Get that stern line or all hell will break loose!

[jleonard]

Remember that a boat hook is your friend

 

[markpierce]

On the Coot, the first line secured and the last one released is from two mid-ship cleats. (Boat/dock access is also midship.) The midship cleats are tied to a single dock cleat located between them, so with that one continuous line secured, fore, aft, and sideways movements are arrested. Bow and stern lines are secured last so as to not rely on a single line.

 

[McGillicuddy]

I disagree and use a stern spring a lot, even when assistance towing with a boat in tow and tough conditions.

It is what I can use quickly and bring the tow boat to the dock while tending the towline.

Work all the time? Nope, but much of it.

Various springs are useful for diffetent readons, but a stern spring works too.

Yes, you are using a stern spring. It is still a spring. Mr Menzies quoted a line from the aft cleat running aft to a dock cleat and called it a stern spring. This is what I was referring to. That is not a stern spring, that is a stern line and makes a big difference. A stern spring would lead from the boats stern cleat forward to a dock cleat about midship so or thereabouts. As I said, my mooring method always starts with a spring. That gives me four choices:
Bow spring leading aft
Mid ships spring leading forward
Mid ships spring leading aft
Aft spring leading forward.

Other lines used in mooring are:

Bow line from bow leading forward to dock cleat
Bow breast line from bow cleat running out 90* perpendicular to hull to dock cleat
Midship breast, same as bow breast
Stern breast, same as bow breast
Stern line from stern cleat leading aft to dock cleat.

In assistance towing, it is often very beneficial to use a stern spring especially if you are towing on the hip with the stern of the towing vessel well aft of the stern of the towed vessel. This gives much greater control of the towed vessel when approaching a dock and allows for the bow of the towed vessel to be placed into a finger dock where it can be handled therein from the dock.

(Sorry, one of the businesses I owned and ran was a TowBoatUS franchise)

 

[psneeld]

I can't say for sure that a line used to help you get to a dock is "just" a stern line or is it an aft after spring?

Either way I use it as he described to get to the dock...not for hip towing but when I have a stern tow and need to get alongside the dock with an offshore wind or current.

I just disagree that a line on your stern doesn't help and that a bow or mis hip spring g is "the best" .

It may be a "preferred way"...... but not for everyone.

 

[AusCan]

Many have recommended a solution using something attached to the dock to hold a line ready. This works great however... I have never had a slip at a dock that would allow anything like that to be attached to a piling or a floating dock.

It is exceedingly rare here in the PNW to find a "dock hand" to help unless it is at a fuel dock. They just don't exist most places.

I agree that a spring to hold the boat in position, then disembarking and setting other lines is a great way to do. We do that currently about 1/2 the time at our home dock. However you need to be able to get your boat into position so that the crew can safely step off the boat with a line. If you count on a line on a hook, and you return to the dock and it has been moved, fallen off or whatever, you still need to be able to safely dock the boat. Also, at marinas you visit, you don't have that convenient prepared line. Finally, although it sound like they are rare on the East Coast, here it is not uncommon to find bull rails at docks instead of cleats at fuel docks, government docks, state parks, and some marinas.

Rather than leaving the spring line attached to the dock while away, why not leave it attached to your boat, then just loop the cleat on the dock as you slowly pull alongside it when docking. This can be done without disembarking on most boats.

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

Rather than leaving the spring line attached to the dock while away, why not leave it attached to your boat, then just loop the cleat on the dock as you slowly pull alongside it when docking. This can be done without disembarking on most boats.

What a concept! Tying the boat to the dock rather than tying the dock to the boat. Kudos.

 

[dhays]

Rather than leaving the spring line attached to the dock while away, why not leave it attached to your boat, then just loop the cleat on the dock as you slowly pull alongside it when docking. This can be done without disembarking on most boats.

This is what we do and I should have suggested it to the OP. The line we use as a spring to come into our home dock with is kept on board and only used when coming into our home slip. If our next stop is our home dock, it gets placed on the boat before we leave. Unfortunately, our aft mid-ship cleat is not readily accessible from the boat and yet that is the cleat that is most effective for this. Once we are docked, that temporary spring is removed after the permanent docks lines are attached.

This may be the perfect solution for the OP. Rather than try to snag an eye with a boat hook, it may be much easier to keep that eye on the boats cleat toss a very large loop over the dock cleat.

BTW, there was the comment earlier that a boat hook is your friend. I am not so sure.... I use a boat hook to pick up my permanent dock lines that are on the port side after our primary lines on the starboard side are secured. However, I wouldn't want to try to do that on the fly.

I also know that when I see a boat coming into the marina and there are crew on deck holding boat hooks, it is time to break out the spare fenders as chaos and mayhem are likely to ensue.

 

[psneeld]

Depending on wind and current, might be easier to boat hook a line and attach it to the boat....

And most day trippers do leave the lines on the dock.

Many ways to do things....what works often requires experimentation and practice.

 

[menzies]

My stern tie. Right by the gate and a short tie. I can do anything with the boat once that is on.

 

[markpierce]

What a concept! Tying the boat to the dock rather than tying the dock to the boat. Kudos.

I've learned never to leave things on the dock. (Who stole my hose!}

 

[Peter B]

Thank you so much for all this great advise!
We have zero pilings on the side we have to tie up. I'll ask our dock master about installing some kind of hook to put the line on.
I like the spring line idea.

Looks like you've had lots of helpful advice. I think 1Sailor's advice (post #15) is the real secret for returning to your own dock. Just have the mid cleat to stern line in place already at the right length fixed at the dock end, so all your crew have to do is take the end loop up via a boat-hook as you glide in, or, in our (and maybe your) case, grabbed even by hand, from an upstanding hook handily placed.

I placed a telescopic hook on the dock, (made from an old car aerial), we pull up and hang the loop on it, (glued a stretchy hook over the top), as we don't have pilings either - floating dock. Get that loop on the the mid cleat asap when you come in, then as 1Sailor and others pointed out, (alternatively the stern line can be used in a similar way, as Menzies mentioned, but being shorter, is less forgiving in terms of getting the loop over the cleat in time), then engine in idle for'd will just hold the boat against the dock at the right place then for easy setting of your other lines, and you're done and dusted.

 

[JimTid]

I pull along side the end of the pier and let the wife hop off the boat. She walks to our wet slip to be my deck hand. I have a side door at the helm so I toss her a midship line as I enter the slip. We are 30 feet tip to tip so it is easier than the larger boats. Wind and currents make it a new adventure every time.

 

[CaptTom]

Some guys on our dock have fashioned a line holder somewhat similar to a mooring whip. I've seen them use old antennas, or a concoction of PVC or iron pipe... Or you can actually buy mooring whips.

The line can be hung from that, maybe more accessible than trying to reach line laying on the dock.

I can't add to Chris' comments, but I wanted to reinforce them. Some sort of pole or line holder is the answer.

The OP didn't ask for advice about which line to use, or which to use first. I have my own opinions there which I'll keep to myself.

We have high freeboard and I won't have crew jumping ship to handle lines. At our home dock we rig a pole to hang a line on. At other docks it's the job of the crew to lasso a cleat or post, or if the current and wind are light I'll leave the helm to do it.

 

[catalinajack]

Rather than leaving the spring line attached to the dock while away, why not leave it attached to your boat, then just loop the cleat on the dock as you slowly pull alongside it when docking. This can be done without disembarking on most boats.

Because not all finger piers have dock cleats. Ours have only pilings.

 

[Wxx3]

The most important docking line on a boat is the spring line. When coming in bow first get a spring line from a mid cleat on the boat aft to the dock. Once this is secured, all you have to do is put the boat in forward gear, idle speed & the boat will lay alongside the dock, giving you all the time you need to get the rest of the lines secured. The aft spring will keep you from crashing into anything forward. No jumping off the boat. We have a fixed dock & have our lines hanging on hooks on the piling on the dock. The mate forward can grab the aft spring, walk aft to place it on the mid ship cleat, & then has plenty of time to secure the rest. Whenever we go to a marina with dock hands, we NEVER toss them a bow line, only the aft spring. After a little time (sometimes longer) instructing them where to secure it, we give them the rest.

Yep.
Once the midship line is attached to the dock. You can pretty much do anything with just fwd or reverse, no thrusters needed.

Only then do I allow anyone to get off boat to assist.

Pretty much the only way to die or be severely injured is to get between the boat and any other object.

Why take such a chance?

Jumping off a moving boat is an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Wxx3]

So tell me this. What is the difference between a spring line from the boat's mid cleat to an aft dock cleat, or the boats aft cleat to an aft dock cleat.

So long as the aft dock cleat is behind the aft boat cleat, they are, in fact, both springs. The advantage to using the aft boat cleat and aft dock cleat is the ease of stepping off and cleating right there.

If there is current against you, or from forward quarter on dock side, the bow can be quickly pushed out perpendicular to dock.
That can't happen with mid ship attachment.