Dockage Question

[ascarswell]

Greetings!


We're fortunate to have friends who own this beautiful home directly on the ICW just north of the Hillsboro Inlet, and they've offered us the dock space just in front of the red boat on the lift for our 40' Leopard catamaran. As you can see, there is a JetDock floating walkway (40' wide) all along the length of the dock which will be between the boat and the pilings. It's a no-wake zone, but we all know what that means in South Florida...some idiot in a 50' sport fish is still gonna zip by and create wake...so that's a consideration.



My question: Are there any issues having that large a gap between the boat and the pilings to which she'll be tied? With fenders, we're probably talking 48"+. Looking for input and/or ideas to make this work. Thanks!

[Perfect Ride]

Hello Ascarswell,
We have a 44' cat and have had it in many floating dock environments around the world. The best test is to tie it up and make some wake to see how it handles the swell. If it is long term I would tie or affix some of the fenders to the dock so they stay in place. Some of the floating docks allow for cleats to be affixed to them. This might be an interesting addition as well. Our experience is that until you can see how the dock responds to the maximum motion of the water, you are only guessing on how best to attach. One final note: we carry metal springs for dockage in rough waters when away for any time, they dampen the movement.
Good luck!