How best to moor a Benny in a permanent slip??

[TexBoater]

We will be taking delivery of our 2274GL w/ 150 Yamaha within the next week.  Plans are to leave it in the water in what seems to

be a very well constructed boat slip complex in Canyon Lake Texas.

I've seen various diagrams about "cross tieing" the lines to allow for more flex etc.   I.e. front line to back cleat etc.   I've also heard it is OK to just tie up short and straight to the cleat.  We will occasionally have high winds.

We plan to use four 6.5" X 22" heavy fenders to cushion and I understand these need to be secured to the boat and not the dock.

Can someone share wisdom on how best to tie and any schematics if possible.   Thanks much.        TexBoater

 

[JeffS]

Do you have dock cleats available to you on both sides of the boat?

And do you have a dock cleats in the front on both starboard and port sides?

The answers to these questions will determine the best way to tie off.

 

[TexBoater]

Thanks.  Yes, the boat will have cleats front & rear on both sides.  The dock has several cleat locations on each side plus two large ones in the rear of the slip.   So yes, there are cleats on the dock near front & rear positoins.   THis marina allows us to add more cleats if desired.  I.e. larger ones etc.

 

[JeffS]

Here you go.

This is a standard spring-line tie. It's more lines than you will use when you are going in and out. For that...just use fenders and tie front to front and back to back. But when you leave the boat, do this tie. You can put fenders down, but if done properly, the boat will never touch the dock even in windy conditions. The spring lines (blue) keep the boat in position front to back. And the 4 side lines (orange) keep the boat centered in the slip side to side. No touching of the dock. It's an ideal tie-up for when you are gone from the boat.

And if you are going to look like a true-pro...don't forget to flemish the lines.

 

[TexBoater]

JeffS - this is what I was looking for.  To clarify however,  I am assuming your blue and yellow lines are totally separate, but they are sharing the same dock & boat cleat?  In other words you are not using one long line on eash side and are simply using colors to note location.   Thanks...

 

[JeffS]

My suggestion...since it's a permanent slip, have individual lines made or make them yourself so they are the right length with no danglers.

You can do this with 4 lines instead of 8 if you want to. But having lines made up ahead of time is the way to go.

Example of what to do with one line, loop the eye of the line through the front port cleat of the boat. Spring back to the rear port cleat on the dock and snub the line once. Then come under the back port dock cleat to the back port boat cleat. One line does two jobs.

That's a lot of tying though. And you have the excess line on the boat.

It's way better to just make lines the right length and leave them on the dock. That way, every day when done, it's just a matter of looping the eyes through the boat cleats...and done. 2 looped eyes on each cleat - one spring and one corner line on each of the boat's 4 corner cleats.

Lots of different ways to make lines. Bowline knot is the most common. You could also use a fid and splice in a loop for a more finished look. 

Here is an animated look at splicing an eye.

Once you splice, you will also what to thread in some whipping. "Whipping thread" is its own thing. Here is a link that shows the different products.

All of this stuff is considered a special skill called 'marlinspike seamanship'. It's fun stuff in my opinion. But I'm not a very interesting guy...so...

 

[StevL]

JeffS gave you very solid information, that is the best way to secure your boat.

One thing you may consider if your not exposed to crazy seaside weather and tides is the spring line and corner line may be the same line, thus allowing only one loop on each of the four corners of the boat, I have done this for years on our lake with no problems.

I usually buy bulk line so I may cut it to length. I place a loop about 6 feet from the end (your length may vary) on the line by flipping a loop over and then back through (hope that makes sense), I then place the one loop on a cleat, attach the corner line (my 6 foot section), then pull the long line as a spring line. Cut and clean up both ends, repeat three more times and your done, you will end up with four total loops for the boat (one for each cleat). I leave these in place for easy docking & mooring. About twice during the first year I may have to shorten the lines (all done on the dock side) because of stretching, after the first year they seem to stay the same length, I do replace them every three years.

Sounds like a lot of work but after doing this for a long time I replace my lines in 30 minutes or less.

Steve

 

[SEMPERFI8387]

As shown, it's not only the proper way, but the best way. Boat can move up and down, but very little front to rear and side to side.

You would be amazed on 380 docks, how many damaged boats I see from people that tie improperly (even though every year you sign the contract with printed tying instructions).

I've actually seen toons with the front curled back with holes torn with the "eye" punched through the top because of improper tying.

Amazing people will spend 30K plus on a toon, and not tie it properly (or with proper line ... NOT CLOTHESLINE !!!!)

 

[TexBoater]

All these are very helpful - and they are easy to understand. Especially about having dedicated ropes made and adjusted for each cleat. Great idea. 

Now I need to be sure my wife and dog know what they need to do when we pull in the slip.....

Bennington gave notice our boat was finished and it's either en route to Austin or arrived the past couple of days.   Can't wait.

 

[TexBoater]

One more question.   Is there a concensus as to 3/8 of 1/2" line for this type mooring and  for what I would call light anchoring. (not in high winds or severe conditions)   Most of my anchoring would be 20' or less water.   I bought a set of four 20' 1/2" mooring lines and also a spool of 150' of good quality double braided 1/2" for anchoring.  The 1/2' looks big to me.  Big to handle and it takes up quite a bit of space. 

Would the 3/8" do for either.  Not a cost issue but more related to storing and handling.  If ther 1/2" is "better" no problem but that 1/2" looks BIG. 

Thanks...........  TexBoater

 

[JeffS]

Go 1/2" on your dock lines. Opinions vary - many say boats under 25' can get by fine with 3/8" line. Other say under 20' gets to use 3/8" line.

The cost delta is pretty small.

And with a pontoon boat, you have a lot of surface area to catch the wind. So though you may have the linear footage of a 22'er, you have the wind-area of a much larger boat.

I prefer double braided dock lines and 3 strand twist for anchoring. (You're getting info from back in my big boat days).

The magic to anchoring isn't your rode - it's your chain. (by the way, as soon as you put a rope on a boat, it becomes a line. As soon as you attach a line to an anchor, it becomes a rode...blah blah blah...I know...I told you though...I'm not a very interesting guy...so...)

And 3 strand twist is easy to splice to a shackle connecting to chain.

The anchor is not just for floating in place. It's safety equipment. Ever you get into trouble, step 1 - set your anchor. Every boat should have one and it should be proper. At least 1 foot of chain for every 2' of LOA. So on a 22' boat - at least 11' of chain. My anchor for my current boat is set up with 15' of chain.

Hard shackle from anchor to chain. And swivel-anchor-shackle from chain to rode. 

If you'd like information about proper anchor setups, feel free to ask. I won't bore everyone unless someone is interested. 

I like 1/2' for all anchor setups under 30' mostly because 3/8" is not fun on your hands if you get hung up.

 

[JeffS]

One more tip for making a set of permanent lines.

If you use double braided line - they stay soft by washing them in a regular washing machine every month or two. And if you do that - dry them too.

When you dry them, put them in a pillow case along with about 10 or 20 dryer sheets, cinch the pillow case closed with a zip tie.

Spiders have evolved to know what dock likes look like. And they follow dock lines to poop. For whatever reason, spiders love to poop on boats. And dock lines are the path to the restroom. If you're a spider. 

Spiders don't like the scent of dryer sheets. Apparently. 

If your dock lines smell spring-fresh, spiders don't like them. And they poop on someone else's boat.

-J

 

[JTaylor]

There are so many dock configurations, and your particular circumstances may drive a different solution.  Definitely take what you are learning from here, but also talk to experienced workers at the dock complex to get their recommendations.  They will have a lot of experience with a wide variety of boats for their particular docking setup and water conditions.  

 

[tcpip95]

I keep mine in a permanent slip.  Here's what I did:

1.  I dock it nose-in.

2.  I have two cleats on the end of the dock.  I cross these lines (line from the dock cleat on the port-side goes to the starboard bow cleat on the boat, line from the dock cleat on the starboard-side goes to the port-bow cleat on the boat).

3.  I have two pilings at the back of boat.  I cannot cross these because the engine would get in the way and the ropes would rub on the engine, so I simply tie the port-stern cleat to the port-stern piling and starboard-stern cleat to the starboard piling.  These stern lines are measured to prevent the boat from coming too far forward and hitting the cement dock.

4.  We don't have a very large tide swing here (< 1') so I've measured my lines to allow for that and have permanently tied them to the proper lengths so that there is enough play in them to allow for tidal changes.

5.  I have also permanently attached two fenders to the port-side of the dock (red in my drawing below), and have set the lines so that the boat will stay closer to the port-side dock, and away from the neighboring boat to my starboard side.

I've had no problems whatsoever with this setup.  I simply unhook the dock lines (loop the eye through the cleats) and toss them on the dock and away I go.

Here's a drawing (not to scale, but you get the idea):

For the permanent mooring lines on the pilings, I use a modified clove hitch.  I measure the length that I'll need to allow for tidal changes.  NOTE: this can be a PITA but once you get it, it's great.

1.  Wrap the line around the piling 5-6 times horizontally (see lines in yellow).  Make these loops tight, but just loose enough so that you can feed the line underneath them a few times.

2.  Loop the remaining line vertically around these horizontal loops (see lines in black).

3.  When you've got the right length, pull it snug and you're done.

 

[Indian_Lake_Bum]

Our easy way to moor a benny and keep it high and dry at the same time

 

[Link]

That's the way to dock IndianLakeBum, wish I could have that type of setup.