Can a boat have too many mooring lines?

[westhinder]

Do I have too many mooring lines? The boat is currently moored with two breast ropes and two springs. Only one of these is a line I use in my home marina. So I have three more in the cockpit locker. In addition I have at least six more ropes varying in length from six to 65 meters, some of them with an eye splice. Most of these came with the boat when I bought her 13 years ago, and a number have never been used in my ownership. I did have a clear out in the spring and took three or four more ropes home, intending to throw them away, but they are still in the shed.
I have always heard a boat can’t have too many ropes, but now I am in doubt.
What do the learned folk on this forum think?

 

[[199490]]

I’m new to this game but I wouldn’t have thought you could have too many as long as you know where they are and you inspect them regularly to ensure they are usable if you need them. My boat came with 6 lines which are nominally 8 metres although two are slightly shorter. I’ve bought two more longer (12m) ones on advice from someone used to doing locks solo.
storage for them is a minor worry compared with the number of fenders, the plank, spare diesel jerrycan, two bikes ( one electric folding), bike trolley, rubber tender ( which I’m thinking of getting rid of) and the stern anchor ( which the previous owner never used and stashed way and I am inclined to offload).

 

[justanothersailboat]

I do think you can have too many old lines. Once you start pulling them out and thinking "what the heck is this" rather than "I know what that's good for" I think it's time for a tidy. You should still have plenty of spares once sorted. (edited to add: in a good range of length distributions. Surprising numbers of previous owners' lines are just a bit too short)

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We set out to be light, yet we carry I think 8 mooring lines, 2 of which are also home docking lines. 4 long, over 20 metres, 2 medium and 2 fairly short. There are also 10 fenders on board. All but 3 fenders and 2 lines get dumped in the tender when we race though.

 

[capnsensible]

It's always worth carring 4 lines each of 125 feet long just in case you want to go through the Panama Canal.

 

[[199490]]

O’rly?

 

[johnalison]

We carry four standard lines of 12m and two longer ones for occasional use. We also have one 50m line for emergencies and a stern anchor line of similar length. I also have three or four shorter lines with snubbers for when needed. Lots of odd bits of light line and stringy stuff.

 

[Skylark]

……….some of them with an eye splice.

Cut these off as they are the work of the Devil. Sooner or later, the splice will snag, usually at the worst possible time.

 

[Wansworth]

One can have a rope fetish!

 

[Boathook]

I've got about 6 mooring lines of about 12 metres length. I have a couple of possibly 25 metre length plus kedge anchor with line and a 50 metre 'towing' line. Haven't used the towing line - yet.

Fenders, I've lost count. The fill up large lockers for very little weight and stop them being filled up with heavy items !

 

[Daydream believer]

Cut these off as they are the work of the Devil. Sooner or later, the splice will snag, usually at the worst possible time.

I think differently
I normally put eye splices in the ends of spare ropes so that they are ready to flip over cleats . Some have eyes spliced both ends & one was used last weekend as a towing bridle for a friend who lost engine power. made it easy just to hook each cleat & cast off one end when required

 

[Daydream believer]

2 short bow lines that will not quite reach the propellor if one end drops in the drink unseen by the helmsman. 2 longer springs that can be coiled & hung over the cabin winches when approaching port, 2 floating stern lines so they do not end up in the prop if dropped
So I can rig 3 sets each side as I approach port single handed.
Then I have a long line suitably marked for stern mooring to the buoys in Ostend, so I stop just as the bow touches the pontoon. A backup for that when things in the harbour get feisty. A spare halyard & a couple of long 12mm lines & a heafty line for towing etc. Then there is about 6 short 8mm lines hanging on the steps inside the hatch for emergency lashings etc that get used for a variety of jobs. I also have spare dynema for making any backstay, or vang adjusters etc.plus a couple of coils of 4mm vectran line

 

[Daydream believer]

One can have a rope fetish!

One can have all sorts of fetishes. I know of forumites with a kitchen fetish, a cat fetish, a settee fetish, a boat sales fetish, a garden fetish & even- would you believe it-one with a mower fetish

 

[Wansworth]

One can have all sorts of fetishes. I know of forumites with a kitchen fetish, a cat fetish, a settee fetish, a boat sales fetish, a garden fetish & even- would you believe it-one with a mower fetish

Don’t look at me

 

[Supertramp]

We made a bad judgement to ride out a gale on a pontoon with an unpleasant surge. That involved 4 stern lines, 4 bow lines and 4 more lines as springs. And i still had all my really long lines in reserve. Cannot have too many.

Anchors are really less stressful and much more comfortable.

 

[Wansworth]

We made a bad judgement to ride out a gale on a pontoon with an unpleasant surge. That involved 4 stern lines, 4 bow lines and 4 more lines as springs. And i still had all my really long lines in reserve. Cannot have too many.

Anchors are really less stressful and much more comfortable.

Could you have deployed your anchours and only loosely attached to the pontoon,did that once in similar circumstances

 

[geem]

In our first marina in 3 years. Ponta Delgada in the Azores. It has quite a bit of surge on the visitors berths. Lots of boats using stainless steel springs on their lines. We have those but not using them yet. We do have all the lines doubled up though. Light line takes the light load. Once it stretches a little, the
second slacker, less stretchy/thicker line takes up the load. This makes the thinner line act like a snubber. Works pretty well

 

[Supertramp]

Could you have deployed your anchours and only loosely attached to the pontoon,did that once in similar circumstances

You are right but once the wind was blowing it seemed more hazardous to change things so we weathered it. I carry four different anchors and normally anchor, and often in places with much more swell and surge.

I chose the pontoon so my wife could get ashore even if it blew for a day and a half. I am slowly learning to always put the boat first!

 

[Tradewinds]

It's always worth carring 4 lines each of 125 feet long just in case you want to go through the Panama Canal.

Still got mine - only just moved them ashore!! However, 30 years on I don't think I will need them again so they will stay in the shed for the foreseeable.

Edit: Yes, you can have too many!

 

[Baggywrinkle]

When the boat next door catches fire, how long will it take the marina staff to untie your boat and move it out of harms way? .... or will they just look at it and leave it to the insurance?

When a boat in my marina caught fire they started evacuating everything in the surrounding berths where it was safe to do so to create a fire-break around the burning yacht ... if I was tasked with that job, I'd choose to move the boats that are easiest to untie as I'd want to minimise my time spent close to the fire.

IMO you need just enough to keep the boat secure and no more - when the bad weather comes, the marina staff re-tie the boats anyway.

Maybe it is different in your marina.