How To Tie A Boat Up For A Storm - 6 factors to Consider

[@Skipper12-w4c]

I know others have already commented the same thing, but that trick at 15:26 is seriously good. Those shock absorbers are expensive. Thanks for another great vid!

[@theincompetentcrew]

@@Skipper12-w4c cheers! Glad you found it useful, and thanks for being here!

[@bertodsera]

You guys are the most informative channel ever. Thanks for that.

[@theincompetentcrew]

:)

[@moanatane1832]

❤❤ Well presented with great tips on dock lines and shock absorbers. Those cleats if they don't rip out they will leak. Yes definitely very important to reduce any shock loads where you can. Thank you😅

[@theincompetentcrew]

HI, I don't think the cleats will rip out as they are on rather large backing plates inside. I would suspect there wouldn't be much deck left if they did. At least I hope they won't. lol. Ideally they would have a spreader plate on the outside also. We are contemplating getting some bigger midship cleats a little better sized for our boat as they really are a bit of a pain.

[@sempertalis1230]

Well, I belong to a different group of viewers. I still have jet lag and woke up in the middle of the night and found your newest video. Thanks for sharing your experience and entertaining my insomnia 😊😊😊😊

[@theincompetentcrew]

Glad you enjoyed. :)

[@WillN2Go1]

Terrific video. I learned a lot. I do know that I crossed my dock lines on the cleats the first couple of weeks I owned her and those chaffed patches, two years later, are still there. But no new ones. So if you're not sure. Ask ask ask! My dock neighbors sorted me and when I get compliments for my tie up I always give them the credit. (And practice your cleat hitch. After three straight months of sailing, after two years of experience - my cleat hitch wasn't fast and it wasn't consistent. So get your knot practice when that's all you're doing. (I hadn't practiced it because I needed a cleat in my house. So I screwed one to a 2x4.) My bowline, which I did practice, is fast, automatic, reliable and I can do it eyes closed (even with one hand). I've often reached in over far more experienced sailors to tie a bowline because they're on their third attempt. This supports that learning on the job isn't enough. Last week we had 30knot winds in our marina, California Santa Ana Winds blowing. Lots of 40 knot gusts one 49. My center cockpit 46' has very high freeboard. (It's like an extra sail.) Cleats were getting yanked out of the dock. I added a second bow line (windward corner) to the concrete piling. I used a clove hitch at the piling to make sure it wouldn't slip down into the rollers as the tide changed. Our dock is a Bellingham. There are two wooden 2x10s along the edges of the concrete center panels. These are through bolted across the dock. They are not properly installed. They skipped a lot of holes, which is okay -- but not at the cleats! Of the three cleats on each side of each slip there is only 1 bolt in one of the six holes next to the cleats. Corporate says this is adequate. Our harbor is not safe.... On the other side of the dock the wind hits the corner near the main walkway. So they don't have pilings to tie off to. These cleats have no through bolts and a few of them have pulled out. So look for that at your dock. Good chafe protection tips. Whenever I look for chafe protection it's grossly overpriced. I'll do the webbing. Webbing is cheap, polypropylene and polyester don't fade as fast as nylon (which is stronger) . I've used that plastic hose for chafe protection and load spreading in non nautical uses. Works great, is soft enough to not damage most other surfaces, but thick enough it holds up for years. I sometimes wrap a dock line around a cleat and then tie it off back at the first cleat. This has the added 'benefit' of doubling the distance, which doubles the shock absorption. But find some really experienced sailors and ask them. I might be wrong. Snatching or snapping. If you want to break a piece of string you give it a hard yank. That's what this is. My dock neighbors have rubber U Cleat type midline shock absorbers. (aka mooring snubbers). On that big wind day they were heating up. This is energy not being put into the lines. Also if you can't find these snubbers for your size of dockline, set up a shock absorbing line in addition to your main dockline just to dampen the shock. And chaffing. Speak to sailors who've gone on long crossings. After 7500 nM things you wouldn't give a second thought to for years will chafe through in days. And if you've thought I'll just toss this bend over the cleat and tie off back on my deck cleat... the line always goes into the water. To be able to do this you'll need to sew on a length of smaller rope so you can make a bigger loop. I like the fender trick. When I tied that extra line from my bow to the piling I crossed over my bow and cleated it on the other side, but this set up a lot of potential chafing points. That fender would've lifted the line up enough to solve this problem, plus it would've absorbed a lot of shocks. And I have just the fender for it. Really good video, I learned a lot, it made me think. Thank you. Now to get the marina to fix its dock....

[@theincompetentcrew]

Thanks for writing that and sharing. A shock absorbing line in addition to the main dock line is a good tip! I wish I had added it, so good on you for writing it down.

[@RobGb100]

Another great vid 👍 Like the fender idea for those “in a pinch” moments that we all come across while boating. Atb Rob

[@theincompetentcrew]

Cheers Rob!

[@waytogo2791]

You just gotta love those classy lines of a Cuttyhunk 42!! 😍 Imho very good advice for securing your boat, and make those ropes last. Very much appreciated! Cheers from 🇨🇭

[@theincompetentcrew]

Glad you enjoyed CH. :)

[@sailingmare6563]

Nice video, and some good tips. In my personal experience I've found spring lines are a must to prevent surging, and chafe protection at the dock cleat is critical as, for me at least, that is where most of the chafe happens. And you're right, two is always better than one.

[@theincompetentcrew]

Thanks for your input. The dock cleat is 9/10 where we get the wear and tear on our lines as well. I like a bowline with hose sheath if we are leaving the boat tied up for any time. Didn't show any in the vid but thanks for adding that. :)

[@tomwalters2529]

Well done an informative (and entertaining) bunch of tips.

[@theincompetentcrew]

Glad you enjoyed :)

[@SeaWindandNaia]

Great and helpful video, thanks.

[@theincompetentcrew]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@hatatfatcat]

We've used old bicycle innertubes as chafe protection but you can't beat the old reinforced hose. Fender tip is awesome!!

[@theincompetentcrew]

I feel like deep in the bilge of everybody's boat there is a piece of reinforced hose destined for the fairlead. :)

[@TheGoodOldDays-IsNow]

Yours is one of the few channels I regularly come back to, because I love the way you present the information and encourage exchange of ideas. I'd like to make couple of, hopefully useful, comments. If it comes across as "know it all" I apologise, not my intention, but I do have decades of experience on the water, starting with growing up in a fishing village 60 odd years ago. For what it's worth, here's my input: 1. Tying stern spring lines isn't always a good idea! If the boats left and right of you don't do it, they WILL bash into you when it gets rough - speaking (unfortunately) from experience. In a storm, I was tied securely, they were jumping about more and damaged both sides of my hull - "annoying" isn't the right word. My tip, make sure you have enough room on both sides ( in the Med near impossible), or make sure your neighbours tie springs as well. 2. Rubber shock absorbers aren't the best. In my experience, they stretch and deform over (not much) time and then have reduced effect. I'm on my third set of (over sized) absorbers in 8 years and plan to invest in stainless steel springs next year, which are even more expensive. As an aside, putting a shock absorber on an anchor snubber is also a good idea. 3. Personally, I never OXO off a line on a pontoon or pier that I'm planning to stay at for more than a few hours. I always use a bowline, making sure it can't slip over the cleat and with chafe protection - that's how I learned it many many years ago as part of my training as a commercial skipper.

[@theincompetentcrew]

Hi, thanks for commenting, I think for a lot of people when it comes to the med, the advice is if any weather is coming, go to anchor to avoid the carnage. The first rubber shock we trialed lasted about a season before I decided it was junk. We were tempted to up to the stainless springs but....as we are only using them occasionally, we went with rubber again. I did wonder what other peoples experience of them has been like, so thanks. And 3,(the oxo) I went and switched that around a few hours ago after a little thinking to match the rest of the lines. I've never had a problem with it slipping that i'm aware of, but for some reason- call it subconscious instinct- it felt like the right thing to do given we will be here a few more days. :) Hope you keep commenting. Ben

[@ylemoine1]

Great tips. I think you covered them all. I’ve tried almost all of these at one time or another. Key for me is spring lines and doubling up in every line when I plan to be at the dock for extended periods or the boat left on its own for any amount of time. 👍 Thanks!🙏

[@theincompetentcrew]

Thanks for the comment. We tend to double lines if we are around much more than a day or two. Always alarming when we see a boat with lines that have been re-tied after failures/ snaps but never doubled.

[@Thepetlifechoseme]

Keep the good advice rolling guys ⛵️

[@theincompetentcrew]

Cheers Amy 😁

[@RT-np5ws]

He understands the boat good man

[@theincompetentcrew]

Cheers! :D

[@markstaniland7655]

Nicely done Sir.

[@theincompetentcrew]

Thanks

[@niradnagrom2356]

"Inaudible waffling of a slightly salty skipper." *LOL!*

[@theincompetentcrew]

Sometimes I can't even understand myself!

[@niradnagrom2356]

Thank you so much! *GREAT INFORMATION!*

[@andyl-d6633]

Excellent … thanks for that.

[@theincompetentcrew]

:)

[@KeepItSimpleSailor]

Parallel to the topic of tying up, being in a cyclone affected area, I also focus on reducing windage as much as possible when storms approach. Reducing loads on (as many as possible) lines makes a big difference to their survival for the duration of a given storm. I take notice of neighbours too - just to try and keep my own boat safe I’ve had to have a word with and lend lines to boats who’ve come in at the last minute and tied up next to me with spaghetti and wet noodles (kinda ticks one off). 🙂

[@theincompetentcrew]

Hi, thats a good point. Windage! Even if a storm isn't too severe, when the wind gets above 40knots its a lot of extra pressure. thanks for adding.

[@ianhorne8144]

Some great stuff there! Re the spring shock absorbers. I’ve seen those fail so if fitting those, it may be worth thinking about installing a link between the ends of the rope where they connect to both ends of the spring. I used a short length of old chain.

[@theincompetentcrew]

Good call! We’ve got them both backed up with a second line that goes tight near the snubbers max stretch

[@tomhermens7698]

Check your cleats. Above and below deck. To prevent Chafe is most important.

[@jamespisano1164]

Thanks for sharing.

[@theincompetentcrew]

Thanks for watching!

[@danknox9986]

I used to dock a Pier 39 in San Francisco. Those rubber “absorber” will fail in one day there. A better and much cheaper thing to use is used scooter tires. You can usually get these for free as there is a fee for tossing them.

[@theincompetentcrew]

Hi Dan, the rubbers are still going after 4 storms. I know they will fail at some point, but for now they are working how I have them rigged. We have long spring lines on from midship both sides to the pontoon at the bow. The shocks are more taming the bow so we sleep better in the front berth. But thats a real cool idea with the scooter tires worth noting. Thanks for adding it.

[@adelheidsnel5171]

hang on to your ol' fenders folks!!! ( I use them all over the place )

[@theincompetentcrew]

Sometimes I feel we have too many fenders :) But then again - I've never regret having enough

[@johnbrightman282]

hi am new follower, john from UK poole harbor. now retired in australia, in beautiful encounter bay, south australia, visit the area on google earth perhaps. am sure will enjoy your content and vicariously travel with you.

[@theincompetentcrew]

Hi John, glad you are enjoying. I (Ben) spent most of a year in Oz, but only Queensland, NSW and a little Northern Territory. Huge fun country! Travelled around in a 4x4 and had a blast. Look forward to your comments. :)

[@Frank-E]

Which marina is this?

[@paullieblich3950]

Picture/videos 0f your equipment and techniques would be appreciated

[@paullieblich3950]

Oh, I do see the videos, thanks

[@theincompetentcrew]

@@paullieblich3950 Hi, we are doing a little bit of a mix. We have one playlist 'boat stuff' with little hints and tips and fun things we wish we had known when we started sailing. Then a second playlist called 'episodes' which is more our day to day living, but with little hints and tips occasionally added in. Hope you follow along. Ben :)