docking, spring line with pilings

rasbury

I am getting not so terrible at docking but going to an area next week which will be slip stern in parking, Now I do ok,most of the time backing in and have participated in a thread about trying to handle the lines. While over knighting at a floating dock, tying up pretty easy with an aft spring line to hold the boat. While you have the advantage of a dock with several cleats, not a hard task. When all you have are two pilings in the front and a dock at the stern, how do you configure the lines to keep the boat moving back and forth?

aero3113

Take a look at this pic of my 242 tied up at one of our hang outs. Total of six lines used.

LaRea

Let me recommend a good read for you: buy a copy of Chapman's Piloting and Seamanship.  This incredible book is the bible of small-boat handling.  For $40, it will answer this question and almost anything else you're likely to ask.

TikiHut2

+++1 on Chapmans. Read/study it and life will be far simpler on the water.

rasbury

10-4

aero3113

I just ordered one! My wife and I are going on a cruise next week, perfect reading material!

midweste

Done and ordered. Wait..Hmmm... Amazon says i will receive the book in 1 to three weeks??? 

aero3113

yea, that's why I ordered through Barnes and Noble. Ships within 24 hours same day if you live in Manhattan.

Dream_Inn

I have that book as well, and would highly recommend it.  I keep it in on the boat as a reference.  Ras, 6 lines is usually correct.  Two bow, two stern, and two spring.  I usually 'spring forward', which means I keep my stern lines (crisscrossed) tight and then pull the spring from the aft (or middle) of boat to a piling in the front.  Similar to
Aero's pic, except the two stern are crisscrossed.  The reason for the crossing is two things.  First, it puts more line out allowing for tide.  Second, it also allows you more control of where you want the stern (Port or stbd).  Hope that makes sense.  If not, ask more questions.

aero3113

we don't cross at the stern because the ropes will be in the way for boarding.

Dream_Inn

Aero, makes perfect sense.  Around here, lots of places have the small 8 foot finger pier on one side, so putting the stern line crisscrossed helps keep you from bumping it and also allows you to keep the boat close enough to it to board off the side on that finger pier.

rasbury

That all makes perfect sense-not sure I understand a bow line and an aft line going to the same piling puts tension on the spring line and holds it, but I do expect that it does work! I am a one man show pretty much so if I have no help at the dock, my "plan" would be to get a bow line around a piling on my side with a spring line, back the boat to where my wife can get on the dock with a stern line, push over to the other piling and secure the second bow line and spring line then secure all of them to the boat getting it adjusted to where the boat needs to be with finally the other stern line in there somewhere. Is a clove hitch a suitable knot to secure the bow lines with? I will be there for a week and expect by the weeks end will be the expert! A finger pier with a cleat sure would make securing a spring line a lot easier I would think....

rasbury

I don't think there is anything to do beyond that- the only thing I can think of is heavier line which is as only as good as the cleats, if you have a storm surge, well what can you do with even a 5' surge? Good insurance is the only thing I can think of....

craigswardmtb

When hurricane sandy came through and they were calling for 10' storm surges I went as far up the CT river as possible and found a marina with the tallest pilings, and floating slips. I think I managed to get 8 lines on there. I then preyed to Poseidon. I couldn't get to the boat for a couple days but the boat was fine.  If I were in my current marina I think I would have floated off the pilings, or ripped my cleats off as the water surged. 

rasbury

is a clove hitch a suitable knot then to secure to pilings then?

aero3113

I received it yesterday, I was surprised at how nice the binding is. Will look nice just sitting out on a table.

rasbury

Well, here at Sebastian Inlet Fl and very shocked at the tide- there is none! I guess the lagoon is so darn big, there are not enough inlets to have any effect with the water level. I spoke with a guide at the ramp and he said the wind is a bigger player if it has been really windy for several days it will push water in or out of the lagoon depending on the direction. All the boats are tied with criss cross on the front of the back with 4 lines and see hardly any with any other spring lines or anything!

TikiHut2

No tide in Sebastion?? Don't count on it remaining the same day to day. 

Nice reference guide there Aero. Most everything a nautical soul needs is in there somewhere.

aero3113

They would be in our way when boarding. The dock in the pic is a location we go to for overnights (not our home dock).

aero3113

It's just the camera angle, plenty of room. It's never been an issue.

TikiHut2

An old salty cruiser guy recently helped tie us up. When I went to cross our aft lines he politely asked why not just guide them down from the cleat and through the tow eye and UNDER the swim platform instead of tripping over them. I've been doing it that way ever since.

aero3113

TikiHut2 said:

An old salty cruiser guy recently helped tie us up. When I went to cross our aft lines he politely asked why not just guide them down from the cleat and through the tow eye and UNDER the swim platform instead of tripping over them. I've been doing it that way ever since.

I like it!!!!

rasbury

most of the boats I saw that way are the charter boats and I'm sure there just about everyday...there was a fishing guide at the ramp I was at. I wanted to get behind one of the spoils, there are several boats moored there, including a pirate ship! There is a camp there complete  with two cannons protecting the northern and southern routes! Glad we did not run into the "pirate" aka wow! I was only reading 2~3 ft, the charts on my gps said the tides would be two feet so I'm thinking, how does that math work? There was a sailboat there that must have broken loose went up on a sandbar and when it ran out of water, fell over. Not sure how you would salvage that, I was concerned. The guide said if you can get back there, you can get out. It is similar up around mosquito lagoon, a little south of the New Symrna area, very little tidal change....I guess the is so much water in that section and so few inlets to drain/fill it, it's more like a river system. Anyway, will come back to the area again as it is very pretty....