Springing in stern first.

[Paul_S123]

When I bring my motor boat into a slip...I come in bow first and use a Spring Line.

I made a pre measured rig for my boat/pontoon berth. The black line is attached to the mid ship cleat, the other end passes through a 1 metre piece of rigid black pvc pipe, then the loop is formed by going through a piece of flexible clear tube (hosepipe works ok too).

This way, between a little lean, my arms length, plus the 1 meter pvc pipe...I can come in 6-8ft or more away from the pontoon.

I single hand most of the time, so seeing is how the boat is light and high sided, I have to get to the stern from the inside helm before any wind hits the boat (it acts like a big sail). It is critical to get the spring on every time. I have it so dialled in, I even refuse help from people on the dock or on my boat.

That said, I bring the Moody in stern first. I made another set up, but just can't seem to get it working. Anyone else reverse into their slip...using a spring?

 

[DJE]

Don't think I've ever tried to do exactly what you describe. But generally motoring ahead against a spring seems to work better as you have flow over the rudder to help push the bow in whatever direction is required. Motoring astern against a spring the rudder doesn't do anything. Reversing in with the wind blowing the bow off I don't see how you could stop the bow blowing away with just the one spring line.

 

[RupertW]

Depends on the shape of your stern and anything prodriding but one advantage of stern to is that you can lean the stern into the main pontoon with fat fenders and leaving engine in slow reverse, so the midline or bowline is only holding the boat to the finger pontoon and stopping the bow drifting out. With a fat flat stern you barely need the line to the finger

 

[ItchenSailor]

We go in astern but have a line on the aft cleat of the yacht to go on the aft cleat of the Pontoon, the motor gently ahead.

 

[mikemanor]

I always go in astern on to my finger pontoon.

There is a cleat at the end of my finger pontoon. I have a measured warp which goes from the bow cleat to the stern cleat outside everything. As I reverse past the end of the pontoon I pass a running loop of the warp over the pontoon cleat.

As I get into the mooring the bow and stern are held in allowing me to step ashore and put on the permanent lines. Straightforward single handed. The prevalent wind blows me off but this works a treat.

 

[alant]

Don't think I've ever tried to do exactly what you describe. But generally motoring ahead against a spring seems to work better as you have flow over the rudder to help push the bow in whatever direction is required. Motoring astern against a spring the rudder doesn't do anything. Reversing in with the wind blowing the bow off I don't see how you could stop the bow blowing away with just the one spring line.

Are you setting the rudder to swing the stern out, away from the pontoon, as you power against the spring?
Bow should then come into pontoon.
Keep power on & set your bow/stern lines.

 

[Paul_S123]

I always go in astern on to my finger pontoon.

There is a cleat at the end of my finger pontoon. I have a measured warp which goes from the bow cleat to the stern cleat outside everything. As I reverse past the end of the pontoon I pass a running loop of the warp over the pontoon cleat.

As I get into the mooring the bow and stern are held in allowing me to step ashore and put on the permanent lines. Straightforward single handed. The prevalent wind blows me off but this works a treat.

Do you have a picture of what yr describing. It doesn't make sense to me...but then again, I'm not that smart...as my wife says, it's lucky yr pretty.

 

[lpdsn]

That said, I bring the Moody in stern first. I made another set up, but just can't seem to get it working. Anyone else reverse into their slip...using a spring?

I usually do come in astern, but I still get a spring on coming aft from teh centre cleat and go forward into it. Not a high-sided MoBo though.

With your hull shape I'd expect it to work going astern with a line from midships to the end of the pontoon. Might be difficult to do quickly single-handed, and you'll want to make sure you're moving very slowly when the spring comes underload. Could you get a couple of crew together and practice a bit - always handy to have an extra crew member with say the bowline handy just in case it doesn't work well the first time.

 

[Tranona]

I reverse in and put a fender in the middle of the transom. Have lines made up to length on all cleats on the pontoon and finger. Pick up the offside stern line - that is opposite side of boat from the finger, then put in forward with ruder steering towards the finger. Then walk round and pick up all the other lines which are carefully placed on the finger when leaving. As the prevailing wind is from the stern, often no need to put in gear but quick burst of bow thruster if the bow gets blown off before I can get to the line.

 

[Paul_S123]

Just to clarify, I don't think my original post was clear. It is backing my Moody 31 into a slip I am talking about, not my motor boat in the pic in the 1st post.

 

[Tranona]

Just to clarify, I don't think my original post was clear. It is backing my Moody 31 into a slip I am talking about, not my motor boat in the pic in the 1st post.

Understood. The method I described is for a slightly bigger yacht, but should work with your Moody.

 

[capnsensible]

Simply get a stern line on aft of the transom and motor slow ahead with rudder over to push towards pontoon. Easy Peary, as others have mentioned. Springs don't always have to be in the middle!

 

[alant]

Simply get a stern line on aft of the transom and motor slow ahead with rudder over to push towards pontoon. Easy Peary, as others have mentioned. Springs don't always have to be in the middle!

Thought he was trying to moor up stern first.

 

[capnsensible]

Thought he was trying to moor up stern first.

Er, exactly.......

 

[xeitosaphil]

Er, exactly.......

I thought the OP's idea of using a spring to moor aft was to stop the boat from hitting the aft end of the pontoon when entering stern first? your method- you would have had to moor up first or lasso the cleat before you hit the pontoon then power forward, unless I'm missing something?

 

[sailaboutvic]

Going back some years when I had my berth in Suffolk , I also use to go stern first , it was quite a tight berth , in between shallow gap between the row of pontoon plus a fat boat which I had next door didn't help .
I used an fishing rod holder which I had half way up my finger berth where I use to leave my stern line ,no Ned to mess about with boat hook , or a chance of missing picking it up before the boat hit the pontoon ,
as I reversed in I use to pick up the stern line hook it onto my stern cleat then motored forward pointing th bow into the berth , leave it in gear step onto the pontoon and put the rest of the lines on , all that was left to do was to step back on and stop the engine .

 

[Tranona]

I thought the OP's idea of using a spring to moor aft was to stop the boat from hitting the aft end of the pontoon when entering stern first? your method- you would have had to moor up first or lasso the cleat before you hit the pontoon then power forward, unless I'm missing something?

No. You motor back slowly in a straight line until your fendered stern touches the pontoon and pick up your ready made line and attach to the cleat on the boat. obviously this only works on your home berth with lines all made up lying on the pontoon. The OPs boat (like mine) has a transom with no aft deck so easy to pick up line with a boat hook. A pole as suggested by Vic is an enhancement to the method.

 

[alant]

Er, exactly.......

So why, are you suggesting a stern line & power ahead?
Surely, he wanted to use a stern spring, which he could power against. This will have the effect of bringing the bow away from the pontoon, unless counteracted using the rudder to take the stern away, which will allow the bow to set against the pontoon.

 

[capnsensible]

So why, are you suggesting a stern line & power ahead?
.

Largely, because I am now in a berth like that and use it a lot.......

But as usual, others might know better.

 

[Tranona]

So why, are you suggesting a stern line & power ahead?
Surely, he wanted to use a stern spring, which he could power against. This will have the effect of bringing the bow away from the pontoon, unless counteracted using the rudder to take the stern away, which will allow the bow to set against the pontoon.

It is not a spring, but the normal stern line attached to the aft cleat on the opposite side of the boat from the finger you want to hold against.

See my more detailed description earlier - same method as the as the capn's.