Marina Docking Advice

[NAN-PO 41]

I agree with captdiddis. Give the eye of the spring line to the dockhand. Commercial vessels never put anything but the eye on the dock and neither should we. My wife and family know how we are bringing the boat into the dock and what I am going to do in any given situation. WE HAVE PRACTICED It is also much easier for us to communicate with each other on the boat than with someone on the dock. Under no circumstances will I give a stern line to the dock until the boat is securely in place with tension on the spring. That is the only end of the boat you have control of. ( unless of course you are fortunate enough to have a thruster, which I don't )
JMHO Fred

 

[Pascal]

i'm not sure i agree about passing only the eye ashore.

first, sometimes when you rig the lines and fenders you dont' know if your'e going to have help on the dock. If you dont' have help it's much better to thrown the line and double it back catching the cleat. you can do that from the boat with no help... kinda of a failsafe...

then, if the person on the dock isn't careful and isnt' quick enough, they may get a finger caught between the eye and the cleat...that's less likely to happen with the bitter end.

i always rig the lines with the eye on the boats, if someone is really there to help if just tell them to put around and return the bitter end.

 

[Trojan]

I also keep the eye on the boat cleat. That way the mate only needs to catch a pole or a dock cleat, take up the slack and tie off the line. At most places where I really need a spring line, I don't have a lot of room for a slack spring line. I sure as hell don't trust a dock person to tie off my spring line. Most don't even know what to do with it, let alone tie a knot. I also can't believe how many boat owners don't know how to tie a knot. Just look at some of the knots in your marina. Once docked I set and tie all my lines. I trust nobody to that job. People keep asking me why I blow my horn 3 times when I leave my dock or slip.

BILL

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Bill,
You are right about tying knots and especially tying on a cleat. I'll bet 80% of the boat owners in my area don't know anymore than to put one half-hitch after another over a cleat until it looks like a big wad of knotted up line. Of course, 80% of them are new SeaRay owners, so maybe it does make sense.