Finger pontoons& stern too?

[sailaboutvic]

Centre cockpit boat so no great advantage in being stern to.

May I ask why ? We also a CC one of the biggest advantage is not having to climb over the bow and anchor , others are as I said in my other posting .

 

[RupertW]

May I ask why ? We also a CC one of the biggest advantage is not having to climb over the bow and anchor , others are as I said in my other posting .

A stern cockpit is usually walkthrough to step off the quay. Obviously it’s possible from a CC boat but the main advantage of flat access won’t be the same surely?

 

[sailaboutvic]

A stern cockpit is usually walkthrough to step off the quay. Obviously it’s possible from a CC boat but the main advantage of flat access won’t be the same surely?

It's the same if you consider all we have to do is step on to our sugar scoop and step off , it may not be as straight forward as a walk through stern we do have to walk over the stern cabin to get to the sugar scoop or should I say once moored the passerelle but then most people wouldnt have their boat that close to the quay/ pontoon to step right off ,once moored up most would use some kind of Passerelle, well we wouldn't any way and if we was inclined to be the type to leave a boat moor that close then as I said it's just a matter of stepping off .
But I do understand where your coming from .
Example, when we go stern on , my co skipper drops the hook and let out X amount of scope then goes onto the sugar scoop ready to step off to moor while I continue to deal with the anchor from the cockpit ,
The few time I had to moor on my own because she been away , I would almost do the same letting out just enough scope to stop a foot away from the quay leaving the boat in rev while I stepped off .
Really no big deal , it's all down to team work and everyone knowing what to do as well as being able to have full control of your boat , I think Vyv hit the nail on the head with his post.

 

[LadyInBed]

May I ask why ? We also a CC one of the biggest advantage is not having to climb over the bow and anchor , others are as I said in my other posting .

The OP said he was on a finger pontoon, I have no problem climbing over the side onto a finger. If I had an aft cockpit and sugar scoop, I can see the advantage of stepping off the back straight onto the main pontoon.

 

[sailaboutvic]

The OP said he was on a finger pontoon, I have no problem climbing over the side onto a finger. If I had an aft cockpit and sugar scoop, I can see the advantage of stepping off the back straight onto the main pontoon.

Point taken .
Only point I would make is on our boat we would need to pull out the fender step plus it stop people pulling on the rails getting on and off no matter how much you ask them not too and use the shrouds .
Plus it's quite a way down , where off the back it's just a step .

 

[Cactus Sailing]

Ours is only a Bavaria 30 and happily reverses as well as forward so it’s not a question of difficulty getting it stern too, I often reverse all the way out our row depending on wind / tide conditions as it’s quite narrow and is just easier to continue in astern rather than back out and then change direction while the wind blows you about

May just try stern too for a bit then

 

[Boathook]

My berth I reverse in so that the bows are facing the normal prevailing sw'ly winds. When visiting other places I vary depending upon weather and tides, etc when arriving and the forecast for my stay and departure. Evening sun in the cockpit is very nice though.

 

[ashtead]

In this weather if you are canoeing or paddle boarding down the river being bow to enables the use of stern platform for boarding etc even when on the finger pontoon . Might be a rare occurrence in uk waters but it's far easier to board a canoe from the stern platform and on return the step out simpler as well. Also helps canine crew boarding the paddle board btw .

 

[Sticky Fingers]

.... The helm in my boat only turns about 45 degrees, so that my turning circle when going ahead is quite large, and with a saildrive I cannot turn towards the wind in anything like a tight space. If I exit astern, I can initiate the turn earlier (10m) and by the time I am in the corridor I can give a short burst ahead and virtually turn the boat in its own length, using the angular momentum I have developed...

Do you know I'd never thought of that point, very interesting. I've got a bowthruster which can make things easier but it's far from a panacea.

 

[Amulet]

It really isn't significantly more difficult reversing into a pontoon berth than it is reversing out of it, so just preference.

Entry requires more precision than exit. Entry is into a small space, exit into a larger. if, like mine, your boat is unpredictable in reverse, it is near impossible to reverse in but usually manageable to reverse out.

 

[lpdsn]

I’ve seen the suggestion of alternating, so that both sides of the sprayhood and other canvaswork fade in the sun / go green in the shadow at the same rate

Pete

I generally alternate. No especial reason for it - just for a bit of variety really. And a vague hope it might confuse any growth on the waterline.

One exception is that it is easier to go bows in if there's a lot of wind blowing the boat off the pontoon.

 

[LittleSister]

That's a good point. We moved our cat to a finger berth on the other side of the main pontoon a couple of years ago which means that the setting sun is now on the bows and sitting out in the cockpit in the evening is a lot more pleasant out of the burning sun. Sun worshippers can still take their glass of vino and go for a lie down on the trampoline if they are sufficiently motivated.

Richard

What is this 'burning sun' of which you speak?

 

[mattonthesea]

I always have plan A B and C for reversing my, longish keeled. boat. If plan A were to be on to a finger pontoon then Plans B and C would quickly lead to insurance renewal refusal

 

[Daydream believer]

I have a tiller steering & a large spade rudder 1.65 deep. If I reverse too fast & go a bit off line with the tiller & am reversing too fast the rudder slams over & pins me to the side of the cockpit. At the same time the boat spins round before I can recover.

If I have to reverse a long way down a line of pontoons to a berth, it is a recipe for disaster. I have to keep way on to keep steerage & a sudden slam one way or another could end up with an insurance claim.

True if I head in I may still have to reverse out but for some reason that is rare as I can choose which way to turn when actually reversing out of the berth. In my home berth there is not enough room to turn round when in the row of pontoons so I would have to reverse in all the way to the end.

 

[Red Panda]

I'm a big fan of berthing stern to:
- there isn't 10m of boat in the way, so I can see exactly where I'm going and how close I am to the pontoon
- it's easy for the crew to lasso a pontoon cleat with the finger-side stern line, which I can then motor forwards against to hold the boat in place while we sort out the other lines
- and if it all goes wrong its fairly straightforward to motor straight out and try again.
There's obviously other factors (sun, wind,...) that influence the choice, but I think stern-to mooring is undervalued in the UK.

 

[Poignard]

I have occasionally reversed my Twister into a marina berth but rarely the one I had intended to enter

 

[xeitosaphil]

UK Based. I always come in Bow first (and also a 3/4 berth) as my berth points South and the prevailing wind is usually SW which blows me off the pontoon, which is always reassuring in winter gales. Only problem is my prop walk is to Port which can sometimes make it interesting.
I do have a fixed length spring which I attach to the mid ship cleat and drop over the first pontoon cleat when coming in and then motor on, so always good unless you miss the cleat with the large eye of the spring.

Couldn't do stern too as I have a movable 100w solar panel on the solid rail push pit and a counter.

 

[Applespider]

I vary it depending on the conditions - tide and wind when mooring initially. But sometimes based on forecasts - I don't necessarily want the wind blowing down the companionway overnight or I want the sun there in the evening/morning. Having said that, the majority of the crew will still tend to board or go ashore from the shrouds onto the finger.

If I'm in an unknown marina, I'll sometimes reverse down the trot to check out the space I've been allocated. If the conditions aren't great or it's a bit tight, it's easier to drive forward out again and turn in the wider fairway than it is to see that you don't like the berth and then turn the boat in what can be a narrow spot.

 

[LittleSister]

I have occasionally reversed my Twister into a marina berth but rarely the one I had intended to enter

 

[Sticky Fingers]

I have occasionally reversed my Twister into a marina berth but rarely the one I had intended to enter

I know that feeling. Ex Nic 31 reverser.