Articles
   
       
Pics/Video
       
Wake 101
   
       
       
Shop
Search
 
 
 
 
 
Home   Articles   Pics/Video   Gear   Wake 101   Events   Community   Forums   Classifieds   Contests   Shop   Search
WakeWorld Home
Email Password
Go Back   WakeWorld > >> Boats, Accessories & Tow Vehicles Archive > Archive through June 10, 2005

Share 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old    robertt            05-31-2005, 11:07 AM Reply   
First, I am super stoked that I bought a new X7 last Friday. I have never been so unbelievably indecisive about a purchase, but for some reason I just couldn’t make a decision….I did and am very happy about it…but that’s another story.

Now I need to keep it new.

Here is my question. I have a rectangular dock, with a pontoon boat on one side and my lift on the other. During the day, I would like to be able to moor the boat to the front of the dock temporarily to get people on and off. I can do it now, but since the boat is parallel to the shore the waves rock the crap out of the boat and it makes me nervous that the fenders/bumpers will pop up and the boat will get trashed.

So, what is the best way to moor a boat against a dock in rough water?

I now have 8” bumpers, but that hardly seems ideal.

My neighbors have vertical 2x6’s every so often with white PVC protectors, and they seem to love them. They just drive up and throw a rope to the pylon in the middle and leave it at that.

I have seen others use the same deal with carpet, is that better?

Any other options that people have experience with?

Putting it back in the lift is obviously best, but it’s a jump from the dock to the lift to say the least, and I don’t want just anybody trying to thread a new boat into a lift with a canopy (the tower with racks on it barely clear).

Thoughts guys and gals?

I am leaning towards the vertical boards with protectors on them…but want a little advice first.

Thanks in advance.

Oh, one more thing, my speedometer is WAY off…is that an easy adjustment?


Old     (bob)      Join Date: Feb 2001       05-31-2005, 11:36 AM Reply   
Larger bumpers are available but i would only leave it tied to the dock in rough water while someone is there to monitor it otherwise tie it off to all 4 corners to keep it away from the dock. Another way you can try if you have a good anchor is to anchor off the side facing away from the dock and slowly let the boat out till its almost against the dock but still being held away by the anchor then tie the front and back to the dock.
Old    robertt            05-31-2005, 11:51 AM Reply   
I dont have a finger type dock...so all four corners cant happen. I am looking for something fairly short term (5 min to a few hours), so the anchor thing may not work. Good ideas though.

Anyone have any input on the vertical boards with the protectors vs. bumpers?

How about any other mooring system that is super fast to use?
Old     (ripr)      Join Date: Mar 2002       05-31-2005, 12:34 PM Reply   
Put the pontoon on the front of the dock and use the other side to moor your X-7.

Calibrate your speedo with a handheld GPS and adjust the speedo needle by turning the knobs by the speedometer.
Old     (fox)      Join Date: Jul 2002       05-31-2005, 1:55 PM Reply   
How about some of those mooring whips? I hear those are really effective. You can find them at Bart's or Overton's.
Old     (rich_g)      Join Date: May 2003       05-31-2005, 1:58 PM Reply   
You asked about going with vertical protectors OR bumpers. You should actually use a combination of both. The vertical pieces keep any part of the boat or rubrail from getting under the edge of the dock. No matter how you position your bumpers, it may not always keep that from happening. You will still need some bumpers to cushion the blow from a roller. Depending on the height of your dock, you may need the vertical peices to extend above the deck, so the boat can't come down on the top edge.
Old     (trace)      Join Date: Feb 2002       05-31-2005, 2:03 PM Reply   
mooring whips are the best solution i've used for your situation. they're very quick to use, and the boat doesn't touch the dock at all.

there should be an adjustment switch or knob on the dash for the speedo. it may not be marked, but if not it's usually the only unmarked control.
Old    robertt            05-31-2005, 2:21 PM Reply   
On the speedo..thanks Trace. I have three "speedo" switches, and to be honest have not learned what they do...it never occurred to me that you could adjust your speedometer on the fly like that.

On the mooring....yes the whips seem like a good idea, but i am envisioning having two whips to attach to something on the boat, and each having to be snugged to the dock or close to it. Then, i would also guess that you would have to have a bow and stern line to keep the boat in position. That's four lines...man there has to be something better.

As of this moment, I am thinking the best bet is to install vertical uprights with pads made of 2x6's that go from 1' below the water level to 2.5' above the dock, that way we can use them as aids to get in and out of the boat as well. I would like to install some permanent bumpers as well, but cant find anything nice and cushy made for that. You would think that somebody would have made a huge inflatable bumper or something.

Any other thoughts?

Again, the idea is to be able to run up to the dock, and grab a beer or pick up a passenger then take off again real quick...anything too long and i would just throw it in the lift. I am just being a little paranoid about having a new boat i am sure:-)

Old     (trace)      Join Date: Feb 2002       05-31-2005, 5:23 PM Reply   
you can tie the two ropes on each end to a common caribiner, and just latch them to cleats or handrails. basically just pull up near the dock, attach the two clips, use one of the lines to pull the boat a little closer to the dock, and hop off. the vertical boards will work fine, but the whips are really a lot safer for the boat if you're paranoid. for dock bumper materials, check Overtons, barts, skilimited, etc. the vertical boards also kinda get in the way of loading & unloading if they're too close together.

one of the three speedo switches probably selects right or left pickups (pitots or paddlewheels), and the other two are for fine tuning each pickup.
Old    powaman            05-31-2005, 6:15 PM Reply   
For our dock we just used 2x4's on the outside and wrapped those with old cut up tires and carpet
Old     (jklein)      Join Date: May 2001       06-01-2005, 8:29 AM Reply   
Mooring whips work the best. It will be extremely easy to get in and out of the boat from the dock and the boat will not touch the dock in rough water.
Old     (crazy4two)      Join Date: Jul 2004       06-01-2005, 9:21 AM Reply   
I went out and bought one of those inflatable ski bobs, you know the ones that the kids ride on behind the boat that is shaped like a hot dog or something. I then inflated it and tied it to the dock. So now, when I pull up to the dock to park the boat, I have that ski bob that basically acts like a big bumper and keeps my boat a good 1.5 to 2 feet off of the dock. And when the waves pick up, the ski bob is there to cushion the boat. Works great and fairly cheap. Also, if you inflate the ski bob enough, it allows the lighter weight people to use it as a step between the boat and dock.
Old     (supraman)      Join Date: Jan 2002       06-01-2005, 11:01 AM Reply   
Robert,

I don't think that what you're envisioning with whips is quite accurate. Generally, the only thing you need when mooring with this method is two whips. The whips are stiff, somewhat bendable rods that mount securely to the dock, angled out over the water. Ropes will hang down that often have a loop on the end or a caribiner-type clip.

For the application you're talking about, there's no need for additional lines. Clip one to a front cleat, one to a rear cleat and you're good to go. If you've never actually used whips before, they are great for their simplicity in use and strength in preventing the boat from contacting a dock.
Old    robertt            06-01-2005, 11:14 AM Reply   
Matt, that sounds great but what keeps the boat from going frontwards or backwards? I understand how it would keep it away from the dock and protected, but the torque on the poles would be horrendous if you didn't have lines to prevent it from moving.
Old     (whit)      Join Date: Feb 2001       06-01-2005, 11:37 AM Reply   
Use whips or figure out how to park your boat with the bow pointing into the oncoming waves.
Old     (big_ed_x2)      Join Date: Jul 2004       06-01-2005, 11:47 AM Reply   
Robert ~ All you need is whips and it works like Matt said.The boat does not move forward or backward.

Look into the whips alittle more!!
Old     (rodmcinnis)      Join Date: Sep 2002       06-03-2005, 3:03 PM Reply   
Robert:

Look at this catalog page for an example of the mooring whips in use:
http://www.boatus-store.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=20002&langId=-1&catalogId=20002&productId=32533

(if the link doesn't work, just do a search on mooring whip)

Most of the time you would simply pull up to the dock and tie the boat up as you always have, ignoring the whips. If you are going to leave the boat for a while, or if the waves are already bad, then you simply hook up the whips. If you leave the main lines just a little bit loose the whips will pull your boat a little ways away from the dock.

An alternative to the whip would be to drop an anchor 50 feet off the dock and run a line to the dock. When you want to hold the boat off tie the anchor line to it (the center pole would be a good spot) and use it to pull you away from the dock a bit.

If the boat is moving a lot the only decent solution is to keep it from touching anything. Good fenders or rub rails can help, but the constant motion will eventually run things the wrong way.

Rod

Reply
Share 

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 5:14 PM.

Home   Articles   Pics/Video   Gear   Wake 101   Events   Community   Forums   Classifieds   Contests   Shop   Search
Wake World Home

 

© 2019 eWake, Inc.    
Advertise    |    Contact    |    Terms of Use    |    Privacy Policy    |    Report Abuse    |    Conduct    |    About Us