Pontoon mooring etiquette

[Danny Jo]

Snooks's shore line post reminds me of another source of irritation - the pontoon-cleat-bagger (PCB). (PCB is only slightly less irritating than MPC - the miniscule pontoon cleat, too small for any warp larger than 10mm.)

PCB believes that pontoon cleats must be completely smoothered in his warps and where two cleats are placed close together, he must fill them both up:

(In defence of the architect of this particular example, he proved a very considerate neighbour in every other way.)

This is a more considerate way to use a pontoon cleat

 

[MarkG]

Glad its not just me thinking along these lines....

 

[snooks]

Glad its not just me thinking along these lines....

Very droll...lines.....geddit!

While we're on the subject, over in the land of Johnny foreigner they seem to dislike the humble cleat, and go for a mooring loop, now while this rids us of the PCB, it don't half make it tricky to come along side when there are just two of you onboard.

No quick OXO and come back to take the stern line, nowhere to lasso a mid ships line from, nothing to snub the boats speed off with, it all gets a bit fun in a breeze

oh and it's not just pontoons

 

[Judders]

I am constantly flaberghasted by otherwise nice people who are incapable of being considerate with their lines. On my last berth I had to stop using my made-up warps as the loops could not be undone when buried under a pile of string by the owner of the MacGregor behind me (otherwise a nice bloke) who only had a tiny bowline onto his (admidetly undersized) bowcleat. Even when we re-moored it 'properly' so that we could get out, we found it redone the same way the next time. Happilly I had just used a bowline this time so was able to undo it and wrestle it through the cats cradle that engulfed the cleat.

It was the same on the new berth where I had to re-berth the adjacent boat who had been enjoying the double space. Trying to respect the guys 'technique', ie moor it as he had left it, was quite a challenge!

 

[David_Jersey]

This is a more considerate way to use a pontoon cleat

Unless I only had a short warp or could not help it, out of choice I don't leave my boat with an end tied to the Pontoon - to remove the temptation for anyone to cast me off deliberately or IMO more likely accidently / forgetfully and to save me from "helpful" adjustments. Downside is that sometime this will involve using a bit more of the cleat than even I would prefer, but I don't put on turns ashore "Just for fun".

Appreciate that in an ideal world that would not be the case, and running the ends back to the boat means only a knife could cast me off from shore in an emergency (for me and others) - but not an ideal world.

 

[DJE]

If your worried about someone untying it then a nice long bowline should get the knot out of reach of anyone on the pontoon.

 

[machurley22]

This is a more considerate way to use a pontoon cleat

Though not, perhaps, the large pile of black string.

 

[snooks]

Though not, perhaps, the large pile of black string.

tee hee!

 

[Davy_S]

The simplest way to moor, anywhere, is to fly the Italian flag. Then you do not have to worry about anchors etc, simply motor to where you intend to moor, then put lines onto your neighbours guardrails or handrails and one line ashore, it is really very simple

 

[PetiteFleur]

Where possible I always take the rope through the cleat and back on board as then I can slip the rope and get away without a crew on the pontoon. This method has never failed me.
Another moan I have is that when there is a long pontoon, why do some boaters always leave a BIG space between boats? If everyone moored so there was only a small space between boats, more boats can tie up.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Use The Cleat Correctly

If tying off to a cleat (or ring) use a round turn and two half hitches. You can not undo a bowline under load as it must be slack. Other wise use a bowline dropped over the cleat with a snug bight. It allows others to feed their bowlines up through yours. You do not have to figure of eight around pontoon cleats to be secure.

 

[srp]

Another moan I have is that when there is a long pontoon, why do some boaters always leave a BIG space between boats? If everyone moored so there was only a small space between boats, more boats can tie up.

For the same reason that they park their cars in our village so they take up two spaces each. Because they're stupid, ignorant, thick as pigpoo, don't care about anyone else, selfish, or just lead such busy and important lives that they just don't have time to use their brains (assuming they have any). And no, I couldn't find a parking space near my house tonight, again.

 

[Athene V30]

Where possible I always take the rope through the cleat and back on board as then I can slip the rope and get away without a crew on the pontoon. This method has never failed me.

Don't you find you end up chafing your lines in the middle? When tying up I secure ashore with a turn first before tying bowline or two half hitches (depending on size of cleat to allow plenty of space for others). Just prior to sailing I may well re rig lines as slips so I can do it all from onboard.

 

[David_Jersey]

Don't you find you end up chafing your lines in the middle?

I put half a turn around the shore cleat, obviously you can't immediately slip the lines from aboard but easy to remove before departing, get onboard and then slip the lines. Of course you do use a bit more of the shore cleat than either a deep bowline or simply returning the lines.

 

[Judders]

- to remove the temptation for anyone to cast me off deliberately

Wow, it would never occur to me to be that nurotic/paranoid and I generally am both!

 

[bilbobaggins]

Wow, it would never occur to me to be that neurotic/paranoid and I generally am both!

It's not unknown for feral 'yoofs' to untie a visiting yacht's lines when its crew are off uptown, looking for the 'fishnchippery' and 'beertokenexchange'. Donaghadee comes to mind.

That's why I encourage the carriage of a couple of 3m. lengths of chain, which can be passed through rings on the quay and shackled, then the boat's warps led through the shackles and doubled back on board. They're also useful if stormbound, preventing the sawing-through of warps chaffing over a rough quay edge.

 

[Judders]

ooh, I think I'll stick to the Solent then. Much more civilised!