Pulling into a slip with pilings

[peterbud]

I recently moved to a house with a side dock and four pilings. The boat i have is a 22 and the pilings are setup fore a much larger boat. I have always been on a mooring in the past. I have no idea how to set up my boat for using the pilings properly. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[BudGates]

It's difficult to answer your question without seeing the dock in relation to the boat but in general a minimum of one aft spring line, one forward spring line, and two breast lines. You'll also want fenders to keep your boat from chafing against the dock.

 

[Gunni]

This is a typical Chesapeake Bay Marina / slip configuration. First thing I would do is rig lines tied between the open pilings at a height were you can grab them from the deck. This provides you, or your crew with the ability to guide the boat into the slip. Then determine whether you will back in, or come in bow first.

On one of the first piles coming into the slip you want to have a forward spring line that you can pick up and attach first (midship is best) as you come in - preventing the boat from coming too far forward in the slip. Another spring line comes from the inner most part of your slip and attaches to your midship to limit the ability of the boat to move out of the slip. Then it is forward and outer-most Dock lines run with enough length to allow you to ride up and down with the tide. Because the stern is beamy and typically close to the piles, the standard practice is to cross stern docklines to the opposite quarter giving you more line length and thus ability to rise and fall centered in your slip.

 

[Davidasailor26]

I pretty much agree with Gunni. The only comments I have on his suggestions are:
- Tie the lines onto the piling a at a height that lines up with your cleats at mid tide if you're in an area with a tidal swing. This prevents the boat from hanging from the lines at low tide or being held down at high tides.
- Since you said the slip is much larger than the boat, you may not need to worry about sprig lines or crossing the stern lines. Those are generally techniques for smaller slips where lines from the piling a to the boat corners can't hold the boat centered in the slip.

 

[arf145]

I enjoyed BudGates picture, as that would be great, if only! But west coasters probably don't get that on the Chesapeake, you pretty much never get a full, or even half, length dock-- you get a stubby little finger scrap of a pier and pilings on most corners.
But I did adapt a short handed practice of a west coast friend to the Chesapeake way. As others said, you'll have lines on your pilings at the correct height. Docking bow first, I come in with a fender on my bow on the finger pier side and have someone get the stern line off the outer piling on that side as we come by. They place that line on the stern--not midship--cleat. Once that is locked down, I put the engine in forward and steer full toward the finger pier side--this typically only requires the engine idling in gear but I give it a little more if the wind is up from that side. The net effect is that the stern line keeps the boat from going too far forward and keeps the stern from pivoting out, and the engine power keeps the bow pinned to the pier, protected by the fender. Now you can do the other lines at your leisure.

 

[peterbud]

I enjoyed BudGates picture, as that would be great, if only! But west coasters probably don't get that on the Chesapeake, you pretty much never get a full, or even half, length dock-- you get a stubby little finger scrap of a pier and pilings on most corners.
But I did adapt a short handed practice of a west coast friend to the Chesapeake way. As others said, you'll have lines on your pilings at the correct height. Docking bow first, I come in with a fender on my bow on the finger pier side and have someone get the stern line off the outer piling on that side as we come by. They place that line on the stern--not midship--cleat. Once that is locked down, I put the engine in forward and steer full toward the finger pier side--this typically only requires the engine idling in gear but I give it a little more if the wind is up from that side. The net effect is that the stern line keeps the boat from going too far forward and keeps the stern from pivoting out, and the engine power keeps the bow pinned to the pier, protected by the fender. Now you can do the other lines at your leisure.

Dp people normally leave their lines on the pilings and of so do you cut them to lenght

 

[Davidasailor26]

We tie a bowline around the piling at the proper length to put the pre-spliced eye through the cleats. We just wrap the excess bitter end from the bowline around the piling. Some will say it's better to use the eye to put around the piling and tie a cleat hitch over the cleats.

I prefer not having to figure out the proper length for the cleat hitch each time. The bowline is more easily pre set. The only exception to me is one bow line opposite the finger pier. For that one we tie a cleat hitch so that we can adjust it. We leave it longer when we're at the boat so getting on and off is easier, then shorter at the end of the weekend so it doesn't risk touching the dock.

Also if you have inexperienced crew when docking it's easier to say "grab that loop and put it there" than "grab that line, and put it around there, then cross it over the top, then take a bite and put it on the horn".

 

[whatfiero]

Put electrical tape on lines to mark location to boat cleat

 

[jssailem]

There is a wealth of info here. I like captain Ron's advise "Best thing to do Kitty is get her out on the ocean. If it's going to happen it's going to happen out there."

Go out and give her a try. Throw some lines around the pilings or tie off to the cleats. When afraid ask to go out with a fellow boat owner. Worst thing you'll get a little creosote on the rub rail and you'll not bumper car in to the slip many times.

To learn to handle a boat you need to get behind the wheel/tiller and practice doing circles.

 

[Gunni]

All of my dock lines, two springs, and 2 fore, 2 aft are looped about their respective piles and the end brought aboard where they are hitched tight to a length marked by a piece of colored electrician's tape. I have rope hooks on the piles to gather my dock lines when leaving. Makes it very easy to instruct new crew members in docking. I carry a separate set of dock lines for traveling. I rotate out my dock lines every 5 years, new dock lines for the slip, old dock lines become my travel lines. Real old 5/8 dock lines go to the Free Stuff box at the marina where they disappear real fast and show up on the deck of a small boat.

 

[JTulls]

For marking the end of your line to keep the cleat hitch in the right spot, I'd recommend just putting some whipping twine around the line as your mark instead of electrical tape. I find the electrical tape can slip and throw off your distances

 

[jssailem]

For marking the end of your line to keep the cleat hitch in the right spot, I'd recommend just putting some whipping twine around the line as your mark

I second the whipping twine. Easy, quick and nearly permanent.

 

[DougM]

We have a seawall in front of our place with two pilings 50 feet apart set out 20 feet from the wall. Our boat is 33 feet. We have lines that we leave on the pilings for bow and stern and lines on the seawall for bow, stern, forward spring and aft spring.
When we dock, we generally swing in at a 45 degree angle, dead slow, and grab the after spring line with a boat hook, and wrap it on a cleat. By then, forward motin is all but non existent and the boat easily swings parallel to the wall. One of us then goes forward and catches the bow line on the piling side and ties off, then the bow line on the seawall side. Then the stern lines and springs. It gets to be second nature after awhile, an we can do the job without even talking to each other.
Obviously we keep a second set of dock lines aboard for other places we go.