Tying up on a “short” dock..?

Hi all - we’ve moved west and are planning on shipping our Grand Banks 43EU to join us there (Bainbridge Isl WA). At the moment, marina dockage is crazy tight on the island, and not much better in the surrounding area. That said, I have two immediate options that may be ok, but would appreciate your advice. Specifically, we have a very good floating dock at our home, but its length is only 35’. Our boat is 48’ LOA, and about 43’ at the waterline. I’ve never tied a boat to a dock that’s shorter than the vessel, and wondering if this is something we should even consider. I’ve received varied feedback on the notion. We also have a mooring ball there that is sufficient (holding power / swing radius), but I’d prefer to be on dock for a host of reasons. Any feedback / advice you can share would be very welcome! Thank you

If the floating dock is solid and riding up and down on pilings, I would not hesitate to tie up a 43' LWL boat to a 35' dock. If there are no pilings and the dock was only anchored to the bottom somehow, I would hesitate -- especially if the boat/dock are exposed to possible strong winds. Perhaps uploading a picture would help you get better advice?

There is no single, short, correct answer. It can be done. But. Consider cleat placement on both the boat and dock. Strength of the dock and attachments to shore and bottom. Think about where the prevailing storm winds blow from. Are the storm winds going to try to tear your boat off the dock? Or worse the the dock with boat attached off it's connections. Overhang in the wind will increase leverage on all components.

What about access? If depth dictates you dock bow to shore but your access is the swim step how will you board the boat?

Also consider maneuvering room for your boat and others around you.

I could not resist taking the opportunity share my experience of tying to a short dock for the night in Southern Norway. It was short in the extreme and I would not have done it if the weather had been anything other than picture perfect. In addition to many fenders, we needed long lines tied from the midships cleats to trees/logs on shore.

The only "problem" we encountered was an apparently mentally-deficient swan who, upon seeing his reflection in the polished stainless steel anchor protector on our hull, assumed he was encountering another swan to attack. Furiously banging his beak on the stainless steel was not very entertaining for us, as this was all going on about 4am and he kept coming back after each time I got up to shoo him away. The solution in the end turned out to be the simple activation of the bow thruster, which happened to be located about right where he was attacking. Fortunately, my thruster has a remote control which I could take to bed with me and activate when necessary throughout the rest of the night ;-)


CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

JohnS211 said:

Specifically, we have a very good floating dock at our home, but its length is only 35’. Our boat is 48’ LOA, and about 43’ at the waterline. I’ve never tied a boat to a dock that’s shorter than the vessel, and wondering if this is something we should even consider.

Click to expand...

Any chance of adding piles further forward, and maybe on the offside?

-Chris

Got room to run lines to shore from the offshore end of your vessel? Not sure if your plan is to bow or stern in.

It isn't so much the length as the sturdiness of the dock. If it is well anchored to shore and is of stout construction it should work.

pete

A 43 foot LWL boat on a 35 foot floating dock should not be a problem, provided as stated above, the dock and pilings are in good repair and sound condition. Bear in mind your cleats are probably not all of that 43' LWL apart, probably slightly shorter than that.
You may need to upgrade the size of the cleats on your dock.

In addition, if the spacing of the pilings allows (I'm assuming that the dock DOES float up and down on pilings) you might consider using Perils, such as those sold under the name "Tideminders".

https://www.tideminders.com/about.htm

You can purchase these and others in many locations on line. Amazon, and West Marine are two sources.

We use them as our boat has especially high cleats. The perils help the pull to be more horizontal, especially when the wind is blowing off the dock.

Note: Unless your pilings are really small diameter, you will need 1.5 sets for each piling.

Posting a picture of your dock would help a lot with member suggestions!
Where in the PNW did you buy?

Thanks all. This is a fairly new (2016) floating dock that sits at the end of a long (150’) steel pier. Very well engineered - steel pilings buried very deep. Mind blowing for me is the tidal change in this area - 10+’ (!). Good depth. I’m in a fairly protected harbor (Eagle Harbor) and in a well-positioned space - generally do pretty well re: prevailing winds. This will be a side tie. I have side boarding gates so can use dock steps to gain access, which would allow me to “center” the boat on the dock- leaving about 6-8’ projecting beyond the dock at the bow and stern. Dropping in some pix here per Scott’s suggestion. I may be able to permit an extension on the floating dock, but will take a minimum of 2 years (very slow process). Not sure about dropping additional pilings, but will check. In addition to feedback on the pros/cons of tying to the dock, would also appreciate any thoughts about how to best tie the lines (especially from the bow and stern coming “back to the dock”). Thank you!

Sounds like you have a very promising setup, JohnS211! Yes, a picture would help focus the suggestions. Perhaps it would be possible to have the aft(?) end of the boat aligned with one end of the dock and somewhere forward, add a new cleat (or similar) on the boat to facilitate mooring that end. (Or vice versa). It could be a lot less expensive and less wait to add a cleat than to extend the dock...

For a side tie where you can split the overhang between both ends, I'd consider it less of a problem.

For side ties in general, I'm a big fan of everything being long spring lines anyway, no short breast lines. So I'd probably start with a forward and aft spring off the spring cleat on the boat. Then a forward spring from the stern cleat and an aft spring from the bow cleat. Adjust the angles based on which dock cleats they go to as needed to get the boat to sit well against the dock and to keep the lines from being too much of a trip hazard when getting on/off the boat. Being a floating dock, the long spring lines method should allow you to tie the boat pretty tightly so it'll sit close to the dock but still allow enough give to absorb any movement.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums...nt.php?attachmentid=136428&stc=1&d=1677082341


Dock photos (hopefully!) attached….

Welcome to Bainbridge Island! I agree with the other comments about the type and quality of dock construction. Also, be aware of the tidal depth changes. We live in the Crystal Springs/Lynnwood area. If your dock is located in one of the more exposed areas such as Rich Passage, I would be much more cautious than if it's in Port Blakely, Eagle Harbor or Port Madison. Our own solution was to keep our boat in Poulsbo until we decided in 2006 to leave her in Alaska as that was our ultimate cruising ground.

Tator

JohnS211 said:

Thanks all. This is a fairly new (2016) floating dock that sits at the end of a long (150’) steel pier. Very well engineered - steel pilings buried very deep. Mind blowing for me is the tidal change in this area - 10+’ (!). Good depth. I’m in a fairly protected harbor (Eagle Harbor) and in a well-positioned space - generally do pretty well re: prevailing winds. This will be a side tie. I have side boarding gates so can use dock steps to gain access, which would allow me to “center” the boat on the dock- leaving about 6-8’ projecting beyond the dock at the bow and stern. Dropping in some pix here per Scott’s suggestion. I may be able to permit an extension on the floating dock, but will take a minimum of 2 years (very slow process). Not sure about dropping additional pilings, but will check. In addition to feedback on the pros/cons of tying to the dock, would also appreciate any thoughts about how to best tie the lines (especially from the bow and stern coming “back to the dock”). Thank you!

Click to expand...

Sounds like you have an ideal situation with not much to worry about. Tidal swings can be greater than 10', in summer we get very low tides. Extending the dock may be possible, new pilings probably not. The regulations in this area are just too tight.

If you are in Eagle Harbor and a new Steel pier and pilings, I wouldn't hesitate. That is an extremely calm bay and sounds like the dock/pilings are plenty sturdy.

Ok- not super intuitive, but hopefully I have the image upload process licked. I’ve attached a few photos of the dock in question - had to show the tidal change. As a former NJ guy, pretty mind-blowing range from high to low tide. You’ll see that the dock is anchored by a series of steel pilings that are super stout and well installed. Floating dock runs up and down with the pilings inset. https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums...nt.php?attachmentid=136442&stc=1&d=1677087956

Looks like there's a good selection of cleats there, so it shouldn't be too hard to get a working tie-up. And if you can get an extension approved, you might just be able to add on to one or both ends of the dock without having to replace it all.

ScottC said:

The only "problem" we encountered was an apparently mentally-deficient swan who, upon seeing his reflection in the polished stainless steel anchor protector on our hull, assumed he was encountering another swan to attack. Furiously banging his beak on the stainless steel was not very entertaining for us, as this was all

Click to expand...

Good swan story from New Yorker magazine: "...swans are considered the azzholes of the bird kingdom—aggressive, bitey, belligerent."

AlaskaProf said:

Good swan story from New Yorker magazine: "...swans are considered the azzholes of the bird kingdom—aggressive, bitey, belligerent."

Click to expand...

Interesting and sad stories...

Looks like a good, well built dock. Not quite sure from the photos, but you might consider adding larger cleats and make sure they are preferably
through bolted or have very long lag screws.

Also, you might want to check with the state as you might have a lease with them for the ground under your dock and might be restricted as to how long of boat you can keep at the dock.

You will know the conditions better once you get there and experience some wind storms first hand, but depending on how exposed it is, I might consider having a plan/gear beforehand to make things extra secure if a big storm is forecast. Possibly an extra anchor you could row out in a dingy to take some of the force of the winds, or lines to shore or something. The biggest problem I would see with the existing dock might be the cleats not being engineered for a boat your size, but I am sure that is an easy upgrade if it is the case.

I would love to have my boat on a dock in front of my house. The only problem would be fighting with my wife over whether we were going to live in the boat or the house. Living in the boat, and filling the house with all my extra crap would be a perfect life.

A mooring is nice for storm conditions. I have friends on the east coast that have small docks but move the boat to a mooring if a storm is coming, or for extended storage.

Just be careful not to take a long walk on your short dock…

Don’t know tidal range in your spot, current nor prevailing wind. But have seen folks screw in a mooring in line with a short dock. When coming in they pickup the pendant as they back down then tie to the dock. End up secured to the mooring off their bow and dock on one side. Works if tidal range isn’t too great.

Private dock in eagle harbor sounds pretty ideal. Even if it’s a bit short. I tie my 40 foot trawler on a 30 foot finger. It’s not ideal, but certainly been ok. I’m stern in, bow overhangs 10 feet. Been through some pretty big blows with no drama.

I think that dock should work pretty well to a point. If it were me, I think I would also want the availability of the mooring. Without being familiar with the area, I'm not sure I'd want to be on that dock with an oversized boat during a storm. Depending on wind direction, I would prefer to be on a stout mooring. Broadside wind coming from across the bay could put a great deal of load on a side tied boat.

Ted

Should not be a problem. If this will be your permanent or long-term berth, consider adding a cleat midway between midship cleat and bow cleat to 'shorten' the boat for docking purposes. I'd tie her up with the stern with little overhang; bow overhanging much more. If there is chop from wind/fetch or perhaps wakes from passing boats, good sized fenders of course.

Good luck. Free berthing is a really good thing.

Peter
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