Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I'd like to add this question to the "How many fenders?" topic.

I can't seem to get a satisfactory handle on the placement & quantity of my dock lines. They either allow the boat to pull too far away from the dock, or are a tripping hazard if located near the door, or...

What works for you?

I think it depends on your dock set up and the weather conditions (ie; wind and waves). If your dock cleats are positioned right for your boat, you may get away with two if the lines are angled enough. In my case at the lake I’m at, I had to expirement. The cleats were too far toward the dock ends, and it’s been very windy. I am using four lines.

I’ll try to explain the configuration: One from the rear dock cleat to the port rear boat cleat (prevents rear sway outward). One from the rear dock cleat to the starboard rear boat cleat (prevents rearward movement). One from the front dock cleat to a front middle boat hook (to prevent front outward movement). Lastly, a long line from the rear dock cleat to the starboard front boat cleat (to prevent forward movement). This last was important as the boat was hitting the front of the slip with the toons.

If all is right though, two should work though.

So many different docks, so let's talk about inventory of dock lines. I have at least 4 @ 8ft for cleats and 3 @ 25 ft for spring line from pilings. I've also got a 60 ft hank of floating 1/2 inch for throwing.

I think a couple of proper spring lines work best to keep you in position. No matter how many cleats I tie off to, overnight and when I'm away from my boat, I put at least 2 spring lines. I'm never on a calm lake all the time, and the spring lines buffer the waves, wakes, and wind.

I use 3, 2 on starboard and 1 to front on starboard side, this ensures the boat can not go backwards when we get on the boat, it still can stay away from dock on fenders

We load from the front

If this was my dock I would put to cleats down in different places, still may ask him if I can move them, I keep forgetting when down there

zoom650 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:15 am

So many different docks, so let's talk about inventory of dock lines. I have at least 4 @ 8ft for cleats and 3 @ 25 ft for spring line from pilings. I've also got a 60 ft hank of floating 1/2 inch for throwing.

I think a couple of proper spring lines work best to keep you in position. No matter how many cleats I tie off to, overnight and when I'm away from my boat, I put at least 2 spring lines. I'm never on a calm lake all the time, and the spring lines buffer the waves, wakes, and wind.

"Spring" lines cross from the boat to the dock (boat front to dock rear, etc), right? They hold the boat from moving fore/aft but allow it to move away from the dock. I could never understand why to choose that configuration.

guy48065 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 13, 2018 10:38 am

"Spring" lines cross from the boat to the dock (boat front to dock rear, etc), right? They hold the boat from moving fore/aft but allow it to move away from the dock. I could never understand why to choose that configuration.

Keep the spring lines taught enough and your boat should rest neatly on it's bumpers against the dock, with little forward or backward movement. There are lots of different ways to rig spring lines. Especially helpful if the cleats are not in perfect position. If you're never worried with waves from wind, storms, or wakes, then tie up a couple short lines and be done.

I'm on a canal. Rarely gets strong wind, mild current as they open and close the locks about 45 minutes downstream. Boat traffic is limited to 6mph and near any marinas is also supposed to be "no wake zone". That can be tough with some of the big V-hulls. Lots of boats in the 35-40 foot range .

I use just 2 lines. Both port side as that's where the dock is. One fore, one aft. Front one keeps us from moving backward, rear one keeps us from moving forward and whacking the main dock. Both have slack so the boat can move some as the water level goes up and down slightly when the locks are in use or we get a day of hard rain.

Those 2 lines stay at the dock when we leave. I have additional lines stowed for use when we are at a transient dock. I keep a pair of 10 footers and a pair of 25 footers hanked and use whichever is suitable for wherever we are. In some locations we've had to raft up cause it was busy.

Cleats? My boat & aluminum dock have none & I've never seen any on any of my neighbor's docks, either. Funny how in a "lake community" you often see the same brands of boats, trailers, and see everybody doing everything the same way.
I just throw a hooped line from each corner of the boat over 2 of my dock posts & adjust the length (permanently) so they're tight. Lake level is kept constant by a dam. Weather can be a problem anywhere but here in the Midwest we don't get the extremes seen in coastal states.

I'll experiment with criss-crossing the lines to see if they can be made tight enough to keep the boat against the fenders, but not so tight that a wake will rip my dock posts out. My dock has 10-foot sections so the posts are that far apart. Kinda limits my attachment options but I'd rather not bolt on cleats because they interfere with stacking my sections for the winter.

I only use two....but I'm only at the dock long enough to launch and recover....I always load the pontoon prior to heading out....and I only use two large fenders...most of the time I launch and recover solo...there's also a proper way to loop your dock lines to the cleats, so there's minimal slip at the dock.

I always use 4 docking lines. I purchase a 50 foot bag of hollow rope, cut it in 4 pieces and put a loop on each end threading the ends of the rope inside the hollow rope. That gives me 4 nine foot sections I put on the 4 cleats on each corner of my boat. I always tie the end of each rope to the fencing when I'm out running.
I also buy a second 50' bag of hollow rope and cut it into two pieces. Then I put eyes on each end.
The deal is that you can loop a rope through most cleats without tying them. And you can loop the ropes together to make longer ropes.

When I put my boat in the slip, I have slip on both sides, so I use 4 lines, 2 port, 2 starboard.

The 2 stern lines are short enough that I put them on first, then the bow lines. This keeps the toon from bumping the bow against the front of the slip.

I keep a 3/8" x 15-foot line at each corner of our boat, the generally unused Stbd side I've got the lines coiled and secured with small Velcro straps that I added a snap to, this I then snap to one of the cover/rail snaps so they are tidy and out of the way. I also keep numerous extra mooring lines as well as a hefty rope for towing as well as a couple of 3/8" x 100-foot anchor lines too.

It drives me to madness that our neighbor who keeps his boat on a lift is so stinking hardheaded that he keeps but a couple 5-foot ropes on his boat and belittles his wife when she can't help him dock because the ropes are too short...

guy48065 wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 15, 2018 6:04 am

Cleats? My boat & aluminum dock have none & I've never seen any on any of my neighbor's docks, either. Funny how in a "lake community" you often see the same brands of boats, trailers, and see everybody doing everything the same way.
I just throw a hooped line from each corner of the boat over 2 of my dock posts & adjust the length (permanently) so they're tight. Lake level is kept constant by a dam. Weather can be a problem anywhere but here in the Midwest we don't get the extremes seen in coastal states.

I'll experiment with criss-crossing the lines to see if they can be made tight enough to keep the boat against the fenders, but not so tight that a wake will rip my dock posts out. My dock has 10-foot sections so the posts are that far apart. Kinda limits my attachment options but I'd rather not bolt on cleats because they interfere with stacking my sections for the winter.

Why not tie front off here or here to tighten to fenders? Tie back to trailer tie down on starboard side, untie from post and coil inside rear of boat, then just tie off at post when you get back in

Hmmm...I never considered tying to one of the rings on the far side of the boat. I'll give that a try & see if that gives me more control.
Can't see it in the photo but there is a 3rd line I use at the last pole. It's wrapped loose and is really there for redundancy since I live 200 miles away & can't keep watch on it when storms blow through.

You mention "tight to the fenders"--is that the goal? Maybe my approach is all wrong but I thought the goal was to leave slack in the lines so the boat is free to adjust to changes in level (wakes, wind-driven level changes, etc), but still keeping it short enough to not have a big gap to step over. Should I be tight to the dock...maybe use those "dogbone" stretchy things on the lines?

I think it should not be far enough away that boats momentum will compress fender solid, does that make sense? boat would get more speed 6 inches from fender than 1 inch, I do about an inch so boat doesnt rub and wear thru the fender on boat or dock