tyeing up to harbor wall

[jas4u1]

Hi all can anyone please tell me what I need and how to tie up my boat to a harbor wall... I am new to boating and I am getting moorings next April in a Harbor and would appreciate any help and advice...regards jas4u1

[SEMIJim]

You need warps (aka: "dock lines"), up to six of them, depending on length-of-stay and conditions. You need fenders, the number, size and placement being dependent on the shape of your boat, the configuration of the wall, length-of-stay, and sea and weather conditions. And you may need or want to use a fender board.

What you really need to do, I think, is go out and get yourself copies of the following two books: Sailing Fundimentals, by Gary Jobson, and The Complete Sailor, by David Seidman. Those will answer this question of yours, along with many more I suspect you don't currently know you have .

Jim

[camaraderie]

Well...looking at your flag I'm guessing those harbor walls will be rock and have very large tidal differences so:
1. You need LONG dock lines...at least 4 and with two at least twice the length of your boat to account for tidal rise and fall.
2. You need large fenders to hold your boat off the wall and protect the hull. Something like these is preferable in your situation


But they are hard to stow so you may prefer conventional fenders and hang a board over them instead. Here's a link to how to make and use them:
http://www.practical-sailor.com/news...nderboards.pdf

Now having said all that...if yer nae a HEARTS fan, I dinna wan nothing ta do wi' ye!! (g) Welcome aboard!

[sailingdog]

You'll probably want a fender board, to protect the fenders from the wall...and your boat from the wall and burst fenders... If the harbor wall is concrete or stone, then the fender board is a really good idea. One about 8' long isn't bad, but it really depends on how big your boat is.

Also, if the tidal range is large—you will need longer docklines... the larger the range, the longer the docklines you'll probably want. Finally, find out if the area right by the wall dries out at low tide... if it does, you want to make sure that your rigging doesn't hit the wall and get damaged... especially spreaders.