Bumping boats

[Kentboycamper2]

The boat next to mine in the marina is bumping into ours. We have fenders out etc but in the wind they don't seem as effective.

 

Is it common to tie one boat to the other? I am thinking of using our middle ropes to tie up against the boat next door very securely and just wondered if anyone had done this before and had any tips i.e. tying up diagonally etc,

Andy

[jez1954]

The boat next to mine in the marina is bumping into ours. We have fenders out etc but in the wind they don't seem as effective.

 

Is it common to tie one boat to the other? I am thinking of using our middle ropes to tie up against the boat next door very securely and just wondered if anyone had done this before and had any tips i.e. tying up diagonally etc,

Andy

 

Can you not just shorten the mooring lines of one (or both) of them so there is insufficient slack for them to move so much?

 

Jez

[Kentboycamper2]

Can you not just shorten the mooring lines of one (or both) of them so there is insufficient slack for them to move so much?

 

Jez

 

Yeah, will look at that, thanks.

 

It's complicated by the fact there is another boat inside of that one against the pontoon. I am the furthest out of the three with smaller pontoons at the bow and stern that I tie up to,

Andy

[Keeping Up]

Are you (and the bumping boat) tied to finger pontoons? Boats tend to blow about in the wind, especially if the pontoons are shorter than the boat, and the main thing is to ensure that your mooring lines, and his, are pulling at the most effective angle.

 

If you are on finger pontoons the temptation is just to use the cleats on your own side of the pontoon, but the boats will move around less if at the pontoon ends they are tied to the cleats on the opposite side of the pontoon. That puts the ropes at a much better angle. The result is that at the end of each pontoon the ropes from the two boats cross over; it slightly obstructs the passage of anyone who wants to walk off the end of the pontoon into the water but that's hardly a major disadvantage.

[Kentboycamper2]

Are you (and the bumping boat) tied to finger pontoons? Boats tend to blow about in the wind, especially if the pontoons are shorter than the boat, and the main thing is to ensure that your mooring lines, and his, are pulling at the most effective angle.

 

If you are on finger pontoons the temptation is just to use the cleats on your own side of the pontoon, but the boats will move around less if at the pontoon ends they are tied to the cleats on the opposite side of the pontoon. That puts the ropes at a much better angle. The result is that at the end of each pontoon the ropes from the two boats cross over; it slightly obstructs the passage of anyone who wants to walk off the end of the pontoon into the water but that's hardly a major disadvantage.

 

I see what you mean but I don't think we are set out this way.

 

What we have is a boat tied up to a long pontoon. At the bow and stern of that boat are pontoons that come out from the original at right angles. Next to this is the boat that is banging mine and next to them is me. Myself and the boat next to mine tie up bow and stern to the bow and stern pontoons.

 

Imagine a U shape with three boats side by side in the U and you are about there,

Andy

[Naughty Cal]

Just tie off to the boat next door as well. It sounds as though you are in very close quarters anyway so it wont make a great difference.

[nb Innisfree]

A couple of floating wheels twixt you and next boat might do the trick.