Securing in Marina

[Akapeterc]

Just after other people's points of view concerning securing a boat in a marina. I have to leave the boat in a marina for a several weeks should I have it secured tight against the marina hard against the fenders or let the boat sit off the marina with fenders not touching the marina. Just worried about fenders rubbing against the boat. As you guessed this is my first yacht. Cheers.

[s/v Moondancer]

Try and get her floating free a foot off the wall not touching anything. If marina is tidal you need to allow for the rise and fall.

Need to have someone check her regularly, boats sink in their slips and I had one insurance policy that would not pay if she had gone more than three weeks without a documented check of the bilges.

[djmarchand]

It all depends on if this is a side tie or is a slip with piles and ties available on all four sides. Or if it is in a floating dock.

But in general Moondancer is correct.

David

[Akapeterc]

Hi... yes it is a floating dock with ties available on both sides at bow and along one side, thanks

[djmarchand]

OK, since it is a floating dock you don't need to worry about rise and fall of your boat relative to the dock. So tie all lines fairly tight with about 6" of play.

Notify the marina staff that you will be away and leave an emergency number with them. All good marinas check boats daily for problems. If not, pay them a few bucks to do a daily check externally for line tightness and waterline.

David

[donradcliffe]

If you tie it hard against the fenders, it will be loose tomorrow--that's just the way boats are. Some marinas have a lot of surge, and some don't--look at the other boats to see if they are using double lines and/or chafe protection, and do likewise.

You can also use cloth covers over your fenders to keep your hull in better condition. If they are the cylindrical ones, cut the legs out of warmup pants (I forget the Strine name).

Close your thru-hulls. If you want to keep your refer going, turn off all the other switches. If not, turn off the main switch and unplug the dock cord.

[Curmudgeon]

Be sure to close everything up and lock the boat, and make sure the marina staff has a key.

My guess is that theft or vandalism is more likely than sinking at the dock. BTW, if your fenders will damage the hull by rubbing against it, you need new fenders (or fender covers).

[markpierce]

[Carlisle Spirit]

I live aboard in a marina with floating docks

After lots of experimenting I have found the best way to tie up which reduces movement (and line chafe) is to tie off a little looser than you might normally think is prudent

When the boat moves (and of course it will) the slightly less it has to strain and jerk against tight lines, the less overall stress on cleats and lines ( and on anyone aboard )

Think of the analogy with horse riding / dirt bike riding etc A firm hand with light reins works best ..

CS

[Abrain]

I tie our boat fairly close to the dock as it allows my son an easier transition.

We also use two springer lines that form an X about mid-ship and two more lines fore and aft. The lines fore and aft use a rubber dongle that also provides as type of suspension.

Our docks float as the tides change so no need for adjustments. We also see many boats with a paper note that displays contact info for emergencies.

[Akapeterc]

Thanks for all the words of wisdom cheers

[Kettlewell]

In some marinas you are fine during normal winds, but when the wind starts to crank your lines stretch and you can end up hitting the dock at the stern or the bow. If in a floating slip with lines on all sides, I like to move my boat out into the center of the available space if I am going to be gone awhile--in other words, you might have to jump ashore from the boat. Leaving some gap there helps if a high wind situation comes up. I don't know how many times I have encountered and had to retie boats banging into the docks during storms and nobody around. In my experience you are much better off asking a buddy or someone next to your boat to keep an eye on things, rather than depending on the marina staff, who might not be there in the middle of the night on the weekend when the wind starts to howl. Also, being a bit further out helps to keep bugs, critters, and possibly prowlers off the boat.

[Captain Bill]

There are a couple of schools of thought about disconnecting the ac power cable and shutting down the battery charger. Leaving it on exposes you to more risk of fire and galvanic corrosion, on the otherhand disconnecting increases your risk of sinking. I agree with closing all thru-hulls. The only boat I ever was associated with (I didn't own it) that sunk sunk because my boss insisted on disconnecting shore power when the boat was unattended. This worked fine until the boat developed a small leak. The bilge pumps kept up just fine until they ran the batteries dead and then the boat sank in the slip. Your boat, your call.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

In some marinas you are fine during normal winds, but when the wind starts to crank your lines stretch and you can end up hitting the dock at the stern or the bow. If in a floating slip with lines on all sides, I like to move my boat out into the center of the available space if I am going to be gone awhile--in other words, you might have to jump ashore from the boat. Leaving some gap there helps if a high wind situation comes up. I don't know how many times I have encountered and had to retie boats banging into the docks during storms and nobody around. In my experience you are much better off asking a buddy or someone next to your boat to keep an eye on things, rather than depending on the marina staff, who might not be there in the middle of the night on the weekend when the wind starts to howl. Also, being a bit further out helps to keep bugs, critters, and possibly prowlers off the boat.

You will only hit your stern or bow if you didn't set your lines right, and that can happen just as well with standard spring lines as with a double-ended easy-docking one.

I too have had to retie boats -- but you won't have to retie mine. And yes, you cannot count on marina staff. They aren't there in the midle of the night. being further out (I presume you mean anchoring) can eliminate critters, but I've never had a problem with prowlers on my boat although we've had them at a nearby anchorage ... and living on the hook brings its own set of problems.

OBVIOUSLY -- don't tie your boat up so that the stern or bow can bang into the dock.

[JPA Cate]

Akapeterc,

I have seen a number of boats in Oz that have old T-shirts covering them, the idea being that cloth is softer than the fender material. I made covers for our fenders out of track suit material from Spotlight. Easy to make. Cheap, too. And keeps the plasticizer from coming out on the hull when the fenders are old.

If you can, get a boat-knowledgeable friend to keep an eye on the boat for you, run the engine, check lines and sumps while you are gone. Usually the boat is fine on its own for extended periods, but it lends peace of mind to have someone you trust looking in on her from time to time.

Ann