Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board

Re: Dock and anchor lines

Posted By: Richard Miller
Date: Thursday, 9 December 2004, at 12:15 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Dock and anchor lines (Chiles)

The main reason to "splice your own," or at least some of your own, is that the loops in the pre-made lines are generally much too small to go over a serious piling.
In addition to what stays on the regular dock, I carry about eight docklines of varying lengths from 15 to 40 feet. So I can go visiting somehwere, leave my lines on the dock and still have a couple on the boat. A long spring line that ends in a clove hitch on a piling can use up a lot of that 40 feet. Some I have spliced myself; others I purchased pre-made so I could get them color-coded for length. Makes it easier to grab the right line in a hurry.
I mostly use 1/2 inch nylon, which has a tensile strength of about 5,000 pounds, about 3,000 after splicing etc. In 28 years with a 31 I have never seen a line part but I have ripped several cleats out of docks. Others use heavier stuff but the 1/2 inch is easier to stow and if you carry enough lines you can always double up.
Once I saw a Bertram 25 being towed by a Hatteras at 20+ knots with a single 1/2 inch nylon towline. Convinced me that it was strong enough for docklines.

Messages In This Thread

Dock and anchor lines
Chiles -- Thursday, 9 December 2004, at 10:17 a.m.

Re: Dock and anchor lines
Richard Miller -- Thursday, 9 December 2004, at 10:40 a.m.

Re: Dock and anchor lines
Chiles -- Thursday, 9 December 2004, at 11:23 a.m.

Re: Dock and anchor lines
mike ohlstein -- Thursday, 9 December 2004, at 12:06 p.m.

Re: Dock and anchor lines
Richard Miller -- Thursday, 9 December 2004, at 12:15 p.m.

Re: Dock and anchor lines
Thudd -- Thursday, 9 December 2004, at 4:45 p.m.

Re: Dock and anchor lines
Dug -- Thursday, 9 December 2004, at 4:50 p.m.