Short finger pontoons: a curse on them!

[DaveS]

Sort of repeating what has already been said, but I was recently advised by a very experienced skipper who sails single handed as follows:
Make up a line with a LARGE bowline loop for hooking over the cleat at the end of the finger. The other should already be attached (by another bowline) to the centre cleat on the boat. The line should be the exact length to stop the boat hitting the pontoon, and should include a snubber to absorb the forward momentum.
As you pass the end finger cleat, pop the large bowline over it and let the boat pull itself gently alongside. Leave the engine ticking over in forward gear to keep the boat pinned to the finger whilst you disembark and make secure.
Now, I haven't tried it myself, but it seems like a good plan, and I will be making up said line - hopefully it will prevent the crew having to jump off with lines whilst not fully alongside.
Any thoughts?

I use a similar system, but with a couple of additions: I've a bit of plastic hose round the loop to hold it open, and a second line attached to the loop and held on the stern cleat. The latter is left with sufficient slack that the pontoon cleat can be reached at full stretch, but sufficiently short that my stern will not hit my neighbour if the stern drifts off. After other lines are attached I pull the stern line in till the boat's in its final position.

For a short finger the whole arrangement could be moved forward to bow and centre cleats, but single handing might be difficult.

 

[nicho]

I use a similar system, but with a couple of additions: I've a bit of plastic hose round the loop to hold it open, and a second line attached to the loop and held on the stern cleat. The latter is left with sufficient slack that the pontoon cleat can be reached at full stretch, but sufficiently short that my stern will not hit my neighbour if the stern drifts off. After other lines are attached I pull the stern line in till the boat's in its final position.

For a short finger the whole arrangement could be moved forward to bow and centre cleats, but single handing might be difficult.

Good suggestion re the plastic hose.

 

[Giblets]

The short line with plastic hose on loop, snubber and spliced eye for the centre cleat combined with rudder over and engine on tick over work a treat at our home berth. Have yet to try it out elsewhere though.

With regard to the rings that Seajet mentions as fitted at Emsworth Marina these are probably the exception rather than the rule as I do not recall having seen them any where else. Unless you plan to visit Emsworth I shouldn't get too stressed out about them.

 

[Neil]

I'm going to play with my existing midships cleat loop as a spring against forward tick over. It's really just strong winds blowing me off the pontoon that cause difficulties. It's the timing of it that will need work; if I have a big enough loop to make it easy to lasso the pontoon cleat, I'll end up motoring the bow into the walkway pontoon. I'll need to lasso, pull the loop in a bit then forward on tick over.

 

[Giblets]

I'm going to play with my existing midships cleat loop as a spring against forward tick over. It's really just strong winds blowing me off the pontoon that cause difficulties. It's the timing of it that will need work; if I have a big enough loop to make it easy to lasso the pontoon cleat, I'll end up motoring the bow into the walkway pontoon. I'll need to lasso, pull the loop in a bit then forward on tick over.

You need to measure the distance required between the two loops (i.e. between midships cleat and pontoon cleat) when the boat is in it's correct position on the pontoon. This is the length that you need to make up the line to. When you drop it over the pontoon cleat the boat cannot hit the walkway as it is being held in the correct position.

 

[WestWittering]

I've thought about using a big bow fender and just ticking over against it on pontoon in that situation. Interested if anyone does that

I do and it works fine. But I am only little…

I did try the bow cleat/centre cleat dropped over the finger cleat malarky whilst passing routine, but with a very short finger, tiller steering & the throttle & gear controlled by my right foot, I wasn't quite flexidexterous enough!

A neighbour on a big Bavaria uses a permanent line from the finger to the centre cleat on his boat and he just steps off in the last knockings and attaches it.

Di

 

[NUTMEG]

I've thought about using a big bow fender and just ticking over against it on pontoon in that situation. Interested if anyone does that

Yes. Very short finger pontoon with rings not cleats. I have found that going in at tickover, and gently nudging up against the pontoon works. Pontoon edge is fendered and boat has wheel steering so rudder stays where it is put. 28' motorsailer with a lot of windage.

 

[mainsail1]

Short finger pontoons are the work of the devil.
Your only solution is to move elsewhere. One windy day all the bright ideas provided here will lead into a right mess!

 

[Giblets]

On a slightly related matter do the finger pontoons in Cherbourg Marina still dip below water level when one steps onto them like wot they used to do 30+ years ago?

 

[Daydream believer]

That's just mean! How do they manage in a strong wind blowing away from the pontoon?

Spend a few weeks in Brittany & you will soon learn how the French do it
Lots of banging & scrapping with a couple of screaming kids & total indiference to others seems to be the main ingredients

 

[Daydream believer]

Assuming you are talking about your home berth-Instead of a bow fender i saw that one owner had a rope stretched tight across the front of the pontoon
You could try this. & see how you get on motoring forward onto the rope before you invest in a fender fixed to the pontoon
In winds off the pontoon do not come in inline with the pontoon but come in at 45 degrees turning at last minute
This gives a "slingshot" approach that will pin you on for a few precious seconds & you will not drift off line as you approach

 

[Seajet]

Presumably for departure you could motor hard against the line until it's tanging taut, then select astern gear and be catapulted out clear of the berth !

 

[flaming]

Assuming you have a boat that's relatively handy astern, I find life a lot easier going in stern first when the pontoon is short. Especially with modern "fat bottomed" boats this gets the majority of the boat alongside the pontoon, and the angles work much better for bowlines sticking out than stern lines.

Also, when you're going in bows first people tend to be a bit reticent about using all the space, as it can be hard to judge, and bow fenders can be tricky.... But going in stern first, with a fender over the back (works very well on boats with a sugar scoop) you can be much clearer about how far you're happy to go in as you're right there to judge it, and you have much better stopping power with the engine in ahead.

 

[Neil]

I have a big round fender, but probably not big enough to project beyond the transom-mounted rudder, but I'll check!