Can a boat have too many mooring lines?

[Supertramp]

Another factor is what number, arrangement and sizes of cleats/bollards you have on deck to fix these ropes to. I have rarely, if ever, been short of mooring lines, but one of the frequent challenges I regularly faced cruising in small boats was finding suitable places on the boat to tie them to, even allowing for pressing into use genoa winches, chainplates, etc. One of my criteria in searching for my ideal cruiser was centre cleats, which I had so often rued my lack of, and even having finally moved up in the world to a boat with these, I find I am still often constrained by having only a single centrally located bow cleat.

That's a very good point. One of the first things I did when I got my present boat was to add a really large bow cleat in addition to the original two. And a second pair of midships cleats.

In the incident I related earlier, the reason for so many lines was so that I could spread the load across as many cleats as possible. No damage and no lines chafed.

I use moveable pieces of tubular chafe protection on my main mooring lines, getting more of those.

As with many things on a boat, you might not use it all the time, but it's really useful to have options for some new or unforseen situation.

Plenty and varied spare pieces of rope on my boat!

 

[Chiara’s slave]

There are some fab finger pontoons in places like St Vaast that cure the jumping habit forever. And plenty of tidal harbour walls to go alongside too. And, of course, the Panama Canal.

I showed her the Panama picture up there, she thought taking a DF through there might possibly be the worst idea since 2016. That presumably is Uncle Sam doing a swap over.

 

[johnalison]

There are some fab finger pontoons in places like St Vaast that cure the jumping habit forever. And plenty of tidal harbour walls to go alongside too. And, of course, the Panama Canal.

Jumping has never been part of my wife's repertoire and also, she knows that doing so is contrary to ship's articles. A friend took an acquaintance as a crew on his boat of about 40', and when they arrived in St Helier the crew took it upon himself to jump off the bow, unfortunately forgetting to take one of his feet with him. The errant foot got stuck in the pulpit and he ended up with a broken leg. I think this got worse, with a DVT and an ambulance flight home.

 

[capnsensible]

I showed her the Panama picture up there, she thought taking a DF through there might possibly be the worst idea since 2016. That presumably is Uncle Sam doing a swap over.

I understand the movement of warships from coast to coast was one of the strategic reasons for taking over the build.

Mebbe marinas could install tiny versions of the canals mules to help people docking?

 

[dunedin]

Agree. It's a bit like reps who drive huge mileage a year in their cars will see many more accidents than I do. Going in and out of moorings hundreds of times a year for decades means people like us will see many more mooring snags than they will.

But it's entirely up to the individual skipper how much hard won experience by others they wish to benefit from.

Oh I didn’t understand your experience was more relevant, nor that you can’t learn from others experience. Or that we need to list the number of decades of experience we have with each post. You do realise that anybody with less than 5 decades of boating experience counts as wet behind the ears on this forum?

 

[mikegunn]

I chose my crew about 37 years ago, and don’t regret the choice, especially now I seem to have broken her habit of jumping for the pontoon. Eventually, my telling her we could buy another boat but not another her, got through.

I’m glad that your crew’s heeded your advice. I learnt the hard way! Some years ago I leapt off a chartered yacht onto a West Cowes pontoon only to loose my footing and slide across the pontoon, narrowly avoiding a total immersion on the other side. Fortunately only my pride was injured and it did provide amusement, but it could have had a far worse outcome. Later an RYA instructor introduced himself to me and offered his congratulations, on my demonstration of why he advocated never ever, ever, ever getting off a mooring vessel until a line had been got ashore and secured. A practice which I have practised for the last fifty years without undue incident. Of course, there will occasionally be exceptions preventing the procedure, such as lay-flat rings.
Mike

 

[capnsensible]

Oh I didn’t understand your experience was more relevant, nor that you can’t learn from others experience. Or that we need to list the number of decades of experience we have with each post. You do realise that anybody with less than 5 decades of boating experience counts as wet behind the ears on this forum?

Yeah. Lightweights.

Err, you're not a sales rep? Oops.

 

[Wansworth]

On my engineless sloop I carried the long ropes on garden hose reels .The rope left there el via block and it was possible Toruń out shorelines or kedges without getting in a tangle

 

[AntarcticPilot]

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

Most of mine have an eye-splice on one end, which will be put on a cleat on the boat. The other end is sealed and/or whipped.

My longest lines (other than running rigging) are 4 15m nylon lines for use when passing through the Caledonian Canal, as advised in the guide for the canal.

 

[johnalison]

Most of mine have an eye-splice on one end, which will be put on a cleat on the boat. The other end is sealed and/or whipped.

My longest lines (other than running rigging) are 4 15m nylon lines for use when passing through the Caledonian Canal, as advised in the guide for the canal.

My 34’ boat came with four 10m lines. These were adequate for general use but when they got old and squeaky I replaced them with four 12m lines, plus two 14m lines, which gives us a bit more flexibility.

 

[Sandy]

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.

Where are all these staff at 0330 hours as the bad weather arrives? You might get one member of staff on duty over night.

A few years ago I assisted marina staff sort out boats one morning as owners had tied up their pride and joy with string. The blue string that was used to tie the boats back up was little better. A long list of people to call and be informed that their boat had broken loose and while now safe should be visited and the mooring lines replaced.

 

[Sandy]

As it mostly large large super yachts that seem to bursting to flame moor up wind of same

What direction will the wind be blowing then the super yacht catches fire?

 

[Daydream believer]

What direction will the wind be blowing then the super yacht catches fire?

Does not matter as it will be anchored at sea. It will be too big for most marinas with 2.5M draft & 20 M length

 

[Wansworth]

What direction will the wind be blowing then the super yacht catches fire?

What direction will the wind be blowing then the super yacht catches fire?

a minor detail

 

[Sandy]

Tell that to some friends who were 50 metres away from this last May.

Torbay Harbour superyacht fire: Wreck salvage operation

 

[Wansworth]

Tell that to some friends who were 50 metres away from this last May.

Torbay Harbour superyacht fire: Wreck salvage operation

View attachment 179607

Yes a serious matter and I was being flippant .Certainly with yachts packed together even super yachts like sardines it’s inevitable that a fire will jump to nearby vessels depending on the wind.Certainly here in Galicia in the summer we have strong northerlies around mid afternoon diving away inthe evening

 

[Marsali_1]

After reading the various forms of advice in this thread and the horror stories around getting it wrong I have decided to sell my boat and keep all the ropes since the opposite doesn't seem to make sense

 

[Frank Holden]

A few days late and a few dollars short but here we go. I have 8 mooring lines - 4 short ie 12 metres, 4 long 24 metres - all replace about two years ago - this stuff Dockline - Mooring & Docklines - Donaghys Ltd AU. All far longer than usually needed but handy if I want to double up my lines. I gave all my 14 year old nylon multiplait lines away to a very happy local in Ecuador.
When coming alongside I always send the bare ends ashore and let the marina linesmen turn them up ashore as they wish. When 'all fast' I end for end them and put the eye ashore. That way I can adjust my lines without going ashore and others can get their eyes on the same cleats hopefully remembering to 'dip the eye' to facilitate things if I am leaving before them. Also less clutter on the finger/wharf/quay/whatever.
This vvvvv is when I realised you couldn't have too many mooring lines.

 

[Daydream believer]

A few days late and a few dollars short but here we go. I have 8 mooring lines - 4 short ie 12 metres, 4 long 24 metres - all replace about two years ago - this stuff Dockline - Mooring & Docklines - Donaghys Ltd AU. All far longer than usually needed but handy if I want to double up my lines. I gave all my 14 year old nylon multiplait lines away to a very happy local in Ecuador.
When coming alongside I always send the bare ends ashore and let the marina linesmen turn them up ashore as they wish. When 'all fast' I end for end them and put the eye ashore. That way I can adjust my lines without going ashore and others can get their eyes on the same cleats hopefully remembering to 'dip the eye' to facilitate things if I am leaving before them. Also less clutter on the finger/wharf/quay/whatever.
This vvvvv is when I realised you couldn't have too many mooring lines.View attachment 179611

I call that inconsiderate mooring. I am not a limbo dancer. How do I take my grandson crab fishing off the end of the pontoon with all your washing lines strung out like that?

 

[Daydream believer]

''