Chapter 5
5-14
e bow and stern lines should be relatively at a 45 degree angle with
the dock. e stern line can be attached to the near-shore quarter
cleat, but will work more e ciently to the o shore quarter cleat.
e longer line will allow the boat ow with the tide with less time
checking the vessel.
Dock Line Sizing
Most dock lines today are made of nylon, either of twisted rope or
braided core and cover. e most o en used material is nylon because
of its stretching abilities absorbing shock loads. It is chafe resistant
for extended life and is easier on bare hands.
e line’s size varies with the vessel. Normally, a vessel in the 20’ to
40’ boats will use 1/2” diameter nylon lines. Larger yachts use 5/8”
and 3/4” diameter nylon lines. Smaller boats can use 3/8” nylon lines.
Dock lines need to have the strength to hold the vessel and have
enough density to resist cha ng. ey shouldn’t be too heavy that
they lose their shock-absorbing capabilities. Use the right size line
for the vessel since a line to large for the boat will pull hard against
the vessel since it won’t be forced to stretch. If the line is too small for
the vessel, there is no margin for wear and chafe when under strain.
Securing Lines
When mooring your boat, make sure the dock lines are secured at
both ends. Depending on your situation you may need to loop the
eye splice of the dock line around a piling. Sometimes the mooring
line will lead down sharply from the piling to the deck cleat. Loop the
eye splice around the piling twice to keep it from being pulled up o
the pile. Pull the line through the looped eye if the mooring line is
too small to go around the piling twice or too small to t over once.
If you must drop a line over a piling that already holds another boat’s
line, run the eye of the line up through the rst eye from below, then
loop it over the pile. is will allow either line to be removed without
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