How tight are your mooring lines

[PabloPicasso]

How tight do you tie your boat to a marina pontoon. Do you have lines tight and boat squeezing it's fenders, or a little slack to allow her to move a bit?

 

[pvb]

A little slack.

 

[Poignard]

How tight do you tie your boat to a marina pontoon. Do you have lines tight and boat squeezing it's fenders, or a little slack to allow her to move a bit?

Slack,so that when a few fatties are standing on the pontoon their weight is not being borne by my cleats!

 

[Bouba]

It depends. (Ok I’m talking Mediterranean stern to mooring) but without a passerelle the lines need to be extremely taut. Because the boat has to be close enough to step on and off the stern but not actually hit the pontoon. With a passerelle you can have lines that are slack enough for the boat to move about a meter.

 

[Bristolfashion]

A bit slack!

 

[Bilgediver]

In the winter when there is a swell in the marina, very slack to avoid snatching . In the summer not so slack,

 

[PabloPicasso]

I see some with the fenders squeezed half to death. Others with big metal springs on their lines,

How much of a thump can hulls put up with if your lines are slacker?

 

[Bouba]

I see some with the fenders squeezed half to death. Others with big metal springs on their lines,

How much of a thump can hulls put up with if your lines are slacker?

Some lines are elasticated

 

[RJJ]

Slack, generally.

There's how I rig for stepping on and off, and there's how I rig for leaving her unattended for long periods or in foul weather. In the latter case, it's more of a preference for longer warps rigged on longer diagonals, and using springs and/or rubber dogbones to add further elasticity. My home mooring is very exposed to both wind and wash so I am quite sensitive to it.

There's a theory that shorter lines are tighter and reduce the shock loads because they don't let the yacht move as much. I don't believe that theory.

 

[Kelpie]

Tight springs and saggy breasts.

 

[TernVI]

Tight springs and saggy breasts.

^^^Is normally the right answer.^^^
But if whatever you do doesn't give a nice quiet berth with no snatching, it's time to experiment.

 

[RichardS]

A little slack ..... but we're tied in the middle of two finger pontoons so the fenders on both hulls are well away from the pontoons.

Richard

 

[V1701]

Appropriately sized, good quality lines, snubbers (if necessary) and a bit of slack usually does the trick...

 

[Rappey]

Others with big metal springs on their lines,

Yet their lines appear to chaff through at the fairleads just as quick as ones without metal springs?
Many start off fairly tight but end up stretched and slack..

 

[Rappey]

Then we have the really clever ones who seem to think that securing a shackle through the pontoon cleat with a bit of chain makes their boat more secure but in reality theirs is the first to break free.. I wonder why ?

 

[Poignard]

Then we have the really clever ones who seem to think that securing a shackle through the pontoon cleat with a bit of chain makes their boat more secure but in reality theirs is the first to break free.. I wonder why ?View attachment 111991

 

[Stemar]

Then we have the really clever ones who seem to think that securing a shackle through the pontoon cleat with a bit of chain makes their boat more secure but in reality theirs is the first to break free.. I wonder why ?View attachment 111991

I'd also like to see the state of the cleats on the boat. I've watched boats trying to climb into pontoons in a blow; when that happens, I want a bit of stretch in things. I reckon all chain would rip the cleat right out.

 

[Fimacca]

Mine are put on tightish with rubber snubbers. They then slacken off after a day or so to the right feel !
Sounds a bit
S and M..................

|I would never use chain apart from a swing mooring.....it has no give.....

 

[Jamie Dundee]

Tight springs and saggy breasts.

I once knew a woman like that.....

 

[Rappey]

The ones with chain have around a foot of it at the cleat end, the rest is rope.
Pontoon cleats are usually nice and rounded and I've not seen any rope fail at the cleat end .
It's either snapped along its length or chaffed through at the boats fairlead. Not tying properly to a pontoon cleat also makes it less likely anyone will adjust your mooring lines passing by in violent weather as they are not going to board your boat to do it.