Bob & Bev;
I have a slightly different take on your problem that the comments you've received so far. I normally us the cabin top cleats for spring lines. I'm presuming that you are protecting the boat from tidal surge and from thunderstorm winds up to about 50 knots, not trying to leave the boat in the slip for a hurricane. My boat is 38 sits in a slip at the end of the pier, pretty much perpendicular to the prevailing winds and current. Though we have little lunar tide, wind driven tides totaling near 4 feet are a common occurrence. You've probably noticed that you can move the boat in the slip by pulling on the dock lines even when the wind is up. That means that the load on the dock lines in somewhere in the 100 to 125 pound range. That's about the max force that a man pulling horizontally can normally achieve. On my 38, the cabin top cleats are mounted on backing plates similar to the bow and stern cleats - they are just a lightly smaller size, so they should be able to handle loads similar to the bow and tern cleats. I tie up my boat with a bow and stern line to the piling on either side. The lines leading to the two pilings that are not accessible from the dock or finger pier are tied to the piling with the eye at a fixed length to go through an existing fairlead and over a cleat. The forward spring is tied to the starboard piling forward, with the eye of the line at a fixed length to go to a cabin top cleat. The aft spring goes from a center piling on the dock to a cleat on the cabin top and can be adjusted from the dock. The stern lines run from stern cleats to pilings on the dock and finger pier, so they can be adjusted from the dock. I also keep another line on the center piling on the port (dock) side of the boat, running to a cockpit cleat. Normally this line is relatively slack and I use it to pull the boat to the dock for loading and for boarding of passengers. The three adjustable lines (aft spring and 2 aft dock lines) allow me (or our dockmaster) to move the boat around in the slip when needed in response to changes in wind and tide. Having all the lines with the eye on the boat end makes docking relatively easy - even with newbie or single handed. Just put the boat into the slip and drop the eye over the appropriate cleat when returning. I also keep a pair of extra dock lines rigged to the pilings on the starboard side (the one exposed to high winds and waves in storms). Again a fixed length with the eye on the boat end. So I can double the bow and stern lines by moving the boat away from the dock and running these lines, then adjusting the other lines from the dock to reposition the boat. I've been in the slip for 10 years (year round, as we don't haul out in the winter down here) and seen winds above 60 knots from near miss hurricanes, and have never had any damage or sign of the cleats being insufficient. As another suggestion: Since your spring lines are only to keep the boat from moving forward and back in the slip, and since you have a center piling to use, why not just tie both your springs to the center piling and run the eyes to the bow and stern cleats on that side? You really should never need to adjust the length of the spring lines. And with this arrangement you don't need a mid ships cleat at all. Rick Brass Imzadi -1976 C&C 38 mk1 la Belle Aurore -1975 C&C 25 mk1 Washington, NC From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of broo...@aol.com Sent: Friday, July 05, 2013 11:04 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Stus-List where to secure spring lines This summer we have leased a slip at a fixed dock. The slip is 34' X 14.5' with 3 pilings on each side. At times there is an incredible amount of surge and the boat just bounces back and forth putting a lot of strain on the dock lines. We have doubled bow and stern lines and have bow and stern springs. The only midship cleats on a C&C 37 are on the coach house and don't seem appropriate to take this kind of strain. Currently the spring lines are wrapped around the turnbuckles then taken up to the coach house cleats but we are worried about the strain on the turnbuckles. Yes, there is chafing gear everywhere. Is there a better place to secure the spring lines? Could you share some of your cumulative wisdom? Other than getting a new slip, that is. Bev Genader Bob Morgan C&C 37 Stonington Harbor, CT.
_______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
