Docking Your Boat

Docking/mooring your boat for a storm

Always mooring your boat for storms is a good old maritime rule that should be followed. Therefore, it is very important to moor the boat properly and in the right way, so that it cannot tear and drift into the lake or sea. In addition, different ports, docks and other circumstances can vary greatly. This means that a good mooring in one place may not work as well in another. Even experienced boaters can find mooring challenging, especially in difficult conditions.

Cordage/line

The rope used for mooring shall have a dimension adapted to the weight of the boat. You can find the right dimension under each mooring line, see all our mooring lines here. The rope must be resistant to abrasion, tearing and the sun’s UV rays.

Our innovative docking lines Storm & StormX are equipped with two pieces of wear protection, one at the eyelet and an adjustable one along the line in order to provide maximum protection against chafing.

StormX has a braided casing consisting of 100% polyester silk which is optimal as this material sinks in water and you wont need to worry about a boat neighbor crossing over your line. The material is also maximum UV-protected. This docking/mooring line has an elastic core which means you do not need any additional shock absorbers, thimbles or shackles. It also works excellently when mooring (long-term).

Storm is a 3-stranded line made of 60% polyester and 40% shock absorbing fiber. The entire length of the tamp consists of this fiber, which makes it extra durable and is ideal for e.g. when taking a boat through the lock. The docking line Storm has also won Best-in-Class several times.

If the docking line becomes damaged you need to exchange it immediately.

How to moor at a jetty

When mooring at a pier, Y-booms or stern posts are often used. If you are mooring at a Y-boom, you need to take into account whether there are one or two booms, as you can see illustrated below.

It is also important to keep in mind the water depth, which can vary significantly, when mooring/docking. Otherwise the strain placed on the line can become too much if e.g. the water level significantly lowers. If the water level increases there is risk of slacking lines and more movement of the boat.

When docking/mooring through a mounting it is important that the line always comes through the mount from below. See below image. This because the line can get caught under the mount when leaving the dock. Also keep in mind that the wear protection always should run through the mount in order to protect the line from chafing.

Docking/mooring boat between dock and buoy

When mooring to a jetty using stern posts, it is important to first check that they are undamaged and properly struck. Bollards located at the stern of the boat that are in deep water can move around which can in turn inflict damage on your boat.

If your boat will be moored to a jetty with a buoy, you should first of all check the water depth, which should ideally not exceed 6 meters. Otherwise, the buoy chain can become so long that the turning space of the boats becomes difficult to control. For this reason, mooring with a buoy should be avoided if several boats are close to the same jetty, as this reduces the risk of boats damaging each other.

To moor using a buoy, you will need a buoy weight with an eye bolt lying on the bottom, chain and/or a mooring line and a buoy with the buoy. The buoy should be able to support the chain but not be so large that it can be pulled below the surface under high load.

Before putting in the buoy weight, examine the bottom thoroughly to make sure there are no large slopes or boulders under the boat. Otherwise, if the buoy weight moves, it may end up at a new depth.

Also remember to always use fenders. Here you can find the fenders we offer.

Click here to watch a video on how to dock between Y-beams.

Choosing the right dimension of the mooring line

Read our article on how to choose the right dimensions for your mooring line.

Do you want help with what docking/mooring line that is best suitable for your boat?

Take our docking quiz and our docking expert will get in touch with you to provide recommendations on what lines are best suited for your boat and docking/mooring situation.

Definition list:

• Cordage: A collective term for various types of longer continuous bundles, such as ropes and cables.
• Bollard: An apparatus used when docking to fasten the docking/mooring line at, usually placed in line with boat bow and stern.
• Shackle: A U-shaped bracket/bolt where the ends are connected with a pervading screw.
• Cleat: Apparatus for fastening smaller lines such as halyards and sheets.
• Fairlead: A fitting to lead the docking line and maintain its position on the railing.
• Fairlead (anchor): A fitting through with the anchor line is led through.
• U-bult: U-shaped bracket/bolt with threads and nuts, where a line or chain can be fastened.
• Screw eyes: Bolt with threads and an eye, where lines or chains can be fastened.
• Ring bolt: Bolt with eye and ring where lines and chains can be fastened.
• Thimble: Chafe/wear-and-tear protection for eyelets on cordage, made of steel or plastic.
• Buoy rod: Pervading rod through buoy with an eye at each end.
• Grapnel: A type of anchor that can be folded together.
• Swivel: Construction that allows two objects to turn independently of each other.
• Mushroom (anchor): Small anchor, plate-shaped with a bar for attaching the anchor line.
• Splice: A way to fasten lines together or in on iself by braiding the strands under each other.
• Spring: Head spring and aft spring, extra docking/mooring lines running diagonally between the dock and the bow and stern.
• Swinging mooring: Swinging mooring means only being docked/moored at a single point such as a buoy or via anchor only.