I am new to sailing. Can someone please tell me the best way to side-tie a boat to the dock? Have the bow and stern mooring lines go to a center cleat on the dock? Or have the bow mooring line reach out in front and stearn mooring line reach out in the back? Thank you.
How do you side tie your boat to the dock
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Many ways to tie a boat
Just like most things boating-related, there are many methods that are acceptable. In addition to bow and stern lines which hold the boat close to the dock (novice boaters are prone to overtightened the bow line; always secure the stern line tight and ease the bow to align the boat), spring lines attached to a center cleat (both fore and aft) keep the boat stationary. If your bow and stern lines are long enough you can use them for the springs but this can be more cumbersome. Best of luck! Trevor
Just like most things boating-related, there are many methods that are acceptable. In addition to bow and stern lines which hold the boat close to the dock (novice boaters are prone to overtightened the bow line; always secure the stern line tight and ease the bow to align the boat), spring lines attached to a center cleat (both fore and aft) keep the boat stationary. If your bow and stern lines are long enough you can use them for the springs but this can be more cumbersome. Best of luck! Trevor
A couple of comments
Ross is right, and your particular circumstances will end up governing what you do. That being said, if you think about what you want the lines to do, they make sense. A long line led from a cleat on the dock behind the boat to a cleat on the boat at the midpoint will keep the boat from going forward. An identical line coming from the dock forward of the bow to the same cleat will keep you from going backwards. Then, a line led straight across from the stern to a cleat on the dock will allow you to pull the stern as close as you want, and a similar arrangement on the bow will work for the bow. I suggest using 3 ply twisted nylon instead of double braided; it wears better and has more stretch. Either splice eyes into the boat ends yourself, or buy with eyes already spliced in. It makes docking much easier.
Ross is right, and your particular circumstances will end up governing what you do. That being said, if you think about what you want the lines to do, they make sense. A long line led from a cleat on the dock behind the boat to a cleat on the boat at the midpoint will keep the boat from going forward. An identical line coming from the dock forward of the bow to the same cleat will keep you from going backwards. Then, a line led straight across from the stern to a cleat on the dock will allow you to pull the stern as close as you want, and a similar arrangement on the bow will work for the bow. I suggest using 3 ply twisted nylon instead of double braided; it wears better and has more stretch. Either splice eyes into the boat ends yourself, or buy with eyes already spliced in. It makes docking much easier.
lines
Most any sailing book will talk about the alternatives, but remember the spring lines -- lines that go from the bow of the boat to the dock astern and from the stern of the boat to the dock ahead of the bow. If its not a floating dock, these longer lines are what enable you to adjust ot the tides. Even if its a floating dock, spring lines help you maneuver in and out of the slip more easily. Again, it makes a big difference what your configuration is -- narrow or wide slip, berth alonside, etc.
Most any sailing book will talk about the alternatives, but remember the spring lines -- lines that go from the bow of the boat to the dock astern and from the stern of the boat to the dock ahead of the bow. If its not a floating dock, these longer lines are what enable you to adjust ot the tides. Even if its a floating dock, spring lines help you maneuver in and out of the slip more easily. Again, it makes a big difference what your configuration is -- narrow or wide slip, berth alonside, etc.
I Made Standoffs
I made standoffs out of one inch PVC pipe for the bow and the stern. I made the length so that the boat was about six inches from the dock. I ran the lines through the pipes and then used caps on each end with holes drilled to allow the line to go through. Initially I used adhesive to hold the caps in place. I later just pushed them into place. This allowed the lines to be replaced periodically without having to try to get the line through the holes. I used spring lines to secure it fore and aft.
I made standoffs out of one inch PVC pipe for the bow and the stern. I made the length so that the boat was about six inches from the dock. I ran the lines through the pipes and then used caps on each end with holes drilled to allow the line to go through. Initially I used adhesive to hold the caps in place. I later just pushed them into place. This allowed the lines to be replaced periodically without having to try to get the line through the holes. I used spring lines to secure it fore and aft.
if you can
try to make sure you tie it off so that your fenders are not touching the hull or the dock. Some slips (can only tie off on one side) don't allow this but most do. Floating docks are more forgivable. You can park the boat and tie her off very tight and not worry about it. A fix dock you have to leave room for the tide so that the boat will rise and fall with the tide without extra strain on the boat and dock cleats. That is the reason why on fixed docks in high tide areas (far north and far south) that one runs the lines the long way (bow boat to stern dock and vise versa) because dock lines are designed to stretch...the more the line, the more give-way they have. The idea is to keep your boat off the finders and the finders off the dock without causing undue stress on the cleats. I tie mine off very tight on a floating dock. My boat doesn't move at all and that's good because I am a live-aboard. My dock neighbor lets his a little slack and it seems to be just perfect where his goes back and forth (bow to stern). Sometimes I wonder if that rockiness helps keep growth off the hull in the water. I wouldn't want that as a live-aboard but it may actually be valuable as a day sailor. Someday I will get around to asking him why he keeps it so loose for a floating dock.
try to make sure you tie it off so that your fenders are not touching the hull or the dock. Some slips (can only tie off on one side) don't allow this but most do. Floating docks are more forgivable. You can park the boat and tie her off very tight and not worry about it. A fix dock you have to leave room for the tide so that the boat will rise and fall with the tide without extra strain on the boat and dock cleats. That is the reason why on fixed docks in high tide areas (far north and far south) that one runs the lines the long way (bow boat to stern dock and vise versa) because dock lines are designed to stretch...the more the line, the more give-way they have. The idea is to keep your boat off the finders and the finders off the dock without causing undue stress on the cleats. I tie mine off very tight on a floating dock. My boat doesn't move at all and that's good because I am a live-aboard. My dock neighbor lets his a little slack and it seems to be just perfect where his goes back and forth (bow to stern). Sometimes I wonder if that rockiness helps keep growth off the hull in the water. I wouldn't want that as a live-aboard but it may actually be valuable as a day sailor. Someday I will get around to asking him why he keeps it so loose for a floating dock.
Ideal
The ideal situation is a bow and stern line at right angles to centerline. The bow line would be tight enough so the boat's stern could not come in contact w/dock and visa versa would be true for the stern line. The spring lines - both fore and aft - should keep the boat in a position so the bow and stern lines can do thier job keeping bow and stern off the dock. Fenders keep the mid section of the boat from rubbing on the dock. Spring line definition for a newbie: The aft spring line runs fron an aft cleat or cockpit winch to a dock cleat forward keeping the boat from moving backwards. A fore spring line does the opposite - runs from the front of the boat to a dock cleat near the aft end to stop the boat from moving forward.
The ideal situation is a bow and stern line at right angles to centerline. The bow line would be tight enough so the boat's stern could not come in contact w/dock and visa versa would be true for the stern line. The spring lines - both fore and aft - should keep the boat in a position so the bow and stern lines can do thier job keeping bow and stern off the dock. Fenders keep the mid section of the boat from rubbing on the dock. Spring line definition for a newbie: The aft spring line runs fron an aft cleat or cockpit winch to a dock cleat forward keeping the boat from moving backwards. A fore spring line does the opposite - runs from the front of the boat to a dock cleat near the aft end to stop the boat from moving forward.
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