Mooring to Floats and Piers
Use adequate mooring lines and fenders for securing your boat
Tying up your vessel with sufficient mooring lines and fenders will protect your investment in boating and provide peace of mind.
A recent windstorm in my marina tore a boat loose from its moorings. This reinforced to me the importance of boaters exercising proper precautions with tying up a boat to a floating dock. Boaters need to insure they use adequate mooring lines and fenders to secure their vessels safely. The investment in time and materials is modest compared to the damage that occurs when a boat comes free of its mooring.
Adequate Number of Lines - A properly secured vessel will be held by a minimum of four lines, a bow line, two spring lines fore and aft, and a stern line. Spring lines run from the fore and aft ends of the boat to a cleat or bullrail on the float. Picture tying a line to a fitting at the bow of the boat and running it back to a point on the float near the stern of your vessel. Having two spring lines running in opposite directions prevents your boat from moving forward or backward. Lines at the bow and stern prevent the ends of the boat from swinging out away from the dock.
Line Quality - Use a quality mooring line. I have seen too many boats, worth tens of thousands of dollars, secured with just a thin piece of polyethylene line. Many boaters favor using double braided nylon line. Nylon has some stretch to it and adsorbs shocks to the boat. Rope Incorporated out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is one supplier of mooring lines. Their website offers good purchasing information for boaters.
Line Size - Boats generally use lines of these sizes for mooring. There is nothing wrong with using line of the next size up for your vessel.
- Under 20 feet 3/8" line
- 20 feet to 30 feet 1/2" line
- 30 feet to 40 feet 5/8" line
- 40 feet to 70 feet 3/4" line
- 70 feet to 90 feet 7/8" line
- 90 feet to 110 feet 1" line
- 110 feet to 130 feet 1-1/8" line
- 130 feet to 150 feet 1-1/4" line
Winter Storage - Double your mooring lines if you plan to store your vessel in the water for a long time. Extra lines are always a good idea in the event of an impending storm. Add chafing gear to lines that run through vessel chocks to protect it from wear damage. Chafing gear can be used fire hose, a leather wrapping or the addition of an extra layer of braiding on the line. Use good quality fenders to protect your boat from damage caused by the dock. Fenders are secured to the vessel and not the float. Polyform is a well known manufacturer of fenders and buoys.
As you plan to moor your boat, here are a few additional things to consider. Use the fixtures provided by your marina for tying up your vessel. Boaters have been known to lag bolt a cleat to a finger float for the sake of convenience. A cleat held by lag boats will not adequately secure a boat, cleats must be installed with bolts that go clear through a structural member of the float. The photo included with this article shows a cleat that was lag bolted to a float and failed. Moor your vessel with its bow into the prevailing wind when able. It never hurts to add extra lines to moor your boat!
