centre-line mooring

[spadefoot]

Went for a stroll up to the wharf this morning. Total of 21 boats, 17 of which were moored using an additional centre-line, some tight, some slack. That's approx. 75% of moored boats, some hire boats, leisure boats, live-aboards, shiny boats, hippy boats. A real cross section.

So, there must be some on this forum who also moor like this. Own up, do you? And why?

[Nightwatch]

We occasionally do.

 

Yesterday because of the high winds we certainly did.

 

If we are leaving the boat for a couple of days I do tend to have the additional safeguard of the centre line attached to the land/ground/earth.

 

Martyn

[Guest]

Went for a stroll up to the wharf this morning. Total of 21 boats, 17 of which were moored using an additional centre-line, some tight, some slack. That's approx. 75% of moored boats, some hire boats, leisure boats, live-aboards, shiny boats, hippy boats. A real cross section.

So, there must be some on this forum who also moor like this. Own up, do you? And why?

 

We used to leave our unattended boat with a slack centre line on our home mooring as a little insurance against one or both of the other lines becoming detached/breaking. Unlikely yes but possible.

[SamKingfisher]

Not me. If I need extra security I use springs.

 

I sometimes see boats moored with the centerline, using the middle fender eye as a fairlead. That works ok I suppose.

[Wanted]

Nah, they're for holding, not mooring right?

[DHutch]

Never used it at right angles to the baot, but frequently use it as a spring, running backward or forwards half the length of the boat or more, in conjunction with a second spring the other way if desired.

 

I can see using it slack as an form.of insurance does no harm, if often unlikely to help much, and can see that if you had a light boat in a secure and non-level-dependant, low traffic mooring it could be used to stabilise roll. In most uses I have seen it however its unlikely to do anything other than harm.

 

 

Daniel

[mrsmelly]

Went for a stroll up to the wharf this morning. Total of 21 boats, 17 of which were moored using an additional centre-line, some tight, some slack. That's approx. 75% of moored boats, some hire boats, leisure boats, live-aboards, shiny boats, hippy boats. A real cross section.

So, there must be some on this forum who also moor like this. Own up, do you? And why?

 

I often see this and cringe. I also see boats with Pram hoods fitted I am assured by Mr Cameron that legislation will soon be in place to ensure offenders are arrested and charged and taken through the court system swiftly.

 

Tim

[Paul C]

Illogical really: If 2 lines will part, then what's to stop a third unless its considerably thicker rope etc? The insurance against the mooring lines parting is to learn/know knots properly and check the condition of the rope frequently - and of course double them to tie the knot on the boat but that doesn't add security it merely means to untie requires being on the boat, not the bank.

 

The only time I'll do it is waiting at lock landings etc (and I try to avoid using lock landings......that's another subject though) or if its really windy and single handing and a stop is needed eg nip to loo, turn kettle on, etc. If its not windy then I stop the boat in the water and do the necessary.

[cuthound]

I used the centreline as well as normal lines recently when on the Llangollen, but only because at the visitor mooring I was on had rings spaced to the exact distance between the boats t-stud and dollies. Using the centreline as a spring enabled me to stop the boat moving backwards and forwards with every passing boat.

 

I don't normally use the centreline for anything but holding the boat.

[dccruiser]

 

I often see this and cringe. I also see boats with Pram hoods fitted I am assured by Mr Cameron that legislation will soon be in place to ensure offenders are arrested and charged and taken through the court system swiftly.

 

Tim

As i pay my dues, i had a word with my MP and he has assured me that they are going to deal with all the CMers, licence dodgers and general p takers and pump out users first ... so i will be safe to enjoy my lovely warm, dry pramhood cover for a very long time to come

 

Rick

[Dharl]

Ideally you need either a T-Stud amidships on the toe rail / gunwale either side or a T Stud either side at the aft end of the forward well deck (by the break in the cabin). then you could rig springs for long term mooring or when the mooring rings are in the wrong place (always in the wrong place in my case!).

 

I did start off using a centre line, however as pointed out above if slack its only going to work when the other two have already broken and if too tight then loads more problems!! If I feel the need to rig extra lines I take the centre line off the roof and secure it on a lower point of the hull when needed.

[Guest]

Illogical really: If 2 lines will part, then what's to stop a third unless its considerably thicker rope etc? The insurance against the mooring lines parting is to learn/know knots properly and check the condition of the rope frequently - and of course double them to tie the knot on the boat but that doesn't add security it merely means to untie requires being on the boat, not the bank.

 

The only time I'll do it is waiting at lock landings etc (and I try to avoid using lock landings......that's another subject though) or if its really windy and single handing and a stop is needed eg nip to loo, turn kettle on, etc. If its not windy then I stop the boat in the water and do the necessary.

 

<Third time of trying to post this....>

 

Given that like most simple things it took me no more a minute to tie the extra (centre) line off I don't really see it as illogical. We used to moor on a commercial water way with large tankers and sand barges passing that would create quite a pull on the lines sometimes. Even the CRT work boats there are bigger than you see on other canals. I took the view that if a bow or stern line gave because of a weakness I'd missed in the lines then the centre line would prevent the boat swinging right out into the waterway and give one of my neighbours a better chance of getting the boat back to the side to re tie it.

It would perhaps have been illogical on a narrow muddy ditch with narrow boats pootling along however where we moored I felt it offered additional insurance. I didn't do it anywhere else or if we were actually on the boat. I also didn't tie it tight as I only made that mistake once and the heel when Humber Pride passed was quite alarming!

[bizzard]

Sea sickness prevention. Two centre lines spread-eagled, one staked down on the near bank, the other stretched way out over the water and staked down on the opposite bank, to arrest rolling.

[mrsmelly]

As i pay my dues, i had a word with my MP and he has assured me that they are going to deal with all the CMers, licence dodgers and general p takers and pump out users first ... so i will be safe to enjoy my lovely warm, dry pramhood cover for a very long time to come

 

Rick

 

Yow

 

How ya doin Rick?

 

Tim

[dave moore]

It's another modern practice that I fail to see the point of on most waters on our system. I can't see fore and aft lines failing at the same time unless by deliberate intervention. None of the old time boaters do this either, a good enough reason for me. I sometimes use the bulkhead rings rather than the tee stud if that makes life easier in terms of mooring ring or bollard spacing, likewise at the stern end I'll occasionally use the shackle on the gunwale on the anser pin. I prefer to take the line back to the boat to tie off with, preferring to use the boatman's hitch if possible. I see this centre line use often on hire boats, perhaps they are advised to do so during the see-out.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[pophops]

When we were untied outside the NIA last year it was only when the scrote tugged on the centre line and the boat rocked a little we realised what was happening. I got out just in time to see him pedalling away and dragged the boat back in by - you've guessed it, the centre line.

We were tied up with the centre line because of awkward bollard spacing but I see nothing wrong with using as many or as few ropes as we wish.

It's nobody else's business, pure and simple.

[ditchcrawler]

I had to moor temporally with the bow and center line while waiting for Harecastle tunnel. When one of the boats coming out went by the heal was quite alarming. I don't think I would want to be exposed to the draw of a large commercial passing in case it rolled over, I think I would rather it swung out, but its something I dont have experience of. When on the Middle level I had to moor with the center line and always worried about level changes pulling the boat over.

[Wanted]

Likewise at an up hill lock landing, a lock full of water would knock you about a fair whack.

[Dharl]

Likewise at an up hill lock landing, a lock full of water would knock you about a fair whack.

 

AHem.....ask me how I know about that..........

[pearley]

AHem.....ask me how I know about that..........

And me!

[Starcoaster]

Nope. I use the centre line as a spring instead.

[Dave Payne]

Interesting discussion, but nobody has stated why you should not moor up with the centre line??

[sirweste]

Yep, out of habbit from learning to boat this winter on the Ouse.

Plus if the boat's being parked up for 2 weeks the proportional time for an extra rope is pretty small.

[Guest]

Interesting discussion, but nobody has stated why you should not moor up with the centre line??

If you moor with a centre line tied tightly you will often find as another boat passes it will heel, sometimes quite alarmingly. This is because of the height of the tie off point used to tie the boat against the bank/towpath and the resulting way the forces are exerted.

Edited June 3, 2015 by MJG

[GUMPY]

Only ever used for holding the boat and when moored whilst I am operating a lock. Using a centreline for anything else is in the same category as hanging a rope on the tiller.............

 

On one boat I did have a cleat on the gunwale that was useful for mooring.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Loddon