Permanent docklines

[Sticky Fingers]

Now we're settled in our home berth for the next year or so, I'm thinking of getting some docklines made up, so we don't have to rig and strike the boat's mooring warps each time. We'll have:

- Bow and Stern breast lines
- Bow and stern springs
- Offside rear quarter line (sort of spring I guess)

Pontoon is almost as long as the boat and has ample Walcon cleats, and the boat has bow, stern and midships cleats. No tide (it's a locked Marina) and quite sheltered. So, my question is, what config should these lines be? What do you use?

Options...

Dock end
- Hard eye at dock end shackled onto Walcon
- Soft spliced loop cowhitched over Walcon
- Something else

Boat end
- Soft spliced loop cowhitched over cleat
- Whipped end, OXO'd onto the cleat
- Something else

 

[Tranona]

Soft spliced eyes both ends. Just looped to one leg of the cleat on dock - Walcon discourage using shackles as they wear the cleats. Just looped over cleats on boat. Make to exactly the right length with a bit of play. You may want to just do the dock end first and wait until you are happy the boat sits right but has a bit of movement before you make the second loop.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

OK, looped at both ends seems quickest to set, why only one leg of the dock cleat?

 

[Tranona]

All that is needed for it to be secure and provides a better lead to the boat. Cow hitch means the rope comes off at 90 degrees whereas one leg is virtually parallel. Try it and you will see the difference.

 

[phanakapan]

Hmm as Tranona says I wouldn't fix the length straight away- allow a little time for the line to settle/stretch; also allow time to observe your boat's behaviour in different wind strengths and directions. Marina staff will be on the pontoons doing a 'high wind check' if such a thing is forecast; you might want to leave an extra suitable length of line handy for them to double up/fine tune distance from pontoon/finger in such an eventuality. Also bear in mind that you may want to, or have to, move berths at some time in the future; or you may want to remove the lines when you go off cruising. Just a few things to think about.

 

[Roger52]

If you effectively fix the position of the lines at each end you will get the lines chaffing in the same place, eg, where they pass through fairleads. If you loop one end you can move it a little to avoid this.

 

[Daydream believer]

Mine are spliced to the cleats because visitors keep nicking them

 

[Tranona]

If you effectively fix the position of the lines at each end you will get the lines chaffing in the same place, eg, where they pass through fairleads. If you loop one end you can move it a little to avoid this.

Never had that problem. I had the same set of lines for my old boat from 1997 to 2010 and they are still sound. Guess it has something to do with the quality of the fairleads and avoiding any changes of direction as the rope goes through the fairlead.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Ah, fairleads. What a good idea. No longer seem to be fitted to many boats, mine included, I have only got cleats with a stainless steel rub rail on the gelcoat below.

 

[knuterikt]

We attach one spring first so we can use engine and rudder to keep boat in place while doing the rest. That line have soft eye on the boat end. Plan was to splice eye on all boat end but haven't done that..
I use pieces of hose as chaff guard.
All lines have rubber "springs" - required by the marina.

 

[johnalison]

My boat doesn't need fairleads because the cleats are well exposed. When I had fairleads, I used plastic pipe to protect the rope.

My marina has metal hoops, so there is no problem with shackles. I use shackles and a metal eye, wiring the shackle if I stay in for the winter. On board, two are looped and the others not.

When I go away for a cruise, I remove my lines (and keep them in the car), but for short absences I coil them neatly and fasten with cable ties, otherwise they invariably end up dangling in the water all green and slimy.

 

[JimC]

I use soft eyes cow hitched to the cleats at the boat end and oxo'd to the cleats on the pontoon. The oxos allow adjustment for stretch and the cow hitches are more secure than simply looping the rope over the cleat. I know lots of people do this with no probs but I don't mind taking a little extra trouble for my own peace of mind. It doesn't matter that the line comes off the cow hitch at an oblique angle as an earlier poster suggested. Another advantage of the cow hitch is that the rope doesn't move against the cleat which should reduce wear.

 

[Leighb]

We discovered something strange with our fixed lines this season. With our previous boat all the lines had free ends at the boat - no loops. However with our new boat we have found it very difficult to secure the lines firmly because of the attractive, but very slippery cleats. We find that the springs needed to have loops to be sure that they did not slip, our berth is affected by wind and tide. However after being away for a few days the springs always seemed to have shrunk and we couldn't get them back on the midship cleat. A friend said that nylon 3 strand shrinks when it dries and stretches when wetted, so we now pop then in the water for a few moments and hey presto they fit easily!!

 

[Tranona]

I use soft eyes cow hitched to the cleats at the boat end and oxo'd to the cleats on the pontoon. The oxos allow adjustment for stretch and the cow hitches are more secure than simply looping the rope over the cleat. I know lots of people do this with no probs but I don't mind taking a little extra trouble for my own peace of mind. It doesn't matter that the line comes off the cow hitch at an oblique angle as an earlier poster suggested. Another advantage of the cow hitch is that the rope doesn't move against the cleat which should reduce wear.

I was referring to cow hitches on the dock end where the cleat is parallel with the dock and the line is also (almost) parallel to the boat. A cow hitch comes off at 90 degrees. So makes sense to attach the rope to just the leg in the direction of the pull.

Remember we are talking about permanent lines on your home berth so makes sense to have them permanently attached to the dock end. Then you can do all your mooring without getting off the boat - important with a high freeboard boat such as the OPs and mine - even more so if single handed. Matter of personal choice whether you have fixed length or free ends for the boat end, but I have had fixed ends for the last 20 years on boats which stay in the water all year round and find fixed length warps fine.

For use when visiting other berths I have a selection of mooring warps with just an eye at one end.

 

[dunedin]

My marina has metal hoops, so there is no problem with shackles. I use shackles and a metal eye, wiring the shackle if I stay in for the winter. On board, two are looped and the others not.

When I go away for a cruise, I remove my lines (and keep them in the car), but for short absences I coil them neatly and fasten with cable ties, otherwise they invariably end up dangling in the water all green and slimy.

+1. For berthing year round hard eyes and shackled (via short lengths of chain if necessary) to the pontoon strong points is ideal. And as Johnalson suggests, having half the ropes with fixed loops and others without loops allows for some adjustment - we mark the usual place with tape so easy to refine till get it right, then takes seconds to cleat off at the exact same spot once worked this out.
Depending on the marina we use a very strong rope with rubber spring on the SW corner, and double up with slacker backup rope just in case. Been through quite a few F10s over 10 years, and one substantial primary rope cut through on one occasion so glad of the backup..
PS Being obsessive, all the fenders are numbered and marked on their strings so they slot on each time in the right place. Boring but great for efficient winter day sails when want to come in and pack up very quickly.

 

[pvb]

OK, I'll post a differing view. I'm in a locked marina, so always need mooring lines on the boat before I enter the lock. And I often singlehand, so fitting mooring lines to cleats which already have dock lines attached would be a bit of a chore. So I just have mooring lines, which have the advantage that each time I moor in my berth the lines are in a slightly different position, minimising chafe. Sovereign Harbour is more sheltered than where I am, so I guess my approach would work equally well there.

 

[dunedin]

OK, I'll post a differing view. I'm in a locked marina, so always need mooring lines on the boat before I enter the lock. And I often singlehand, so fitting mooring lines to cleats which already have dock lines attached would be a bit of a chore. So I just have mooring lines, which have the advantage that each time I moor in my berth the lines are in a slightly different position, minimising chafe. Sovereign Harbour is more sheltered than where I am, so I guess my approach would work equally well there.

And of course each should use the system that suits them, which is great. But I prefer slightly longer and softer ropes for going alongside/ general transit mooring, but thicker/heavier and much shorter ropes for leaving the boat unattended to withstand winter storms at their worst

 

[pvb]

And of course each should use the system that suits them, which is great. But I prefer slightly longer and softer ropes for going alongside/ general transit mooring, but thicker/heavier and much shorter ropes for leaving the boat unattended to withstand winter storms at their worst

In a reasonably sheltered marina, winter storms shouldn't be a problem. I bought 14mm pre-spliced braided black polyester mooring lines from Timko, and they're fine and after 3 years aren't showing signs of chafe. They're soft to handle, easy to coil and stow, slightly stretchy.

https://www.ropesandtwines.com/proddetail.php?prod=14mm_black_braided_polyester_dockline_16m

 

[knuterikt]

OK, I'll post a differing view. I'm in a locked marina, so always need mooring lines on the boat before I enter the lock. And I often singlehand, so fitting mooring lines to cleats which already have dock lines attached would be a bit of a chore. So I just have mooring lines, which have the advantage that each time I moor in my berth the lines are in a slightly different position, minimising chafe. Sovereign Harbour is more sheltered than where I am, so I guess my approach would work equally well there.

we have finger pontoons with small eyes, not fun to tie onto each time we return home.
I use these nifty magnets to secure the rope while away

 

[johnalison]

we have finger pontoons with small eyes, not fun to tie onto each time we return home.
I use these nifty magnets to secure the rope while away

That's neat. These moorings work quite well and make efficient use of the space, but you have to be absolutely sure that your fenders will stay in place as you enter. One marina (Leba) alternates these with fingers, which again works well. If you want some fun, ask your crew to step on one of these as you approach.