How to Select the Correct Dock Lines Length

Dock lines can take up valuable storage space, especially if you don't have them laced through the rails or don't have a dedicated line locker. Selecting lines of the proper length is essential so that they not only perform as expected, but do so without taking up space that could otherwise be used for consumables or other equipment. A full complement of lines is generally unnecessary for most recreational vessels, which can be berthed with a bow and stern line and sometimes spring and breast lines.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape

Instructions

1. Determine the overall length of your boat. You can find the overall length by using a measuring tape or, if your boat's length hasn't been altered since its original building, in its registration document.

2. Select bow and stern lines that are two-thirds the length of your boat. The bow and stern lines are the lines you use at the extreme forward end and the extreme after end of the boat that prevent it from moving forward or aft while berthed in dock.

3. Choose spring lines that are the length of your boat. Spring lines are used near the bow (front) and stern (rear) for docking and undocking and can keep the boat close to the pier while allowing for the rise and fall of the tides.

4. Make your breast lines equal to half the beam of your boat. The breast lines are those lines that are tied to the cleats near the center of your boat and hold it close to the side of the pier for boarding or loading.

Tips & Warnings

• In quiet harbors, a bow line, a stern line and a breast line are usually sufficient.

• For larger vessels, or for vessels regularly tied in a harbor exposed to the full effects of weather, a full complement of mooring lines includes bow lines, stern lines, bow and stern spring lines, bow and stern cross spring lines (which are positioned like spring lines, but running in the opposite direction), offshore bow and stern lines (lines that run from the offshore side of the vessel to the shore), and breast lines.

• Regardless of the length of the mooring line, keep yourself out of the bight (loops or coils) of the line when engaged in line handling. Don't let a dock line wrap around your feet or any body parts you wish to keep into old age.

References

• "American Merchant Seaman's Manual"; J. Keever, et al.; Cornell Maritime Press, 1981; p. 77 ff.

Resources

• Guidelines on Synthetic Mooring Lines
• "The Sailor's Illustrated Dictionary"; Tom Lenfestey; Globe Pequot, 2001; p. 289