Spring Line

Lost Parent

Lost Parent

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Jul 8, 2011
704
Catalina 30 Sidney B.C.
I have a Catalina 30 and am going to play with a mid ship spring line and docking next trip to the boat .
Question ...where would the fender be hung on the side of the boat.
Any other hints you have would be appreciated
 
woodster

woodster

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Sep 15, 2009
6,244
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
Lost Parent said:
I have a Catalina 30 and am going to play with a mid ship spring line and docking next trip to the boat .
Question ...where would the fender be hung on the side of the boat.
Any other hints you have would be appreciated
Click to expand
why not hang two finders on the side 6 ft apart and then hang a finder board 8 ft long on top of them till you get it figured out on your boat..

regards

woody
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,129
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Lost Parent said:
...where would the fender...
Click to expand
"The" fender?

Lost, you need three, minimum, on each side. One at the widest point of the beam, one forward and one aft. Our aft one is just forward of the winch, forward halfway to the bow. If you can get a fourth, then it should be further forward.

Until you get the hang of it, you NEED to have enough to avoid scratching any part of your hull. If you know the side you're going into, use all of your fenders on that side.

Don't know if you've seen this yet: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5445.msg33766.html#msg33766

Good luck, it's a very good idea to do what you are planning.
 
Mark Maulden

Mark Maulden

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Jan 25, 2011
2,439
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
We use one all the time. It attaches the boat to dock and then you can finish as conditions dictate. Especially single handing!
 
Ron20324

Ron20324

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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Lost Parent said:
Question ...where would the fender be hung on the side of the boat....
Click to expand
It would depend on the dock- they're not all the same. Is it all one horizontal dock, maybe floating? Are there pilings, and maybe call for a horizontal fender or fender board. We can't tell you without pics. Otherwise, you'll have to experiment with what will work best. But yeah, not just one fender. Like Tricky Dick said, "use two" :yeah:
 
centerline

centerline

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Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
it doesnt matter if you use a spring line or not, as to where the fenders should be located...
your avater photo.... the two middle fenders could go aft a couple feet and a third fender hung between them would be about right....

if you get them spread too far apart, the middle fender will take all the abuse. and if it ever should fail or pop out, if the distance between fenders 1 & 3 has to be close enough to protect the boat by themselves....
in the positions shown in the avatar photo, the fender forward and the fender aft is about useless where they are located...
 
Mark Maulden

Mark Maulden

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Jan 25, 2011
2,439
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
As for fenders, you have think about what the boat is going to do when the mid spring is doing all the work until the other lines are made fast. Things to consider are wind direction AND where on the boat the mid spring is cleated. In my circumstances, that spring is pretty short (in my slip) and it basically becomes a pivot point hence the reason why the location on boat is important. With other docks, it can be different so I have to envision how the boat will "pivot" considering wind/current and length of spring depending on where you have to put the boat and where Dock cleats are located. I usually have two fenders at max breadth about two ft apart and a fender about 2/3 up and one closer to the stern. The Adm has been reluctant about mid springs but she is warming to it. Go play!!
 
Sprega

Sprega

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Sep 12, 2012
115
O,day 27 Brownsville Marina
Bingo to what Mark said. A mid ship line is the handiest line for docking, especially single handed. With proper fender placement, you can control the whole boat at the dock with just the one line. When docking, you can make the breast line fast to the middle dock cleat and then take your leisurely, seaman like time securing the mooring lines. I've been using a breast line for docking single handed for years. It was one of the best tips on docking short handed I was ever given. Try it, you'll like it.
 
zeehag

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
i dock using my midships line and no fenders, add fenders after you are stable and have the boat the way you want it.
in summer i make sure i am 2 ft from dock so i dont have chafing and problems with storms. i use my boarding ladder and have had absolutely zero chafe in furycames with my set up.
the fishermen in the cooperativa praised my boat tying skills last year and have respect for me now..lol....
 
JK_Boston_Catalina310

JK_Boston_Catalina310

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Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
I try to go similar to Zeehag too. We might throw a fender out on the fattest part of the boat but we put the rest out later and adjust them. We stern in and use the swim platform to go on and off, no the side of the boat. We have 5 fenders on the boat and will put 3 on the dockside and 2 on the side vs. our slip neighbor's boat.
 
dlewis812

dlewis812

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May 21, 2006
321
catalina 25, 30 montauk / manhattan
cleat size

single handed 90% of the time. don't have cleats on either the 30 or the 25 and after reading all this seems like a must have.

suggestion on size cleats and placement? (not at the boat so not sure what size the current bow/stern cleats are. would like to order)

'82 cat 30
'86 cat 25


thanks!
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,129
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
dlewis812 said:
suggestion on size cleats and placement? (not at the boat so not sure what size the current bow/stern cleats are. would like to order)

'82 cat 30
'86 cat 25
Click to expand
1. Size the cleats for the size of line you use. Bigger if you need to use two dock lines once you're in. Bigger is definitely better.

2. I used the jib sheet winches on our C25. It worked, I just draped the dockline over the winch as I came into the dock.

3. I'd install midship cleats on a C30, because the boat's longer. Like this:

Single Handing 101.1 Midship Cleats Pictures http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4921.0.html

Good point earlier about learning how the boat sits when using the spring line. I have found that a midships spring back to the aft dock cleat and back to the winch works fine and best when the dock cleat is abeam the aft boat cleat.
 
caguy

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
Would a T-rail cleat, on a C27, be strong enough for a mid-ship cleat?
 
zeehag

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
my ericson is happy when i use the same kind of t rail cleat...my formosa wants more solid cleating... i have one midship hawse with incorporated cleat, as horns, which is perfect to fit 2 lines. still need one for stbd..... excellent and if they break, the boat has no hope anyway, so.......

i have noticed that in many cases, when approaching a dock, the line handlers of the particular dock insist on bow line first, even in high wind situations. the midship line stabilizes a heavy boat in winds. makes the job muuuch easier
 
DougM

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
The midship spring line makes sidewall docking a piece of cake. If you don't give a bow line to a dock handler, he or she won't be able to jam your bow into the wall. I have seen a number of bow pulpits get seriously modified because someone got overly ambitious with a bow line. We have a sidewall mooring between two other boats, and a spring line is always the first to go over. We can dock without touching the fenders to the wall.

The best approach with fenders is to put two over the side at the widest part of the hull with a fender board over them, just be careful not to catch them behind a piling. If you think you are going too slow on your approach, you are probably still going too fast...
 
zeehag

zeehag

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Mar 26, 2009
3,198
1976 formosa 41 yankee clipper santa barbara. ca.(not there)
the bow line i toss is usually opposite side from docking side... keeps em busy while i dock and secure my boat..i just like backup, not take over....lol
 
caguy

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
Thanks Stu, sorry didn't see it. My track is on the edge of the deck and runs almost to the mast. Next time I'm at Minney's I'll look for a couple of them. The cost for new is a bit pricey.
 
weinie

weinie

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Sep 6, 2010
1,297
Jeanneau 349 port washington, ny
Why don't you just loop a line around the base of your upper shroud when you are about to dock? I keep a line there all the time and I hang it on the lifeline when not in use.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,129
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
weinie said:
Why don't you just loop a line around the base of your upper shroud when you are about to dock? I keep a line there all the time and I hang it on the lifeline when not in use.
Click to expand
Because shrouds, like stanchions, aren't made for that. Shrouds are designed for upward, not sideways, pull. Think about it. Don't do it. Spend anywhere from $25 to $125 and do it right. Sheez...

Sorry for the rant, but I see SOOOOO many stupid boaters out there:

--- docklines run through the eyes of cleats

--- docklines taken with them instead of left on their own docks

--- no midships spring cleats

--- jumping off the boat to run around like idots trying to move their boats so they can reach their cleats instead of staying on their boat and using boat hooks to grab their dock lines

--- as Zee said, bow lines given to stupid idiots on the dock who pull them in hard

--- Please, stay away from me when I'm docking, even singlehanded and it's VERY windy, 'cuz most of the time, if not ALL the time, you mess up a simple situation --- help is, and should be unecessary; it's the skippers role to dock the boat, not the dummies on shore

Sorry for the rant again.
 
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