Backing into slip + fenders

JJF said:
I would care for them as I would for the vinyl in the boat (e.g. spray with 303 Marine Protectant). Also, if you are seasonal, I would remove them for the winter and store them indoors (or out of the sun & weather).
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What are the benefits of 303 Marine Protectant? Is it like a Yamashield or...?
 
303 is a really good vinyl protectant to help stave off dirt, mold and UV damage.
 
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I have Dock Hugr fenders on my slip - I remove them over the winter and clean them before storing. They are about 4 years old and still look great. The only downside to them - if you have a wind that is blowing you against them they be squeaky noisy.
 
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My floating dock has a free standing pole on the outside. I ran a line to the floating dock with a sliding ring and a "spring" line. In combination with the port bow line, which is not "floating", it holds the boat off the dock so it doesn't rub on the fenders. After a storm it also prevents the "brown foam" from piling up between the boat and the dock, staining the hull. I use the center dock line to pull the boat tight to the dock for loading. Normally the lines have slack and the boat freely floats away from the dock

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looks like you dont have a spring line preventing rearward movement
 
SkunkBoat said:
Its not a great drawing. The bow lines prevent rear movement because there are two of them
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as long as there is enough of a longitudinal component to them, you should be good. the drawing makes them look almost completely lateral.
 
SkunkBoat said:
Its not a great drawing. The bow lines prevent rear movement because there are two of them
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What is your typical tidal swing? How is the line to the forward port piling tied off. What is the length of the line from that pole to the cleat?
As I see it, all the lines except that port fwd line are tied off to a point that moves up and down with the tide. The port fwd line on the other hand probably doesn't and could be an issue if too short.
Have you experienced a really taut condition on the line?
 
seasick said:
What is your typical tidal swing? How is the line to the forward port piling tied off. What is the length of the line from that pole to the cleat?
As I see it, all the lines except that port fwd line are tied off to a point that moves up and down with the tide. The port fwd line on the other hand probably doesn't and could be an issue if too short.
Have you experienced a really taut condition on the line?
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The drawing doesn't show the correct angle of the bow lines and doesn't show the sag in any of the lines.

yep the port bow line is the only one not floating. Everything else goes up and down with the tide. You are correct there has to be enough slack in the lines for outgoing and low tide (bow faces outgoing tide). The lines are all set the right length with the eye to the boat. There is never a case where the bow and stern lines are both tight. (except for loading, I haul in the center dock line and giv it a wrap to hold the stern tight to the dock.)

The port bow line holds the bow from ever touching the dock. The stbd bow line prevents the bow from ever touching the port pole. They both prevent the stern from moving too far toward the dock.

The tension of the sliding spring line isn't much but it doesn't take much to hold a floating boat off the dock.

Docking stern-in makes loading and cleaning an express much easier. My dock has a crazy current in both directions. I find that backing in gives much better control because the stern immediately follows the motors. In fwd, it takes space to turn the bow. In a crazy current, between two rows of docks, you have no space
IMG_2281.jpeg
 
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SkunkBoat said:
My floating dock has a free standing pole on the outside. I ran a line to the floating dock with a sliding ring and a "spring" line. In combination with the port bow line, which is not "floating", it holds the boat off the dock so it doesn't rub on the fenders. After a storm it also prevents the "brown foam" from piling up between the boat and the dock, staining the hull. I use the center dock line to pull the boat tight to the dock for loading. Normally the lines have slack and the boat freely floats away from the dock

View attachment 30294
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Our slips are 2 boats per "space". We have no pilings...not very common here in MA, best as I can tell. I used to run a starboard stern line to a middle cleat on the dock but stopped doing that. Now I leave just a little slack and let my spring line (midship to stern) keep the boat on the dock. Works well!
 
igblack87 said:
Our slips are 2 boats per "space". We have no pilings...not very common here in MA, best as I can tell. I used to run a starboard stern line to a middle cleat on the dock but stopped doing that. Now I leave just a little slack and let my spring line (midship to stern) keep the boat on the dock. Works well!
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I got lucky. Originally I was in a tight one. You can see it in my avatar below my signature here. They were kind of empty my second season with the Grady and they said pick one. I took a big one with the pole between the two slips. Been there since. Its a good thing because docking in a full current is just a controlled crash.
 
SkunkBoat said:
I got lucky. Originally I was in a tight one. You can see it in my avatar below my signature here. They were kind of empty my second season with the Grady and they said pick one. I took a big one with the pole between the two slips. Been there since. Its a good thing because docking in a full current is just a controlled crash.
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smooth sailing never made a good captain.
 
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