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To help you check if your mooring lines are adequate we have included a basic line rating chart on our mooring line page

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To get the best performance out of your mooring lines - Firstly lets get an understanding of what each of the different mooring lines does

 

Lines are properly named after what function they perform - the movement they control

Springs are named after the movement they prevent

This is the Aft Spring - on the for'ard cleat
 
This is a For'ard Spring - on the aft cleat

An advantage of shorter springs like these which do not cross is that they can serve a secondary purpose of controlling movement of either end of the vessel away from the berth. For example the bow cannot move very far from the berth unless the vessel can move forward. Unlike crossed springs which will act to prevent the movement of the boat sideways from the berth but on their own will not prevent the boat from "pivoting" and allowing either end to move away from the berth. - Longer crossed springs are really only necessary in a wharf or jetty situation where the range of rise and fall of tide needs to be accomodated.

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If possible, short breast lines which tend to be secured straight down to a marina berth cleat should be avoided. These are the lines that tend to break, and can do other damage as well.

The MAXIMUM angle from the horizontal for any line should be 45 degrees

 

 
Here's a few examples of what lines look like on some boats with a variety of cleat positions

 

 

 

Example 1 two side cleats on boat three cleats on berth short end springs

 

Example 2 two side cleats on boat three cleats on berth short centre springs

 

Example 3 two side cleats on boat 3 cleats on berth combination of centre and end springs - The advantage of this set up is that every line has another line to back up its function -

Every cleat has another cleat to back up its function (at least to some degree)

 

Example 4 - 1 side cleat - Fore and aft springs to that cleat

 

Example 5 - 2 side cleats with long crossed springs

 

Example 6 - 1 side cleat - crossed springs using aft cleat

 

Springs should be kept tight!

 

 

Every possible circumstance or combination has not been shown - the examples are to demonstrate the purpose and function of the lines

 

Now here's a section on what to be careful of and WHAT NOT TO DO!

 

In all of the examples above the lines all have reasonable length, and are set up to prevent horizontal movement of the boat - forwards and backwards, and sideways

This is possible due to the boat being far enough into the berth to allow the stern line to pass from the pontoon to the far side stern cleat

This is not always possible and leads to a common mistake which causes real problems like breaking mooring lines, stress and damage to boat and pontoon fittings

 

Under no circumstances should you have a mooring line which is nearly vertical between the pontoon and the boat - and is tight!!

A line like this tries to prevent vertical movement

That's a sure way to end up with a broken mooring line - or worse

 

If you can't move the boat forward - or have obstructions at the stern that could foul or cut the line - what do you do?

 

Crossed springs on the after half of the boat (if they are tight) will have the effect of holding the boat alongside

A stern line is still used - but must be sufficiently slack when the boat is close alongside, to prevent it taking up and being subjected to sudden jerking forces as the boat rolls or moves up and down in opposition to similar movement of the berth pontoon

     

 

All Lines need to be of a sufficient rating (strength) and need be protected from sharp edges and chaffing.

All moored vessels need to be checked regularly as lines do chafe and wear

 

We recommend lines with a soft spliced eye (loop) on one end and an anti fray finish such as a sailmaker's whipping on the other end.

This way, on for example a vessel berthed bow in, the for'd spring (that stops boat moving for'd) is belayed to the berth cleat with the spliced eye (loop) able to be quickly dropped over the boat's cleat or bollard, to limit for'd movement and position the boat at a predetermined place in the berth (adjusted with the belayed end).

The Aft Spring is fitted to the berth by "threading" the eye through the hole in the berth cleat and doubling the loop back over the horns of the cleat. The straight end is now ready for you to use to tension against the for'd Spring to hold the boat snugly and prevent it moving back and forward.

From there it is really personal choice whether to fit the bow and stern lines to the berth with a belay and put the eyes to the boat, or the other way around. Unlike the Springs, the bow and stern lines don't need to be (and shouldn't be) tight. They need to allow a range of movement depending on the characteristics of the boat.

Splicing mooring lines directly to berth cleats does not allow for re-tensioning.

 

To get an idea what rating of mooring lines you need for your boat - refer to the chart on our Mooring line page

 

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The advice on this page is valid only for floating marinas, and is of a general nature only.