Dockline chafe and a remedy,please?

[Paul Aubrecht]

My 356 is higher than the dock.My dockline runs from my rear cleat to the cleat on the dock and because of the angle it is rubbing the gelcoat area immediately under the cleat on my boat.Eventually,it is going to rub through if I dont put some sort of chafe guard there.I thought about putting a section of garden hose on the dockline by the cleat but it seems like that would be abrasive as well.Has anyone out there got any suggestions or can tell me what you use for this?Thanks

 

[Ed Schenck]

Possible solution.

Could you screw on some wood such that it would look good and protect the gelcoat? I say screw it on because it would be sacrificial and need to be replaced periodically. Actually I would use PlasTeak in the 3/8" thickness. It can be fashioned easily with a sabre saw and router.

 

[Darren Mayes]

Another one...

Have additional cleats installed... maybe on each side of the cabin in a position where the dock lines would not rub...

 

[Don Alexander]

No Problem

My mooring is alongside a pontoon which is suspended between piles in a fairly exposed site. I moor my 376 to the pontoon using the cleats on the pontoon side of the boat and then take an additional bow line from the pile ring, up to deck level and right across rubbing strake and GRP toe rail to the cleat on the opposite side. Likewise I take the stern pile line across the swim platform (patio!) and round the quarter to the cleat. Neither line has any chafe protection. Been doing this since 1996.Not a mark on the boat nor any wear on the warps.

 

[Stu Sauer]

Chafe Protection

I use 12" to 18" lengths of reinforced clear vinyl water hose 1/8" greater inside diameter than the braided dock lines and retained from slipping down by a built up ring of duct tape. I use larger diameter water hose 30-36" long where the lines wrap around the pilings. One advantage of this type of chafe protection is it's always in place for extreme low or high tides and we had not a mark on the boat with a 9' tidal surge last September 19th when the Hurricane came up the bay.