Dock lines
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Bruce Moore
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Channel Surfing
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PLBart":2be6y2gt said:
5/8"
SJI Sailor
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If I understand correctly, Top Knot lines are polypropylene. That is nice because it floats, but AFAIK is not as strong or durable as nylon, and the eyes are stitched together rather than spliced. Although I have a couple of their lines, I am more confident with nylon for most purposes (see https://www.boatus.com/expert-advice/expert-advice-archive/2019/april/choosing-the-right-rope).
I'm not sure what the factory ships now, although our C30 in 2019 came with nylon lines.
I'm not sure what the factory ships now, although our C30 in 2019 came with nylon lines.
S. Todd
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5/8" is way more than I would want on a 27 foot boat in the weight class of a 27OB. West Marine recommends 1/8" of line diameter per each nine feet of boat length as a rough rule of thumb. I intend to use 1/2" on our R29S (which is what was sent with the boat by the factory) (R29 is 33 feet. 33 divided by 9 is 3.66, rounded up to 4. 4 times 1/8" = 1/2" line). We have lots of 3/8" in excellent shape from prior boats that we will still use for transient slips. If you use too large a diameter it will not have sufficient stretch to reduce impact on cleats and provide a peaceful nights sleep. Obviously, if you are in hurricane conditions or leaving your boat for long periods of time without sufficient chaff protection you might want to increase the diameter if sufficient length exists to provide some stretch. My preference is to double up or use multiple attachment points rather than overly large diameter lines.
Romakeme IV
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3/8 lines seemed adequate for our 20' cuddy - and that's what the dealer supplied when we took delivery. A few years ago we discovered when staying at a marina on Lake Huron that any boat staying in their slips overnight was required to be secured with min. 1/2" lines. As one poster said the larger lines do fall easier to hand just take up more space on a small boats cleat.
S. Todd
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The only place on Lake Huron where I have seen such a sign was the Marina at Port Austin. Stayed there back in the mid 1980's when we had a 18.5 foot cuddy cabin. The wind blew from the Northeast and waves rolled through the marina. I was concerned about that notice because the largest lines we had on that size boat were 5/16". I was advised by the locals that no one would complain based on the size of our boat. Long story short, I made the best spider web of dock lines possible with the limited cleats available to hold the boat in the center of the slip and ride the waves until morning. No one else except for wife, I and the two young kids, actually slept on their boats in that marina that night. I had to get up a few times to retie the boat next to ours when its old lines parted and it crashed into the dock waking me. Newer lines of the right size for the size boat worked just fine.
kelpline
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An important factor on the stern line is length. When our boat was on the trailer this winter, the stern lines were cut to 4" short of the stern thruster, and propeller.
Romakeme IV
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S. Todd":1tek3is3 said:
The marina we were staying at was Kincardine on the west coast of Ontario, Canada. It is up the river a bit and has a berm facing the beach but I suppose it is subjected to the prevailing west wind.
I do like the feel of 1/2" lines better and we use snubbers as well as spring lines. Only thing as mentioned is the cleat space with the line and fender. We were getting blown off the lock wall one day - wife had the stern line around cable but not a lot of horn room left to wrap around so I could power the bow back in to the wall.
Regards,
Rob
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