Question: Mooring "etiquette"

[1TobyM]

This may be a contentious one... but I honestly don't know the answer...

 

I've been living on a narrowboat for over 2 years now, mostly in a marina- and I've never understood why some boaters INSIST on always mooring "stern in". Or backwards. Not least because half the ones who do spend a LOT of time doing it.

 

One once said to me it's the "proper" way of mooring.

 

Now I'm not precious about such things, but I am curious if anyone here has strong views on the subject: could anyone shed some light on this?

 

 

[pearley]

We moor stern in because the back doors are the only ones we can lock from outside. But, there have been plenty of times we've done it the other way round. If the pontoons are short we do prefer front in.

 

It also might depend on where your hook-up socket is and where the pillar is unless you have long cables.

 

I don't know about it being the proper way. I would say that in pictures of working boats they are generally that way round because that's where their doors are.

Edited November 15, 2014 by pearley

[Mike Tee]

Whatever is convenient to you - normally whichever end of the boat is your final exit will be the one nearest the bank.

[colmac]

we moor stern in because the 240v boat socket is on the arse end and therefore avoids having shore cable everywhere. No observance of etiquette intended really.

[Alan de Enfield]

Pontoons are frequently shorter than a NB.

 

When we had a cruiser stern NB the front doors locked from the inside, the back doors could be locked from the outside - therefore the exit door was always the rear doors. As the pontoon was only half the length of the boat it had to be reversed in.

 

Current boat (Trad stern) is set up so that the rear doors lock from the inside, front doors lock from the outside, pontoon half the length of the boat so we have to come in forwards so we can exit the boat.

[adam1uk]

I tend to moor stern in, because the view is better from the bow, and I can use a short cable for the electric hook up, rather than having to run the long one down the length of the boat. I'm not sure there's a right or wrong way, though.

[Paul C]

Mooring front in is the much more sensible way to moor, making boat control MUCH easier to accurately go in - thus saving hitting your neighbour's boat multiple times. The doors issue is a valid reason to go in stern first though - but it sounds like a compromise, not an ideal. The only other argument for stern mooring I can think of is to alternate it every now and again so that both sides of the boat catch the same amount of sunlight evenly through time, thus not fading the paint on just one side etc.

[Alan de Enfield]

It is the 'norm' (in fact the rule) in the Med (for Tupperware boats) to moor stern against the pontoon.

[Victor Vectis]

we moor stern in because the 240v boat socket is on the arse end and therefore avoids having shore cable everywhere. No observance of etiquette intended really.

Ditto.

 

But bow first as that's where our shoreline socket is.

[Paul C]

I tend to moor stern in, because the view is better from the bow, and I can use a short cable for the electric hook up, rather than having to run the long one down the length of the boat. I'm not sure there's a right or wrong way, though.

 

We can sit at bow or stern, depending on how good the view is. You're going to say you have a trad stern now, and you can't socialise there?

[Bettie Boo]

When we were in the marina we moored stern in, mostly due to it being a somewhat snug maneuver to make the 90 degree turn needed when we left the mooring, but also for our shore power line.

 

Our neighbor on the other side of the pontoon moored her NB bow in during the winter and stern in during the summer. Ours was a north/south pontoon and she would swap it around to catch the sun in the cratch during the summer months when she had it full of her plants

[DaveC]

I moor stern in unless there is a gale blowing - if there is a strong wind when I leave the mooing tis easier to go out forwards.

 

 

Dave

[blackrose]

 

One once said to me it's the "proper" way of mooring.

 

Well, he/she is just another waterways idiot who likes to tell people the "correct" way to do things, without actually knowing what they are talking about.

 

If there's no current then just moor the way that's most convenient for you.

Edited November 15, 2014 by blackrose

[Flyboy]

As far as I'm concerned there is no right or wrong way to moor on a marina pontoon, it's a personal choice. I usually moor bow in because it's easier & quicker. It may be more convenient for some to connect their electric & for others to connect their hose pipe.

[matty40s]

One reason to Moor stern in is to move some of the silt around and away from the bank.

Boats which live front end in will eventually have a very shallow channel to the end pontoon or bank, and it will become impossible to get the stern in.

[adam1uk]

 

We can sit at bow or stern, depending on how good the view is. You're going to say you have a trad stern now, and you can't socialise there?

 

Yes, trad stern. Nothing much to do with socialising, but when we're in the saloon or at the dinette, we'd much rather see boats going along the canal than look at the bank behind the marina. Not that we spend much time on board in the marina anyway -- much rather be out on the canal.

[Southern Star]

If there's no wind I'll moor stern in, the view from the bow is then better but also as I'm still deep-cleaning the paintwork on Desiree a bit at a time, it gives me the chance to work on that side of the boat from the pontoon, it's also nearer to the electric hook-up, if it's windy then I'll go in forwards. I don't think there's a "proper" way to face, some boats at my marina do one thing, some do the other.

[leeco]

If I want to go boating I would rather get on my way forward than reverse out.

[Ange]

We moor front in because we get on and off the boat from the front. I wasn't aware there was a "proper" way

[John V]

As far as I am aware the only correct way to moor is to do it without hitting another boat !!!

[zenataomm]

It is the 'norm' (in fact the rule) in the Med (for Tupperware boats) to moor stern against the pontoon.

 

The reason for that is so you can slice your ropes, tread on the loud pedal and have it away on your heels when you see blue lights turning into the car park .... know wot I mean John?

[Richard Fairhurst]

One once said to me it's the "proper" way of mooring.

 

That's right. All the old working boatmen used to moor stern-in in their marinas, shortly before hooking up their horses to the 240V mains and taking their water cans to the stainless steel water point.

[Pykebird]

I always moor stern in, have a square stern and don't fancy trying to get the dogs out of a window to get off!

[Guest]

It is the 'norm' (in fact the rule) in the Med (for Tupperware boats) to moor stern against the pontoon.

Not correct 'having spent a few years in the med I can say that' it is not a 'rule' In the med if you moor stern to there is a chance you could hit the rudder & or prop on rubble etc. You also usually have to drop your anchor a few yards out & reverse back to set is as most places do not have pontoons. Therefore it can be better to moor bows to with a kedge anchor out the back & climb over the pullpit rail to get off.

[Guest]

I have reversed our boat into its marina mooring many times (mains socket for genny, access etc) until some diesle was nicked from boats either side of me. I put the boat sharp end in first now.