Can you help me tie up my boat?

[Uplate]

Try this pattern:

Oh wait..wrong link... Try this one. :grin:

I have yet to see a dead center cleat like that diagram, although love the string Bikini

If you dock stern in and cross the lines like that...does that not make it more difficult to board via the swim deck?

 

[sbw1]

If you dock stern in and cross the lines like that...does that not make it more difficult to board via the swim deck?

Not really. We cross them routinely when backed into slips when crusing. The lines are not set really tight. You can just push them down and step over and we leave the transom door open.

 

[ChuckW]

I'm not sure what floating has to do with the configuration of your lines. A four way tie and a spring fore and aft works the same on floating and fixed docks.

I, like most New England boaters on floating docks where we have 8'-10' tidal swings, will pin the boat to one finger with 4 lines.
2 bow
1 spring to aft then back onto near stern cleat
1 to far side stern cleat that holds the boat tight against the floating dock. A bumper in place.

The point really being, with the floating piers there are other options as you don't have to account for the tidal swing in your line configuration.

 

[Four Suns]

As someone else said, crossing the lines on the stern gives a longer line to absorb shock so it's still a good idea on floating docks. As shown here, my boat looks just like the bikini diagram:

That's in Atlantic City on the manly dock... floating docks....

 

[jrirvine1]

Dang, that's a pretty blue boat next to you!

 

[Four Suns]

Dang, that's a pretty blue boat next to you!

Was that you? We watched that guy motor over his power cords everytime he took the dinghy out/in... what a hoot.

 

[jrirvine1]

Must have been my twin that somehow got the dumb gene.

 

[sbw1]

I, like most New England boaters on floating docks where we have 8'-10' tidal swings, will pin the boat to one finger with 4 lines.
2 bow
1 spring to aft then back onto near stern cleat
1 to far side stern cleat that holds the boat tight against the floating dock. A bumper in place.

The point really being, with the floating piers there are other options as you don't have to account for the tidal swing in your line configuration.

I forgot about tides. We don't worry about those in our neck of the woods.

 

[ChuckW]

Was that you? We watched that guy motor over his power cords everytime he took the dinghy out/in... what a hoot.

You sure do have a bunch of entertaining dock mates over there. This one is a candidate for the BoatTest.com Ducky Awards.

 

[Fishnut]

That must be sparky's boat.

 

[gnealon]

And another good line read... http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/21.htm

This was very helpful... thank you very much.