ft, single-hander, typical shortish marina finger). With a slight variant that looks like this:

midshipswinch.jpg


So when I come in (as slow as possible, as fast as necessary if there's wind/tide), I have the line set up like this, with one end made fast on the midships cleat, forming a loop outside the stanchions and then leading back through the center hole in the same cleat. From there to a winch I can reach from the helm.

With that ready and the loop resting on the lifelines, I can leave the cockpit when the boat is lined up, drop the loop over the cleat, get back to the helm and pull it tight as well as let it in or out as needed while motoring gently against it and using the rudder to keep the boat straight.

All credit goes to Duncan Wells, I've picked this up from his excellent book, which contains QR codes for videos where he demonstrates a lot of tricks like this.

I also picked up a Handy Duck mooring aid a year ago, but haven't yet used it as the above trick seems to be sufficient, and possibly quicker :)

Oh, and add some fenders to your picture! They help! ;-)
 
TQA said:
Set up a well fendered v shaped receiver on your main pontoon.

Drive the bow gently into the V then leave it in gear at tickover with the rudder hard over away from the finger.

Meander forward and pick up the lines from the pontoon which you have left attached to the mooring cleats. Anxiety is over.
Click to expand...
Or use a bow fender. Then you can use the same technique anywhere you berth.
 
Similar to Yngmar, but I don't actually use the mid ships cleat. I have a loop on the end of a line, held open by passing the rope through a plastic tube, the line passes through a mid ships fairlead and back to the winch. I used to do it like Yngmar, but had difficulty lassoing the finger cleat with the loop. By using a rope with effectively a hula hoop on the end makes it relatively easy to lasso the cleat. The plastic tube adds weight as well as holding the loop open, and the single rope running through the fairlead, reduces the risk of jamming. The technique of motoring ahead against the spring works really well.
 
I read about the amid ships cleat idea on here and have used it successfully ever since - on various marina, pontoon type moorings. We only have the jib cars to use, but works fine to "stop and hold" whilst getting the other lines rigged.
DannyB's idea sounds good! Will have a think about that, in theory extend the reach without having to buy one of those expensive jobbies! :o
 
Andrew E said:
Do you think the midships spring is the best method for my pontoon? Or are there better/easier methods ?
Click to expand...

We have the same issue in our berth.

Our solution is to learn to embrace stern-to berthing. Motor in astern, stop the boat as it approaches the end of the berth, lasso the cleat on the main pontoon and motor forward against it as per usual.
 
TQA said:
Set up a well fendered v shaped receiver on your main pontoon.

Drive the bow gently into the V then leave it in gear at tickover with the rudder hard over away from the finger.

Meander forward and pick up the lines from the pontoon which you have left attached to the mooring cleats. Anxiety is over.
Click to expand...

Think that's how I would do it as well.. only difference would probably be that I'd put a V fender on the nose of the boat instead of fender on pontoon, but you could do both...how "bouncy" is the finger berth at the outer end?
 
I wouldnt presume to advise on how to do it on your home mooring - yet again, yesterday, I made a horlicks of it.

On a longish lock pontoon I use a rope with a loop in the end fortified by some hose to keep it open . I rig this not from my centre cleat but via the block I use for the jibe preventer and then back to a sheet winch. Rigging from the cleat leaves my boat very much bows in, and the winch route gives me effective control of the length so that I can hold the loop itself by the wheel as I come in. Works well.
 
I use the midships spring approach and find it works a treat. I have one of these
http://www.cadarn-solutions.co.uk/ (Talon)
I can generally catch both cleats and hoops with it, using it on a pole. It has the great advantage that it locks on when you withdraw the pole, but you can also unlock it from a distance as well. Very useful for moorings too. It can also be held in the hand if you are close enough. It's very strong.

I have a line with a snubber in it at the right length for my home berth. That is easily detachable and for other berths I lead a line through a block at the midships cleat and back to the cockpit so that I can adjust the length as necessary.

The manufacturers are also good people to deal with. I wouldn't be without my Talon.
 
MountainGoat said:
We have the same issue in our berth.

Our solution is to learn to embrace stern-to berthing. Motor in astern, stop the boat as it approaches the end of the berth, lasso the cleat on the main pontoon and motor forward against it as per usual.
Click to expand...

I prefer stern to mooring. I use the same method as Yngmar, in reverse. As i reverse in i drop the loop over the cleat on the end of the finger and motor astern against it. You can the slip the line, whilst still in gear, to get back as far as you like, tie it off the step off to fasten the stern line. One of the advantages of motoring astern against the spring is that if you start to get blown off you can snub the line and the boat will pull tight against the pontoon.
 
Andrew E said:
Do you think the midships spring is the best method for my pontoon? Or are there better/easier methods ?
Click to expand...

If your "midships cleat" is anywhere close to the position in the picture, put a really big fender towards the stern on the side furthest from the pontoon the first time you try it. Forward of a certain point and no amount of rudder away from the pontoon will stop the nose pivoting inwards and the stern outwards when you engage forward.

My big take away from Mr. Wells's book was that I didn't need to be using 18mm mooring warps for initial securing to the pontoon which opened up a world of creative snatch block placement rather than restricting myself to cleats
 
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