Fenders and Dock Lines

[Rabbits Hutch]

Hey All,

To date, your advice and guidance has been just great. Thanks again for all of the assistance.

Next week I will take delivery of my new 16' Cruiser from the factory in Auburn.

How many fenders should I have? What size? How many dock lines will I need. What thickness and length?

Please remember, I'm new to boating...

Thanks,

Gary R.

[Alyssa Jean]

Gary, on my 22 for the first two years I just had three 5 1/2 fenders. I bought a fourth a few months ago. On the 25 I am getting 6 6 1/2"X 22's.

The minimum dock lines for tieing up would probably be two. But I have always carried several extra. It is really handy to have a double length line tied off in the center of the line to the front cleat and lead one end along each side to the cockpit and I always secured each end to the grab handle. For the 22 I have a 50 foot length. If you are ever in need of a longer line you can always borrow that longer line and substitute a shorter back-up line. Probably for the 16 a 35' would be long enough. Then one tied off to each cleat on the stern port and starboard. It is a lot easier to dock by yourself or for the first mate to just step off onto the dock with both lines in his/her hand and secure the boat. I think all of my lines are 1/2". I find that while a smaller diameter line will still be splenty strong enough to hold the boat, it is harder on the hands the smaller diameter it gets. I use the three strand not the braided. That is so I can weave in the eye at one end. I usually buy bulk line and do it myself. You can also get lines that are already done up with the eye at the end, and even in different colors often to match your boat. So many decisions.

[Chuck S]

Half inch lines on a 16 Cruiser are overkill and will be hard to handle and store. 3/8" will be all you need. Buy them with eyes already spliced into them unless you've got more patience than I do.

We have four (4) main mail lines (one for each corner) and at least another 2 to 4 stowed for emergencies and as spring lines. Because access to the foredeck is best left to acrobats we run a pair of bow lines aft and secure them with clam cleats against the cabin wall. They're always handy from the cockpit yet always secure. We keep a line attached to each stern cleat as well.



We also installed an anchor line hawse pipe to simplify anchor line storage.



We have four ~4" blue fenders on board. Rigging them, though, is a challenge I've not fully solved.

-- Chuck

[Casey]

Like the previous posts, we find that having two bow and two stern lines fixed in-place very convenient. I use a slightly different model of cam cleat to secure the bow lines, but it works like a charm. As I recall the bow lines are about 20' and the stern lines about 15'. Spring lines (2) are about 15' as I recall. All working lines are 3/8" layed (3-twist) nylon (easy to splice).

Fenders: two are about 4-5" in diameter, and a "norwegian" type (round) fender about 18" in diameter. The norwegian fender fits through the midship window and secures to the midship cleat, and another fender is hung over the gunnel from the cabin handhold. Those two fenders take care of most docking situations. Occasionally we'll hang the last fender off the stern cleat when/where necessary.

Other line. Like most boaters, I generally have a few other lines onboard just 'because. A line for light-duty towing + 150' of extra line for a second anchor if needed.

Casey
C-Dory Naknek

[Larry H]

On my 22 cruiser I use 1/2 inch dock lines. For a 16 footer the 3/8ths are probably enough unless you tie up at rough wooden docks with wooden rails. The roughness can chafe thru a small diameter line.

I use 25 ft on the bow(two each) and 15 foot at the stern(two each).

[TyBoo]

Whatever you do, don't get the florescent green or yellow or whatever color they were fenders. B~C and Catman will hound you to no end about 'em, and you'll end up giving the last one to Catman just to quiet him down.

Here's something I did to both the boats I've had. I think it's cool, but maybe I'm weird. I mounted small nylon pad eyes in select locations on the side of the boat. Each one (5 per side on the 25) is positioned so when the fender with the rope with a snap hook on it is hung from it, it will hang down to the same spot. All my fenders have the same length rope and snap tied to them, so any fender will hang from any spot and be in the right spot. Works for me. The three aft most fenders are reached from the cockpit, and the other two are reached through the side window. The lines on them are only about 15" long, so they stow quite easily when removed.

And by the way - the Polyform fenders in Forrest Green will match very well the green on your boat. Or so my wife says - I'm half way color blind.

Having fun, aren't you?

[Rabbits Hutch]

Lots of fun Mike. All this great advice. I visited her at the factory today. All of the electronics have been installed. The camper canvas will be done within a week's time from King Marine.

As I purchased her at the boat show, I'm not sure if I receive this equipment. I know the anchor, chain and line is included as is the safety gear.

Ha, I wonder if I will still be able to afford dockage for all the gatherings...

After fenders and lines, I'm wanting a small inflatable to keep under the v berth just in case... not sure if that's a good idea or just silly. Maybe I'll post that subject as well....

GR

[rogerbum]

I like the system of the Anna Leigh - e.g. a long bow line tied off on the center cleat with half down each side. As I've said in some previous posts, the 22 was my first boat and it took me a few tries to get docking gracefully down. Having the line rigged so that one could leave the cockpit with BOTH a bow and a stern line in hand made life much easier. Remember, from the helm at slow speed you have some control over the stern but little control over the bow. Early on I had some "helpful" friends jump off with just a stern line in hand and then helplessly watched the bow swing in the wind nearly putting the anchor into an adjacent boat. Not a happy scene... I now give more detailed instructions to any crew prior to docking and prefer to just have people stay out of my way while I slowly approach the dock put it in neutral and jump off myself both lines in hand. It's nice to have the bow and stern line about the length of the boat so that you can hold onto one while you tie off the other. A line that's just a little too short can make tieing up alone a bit of a challenge.

I started with 5/8 or 1/2 line on my 22 but recently bought a new bow line that is 3/8. With the larger line, it's difficult getting more than one line on the cleat and the smaller stuff is plenty strong. I like the braided line simply because I can get it in many colors and it looks prettier - it also feels better in the hand. You can match the line AND the fenders to your boat color. It's pricier than 3 strand stuff so I wouldn't use it for long tie ups at a rough wooden docks (like at Seiku were the tie ups were holes drilled in the rails). Hence I also have some 3 strand stuff for those uses. Also for the rare but sometimes necessary lock-through at the big locks in Seattle, I have 2 50' lines from 3-strand. Cost was the major issue there. I have 6 fenders - 4 about 6" x 20" and 2 about 10" by 20" for my 22'. I tie the large ones off at the cleats below the windows and the smaller ones are used aft. Since the bow bends in a bit, you need larger fenders up front than aft.

There are numerous different fender attachment mechanisms and I've tried about 6. For the forward fenders I find just tieing to the cleats to be easiest. For the aft fenders, I have some quick attach points that allow one to slide the fenders in and out. At the front of the cockpit, I have a fender hanging from each side attached the rails on the roof. These are (for me) the easiest to deal with since I just toss them over the side to deploy and pull them back into the cockpit when not in use. I have them hanging from plastic hanger that clip to the rail and provide easy height adjustment. For the 16, my guess is that you can easily make do with 2 fenders to a side - one at the windows and one any place from the front of the cockpit to the stern. Four fenders total should be plenty - too much stuff on the boat can be a burden to store so go slowly on your purchases. The wife tends to notice all those things you thought you needed but now store in the garage.... After awhile it becomes clear that you're making it up as you go along!

Roger on the SeaDNA

[Otter-BelleHavenMarina]

As for lines, the previous posts cover the subject well. I would just add two points about fenders:
1. Get the kind with eyelets at both ends and tie a long (5 or 6 feet) line on one end. If you are up against a flat sided dock, you can tie the line either to a cleat or to the rail on the roof and let it hang at the appropriate length. (Remember to adjust after you and your passengers are off the boat to get the right length.) But if you are up against a fixed pier with pilings, you will want to loop the line around the piling above the pier and tie the other end into the other eyelet. This makes the fender horizontal between the piling and the boat and offers better protection.
2. When underway, pull your fenders in. Cruising with the fenders out is gauche, according to some salty types, and equivalent to walking around with your fly open! (This piece of "etiquette" is probably based in good seamanship, as a fender with a line that comes loose and falls in the water could possibly foul the prop.)
Cheers,
Ms. Manners (aka...