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#21
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Do I need a grapple?
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#22
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Do I need a grapple?
On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 01:05:12 -0500, Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:
On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 14:09:54 -0800, engsol wrote: snip I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat sharing the slip. So what do I do? Being single-handed and all. One thought occurs to me...toss a grapple and snag the dock. But this raises more questions....will I need to use a winch? How do I route the line? Do they even make grapples, or will I have to make my own? snip My suggestions: 1. Put fenders out on both sides. If you do miss you don't damage your neighbor's boat, or your own.. I think that's an excellant idea. 2. Learn to bring the boat to a stop next to fixed objects where a mistake doesn't matter, like next to a mooring ball. Get a feel for how much wind you can do this in. Actually, I'm pretty good at this. (crossed fingers) 3. When you string your dock lines, tie their ends together so when you step off you have both of them. Loop one of them around its cleat and move smartly to the other end and cleat that. Then go back and cleat the first one properly. Many of the docks in the smaller San Juan ports don't have cleats. What is *very* common is a "cleat rail" (my term) consisting of a 4 x 4 raised by 4 x 4 blocks spaced every 8 to 10 feet. This requires passing a line through a 4 inch "gap", which is a real pain. Otherwise your method would work fine. Thanks for the input. Norm |
#23
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Do I need a grapple?
On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 01:05:12 -0500, Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:
On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 14:09:54 -0800, engsol wrote: snip I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat sharing the slip. So what do I do? Being single-handed and all. One thought occurs to me...toss a grapple and snag the dock. But this raises more questions....will I need to use a winch? How do I route the line? Do they even make grapples, or will I have to make my own? snip My suggestions: 1. Put fenders out on both sides. If you do miss you don't damage your neighbor's boat, or your own.. I think that's an excellant idea. 2. Learn to bring the boat to a stop next to fixed objects where a mistake doesn't matter, like next to a mooring ball. Get a feel for how much wind you can do this in. Actually, I'm pretty good at this. (crossed fingers) 3. When you string your dock lines, tie their ends together so when you step off you have both of them. Loop one of them around its cleat and move smartly to the other end and cleat that. Then go back and cleat the first one properly. Many of the docks in the smaller San Juan ports don't have cleats. What is *very* common is a "cleat rail" (my term) consisting of a 4 x 4 raised by 4 x 4 blocks spaced every 8 to 10 feet. This requires passing a line through a 4 inch "gap", which is a real pain. Otherwise your method would work fine. Thanks for the input. Norm |
#24
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Do I need a grapple?
On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 06:27:42 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:
In article , engsol wrote: In my daydreaming, I have most things figured out in the locale where I plan to sail (San Juan and Gulf Islands), except for this.... I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat sharing the slip. So what do I do? At foreign docks, a line from that same winch to a dock cleat -- and back to the winch if I don't have much time -- works well. As I mentioned in another reply, the area I plan to sail in uses 4 x 4 rails rather than proper cleats. That's why the idea of a grapple.... something I can deploy from the boat. If the conditions warrant, the cleat at the shrouds will work better, but I haven't needed that yet on this boat. Good advice. I plan to spend a bit of time learning where the "balance" point is on my boat...once I buy her. Personally, the toughest docking is against a current. THAT can be interesting. LOL...well, I'd argue that "interesting" might be having the bow blow off and leaving one with a 37 foot boat at right angles to, and between, two finger docks separated by maybe 40 feet, and having a bit of speed up. I've mentally replayed that one many times. My only defense is that the instructor dictated the departure plan, but since I was on the helm, the fault was mine. Thanks... Norm |
#25
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Do I need a grapple?
On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 06:27:42 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:
In article , engsol wrote: In my daydreaming, I have most things figured out in the locale where I plan to sail (San Juan and Gulf Islands), except for this.... I'm approaching a slip with a cross-wind blowing me off the dock, and into another boat sharing the slip. So what do I do? At foreign docks, a line from that same winch to a dock cleat -- and back to the winch if I don't have much time -- works well. As I mentioned in another reply, the area I plan to sail in uses 4 x 4 rails rather than proper cleats. That's why the idea of a grapple.... something I can deploy from the boat. If the conditions warrant, the cleat at the shrouds will work better, but I haven't needed that yet on this boat. Good advice. I plan to spend a bit of time learning where the "balance" point is on my boat...once I buy her. Personally, the toughest docking is against a current. THAT can be interesting. LOL...well, I'd argue that "interesting" might be having the bow blow off and leaving one with a 37 foot boat at right angles to, and between, two finger docks separated by maybe 40 feet, and having a bit of speed up. I've mentally replayed that one many times. My only defense is that the instructor dictated the departure plan, but since I was on the helm, the fault was mine. Thanks... Norm |
#26
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Do I need a grapple?
I've been reading messages so far and hope I can add something. We actually
have a grapple, and have used it when docking at those piers where the only tie-up is a 4"x4" wood. We use it from the midship cleat of our 34' trawler. We bend a turn around the cleat which can be tightened immediately. The grapple is tossed onto the dock well behind the rail. In our experience it always has caught against the rail. After that point it is necessary to keep tension on the grapple, thus the need to be able to take up the slack quickly. To picture this, one has to recall that the reason you used the grapple in the first place was that you were being set off the pier. Therefore, once you have taken the slack out of the line, that setting force should maintain tension for you, and since the middle of your boat is tethered, the pointy and blunt ends aren't going too far. There is time to do things deliberately. Now if you are too far from the dock to get other lines across, you can try something cautiously: Use the grapple line as a spring line. You put your boat in gear and go forward. If you turn toward the dock, the bow will come in. If you turn away from the dock, the stern will come in. Of the two, we have found that getting a stern line over and secured is better, because then we can use *that* as a spring to bring the boat alongside. We bought the grapple from a store that sells supplies to commercial fishermen. It's little and light, about 14" long and 8-10" wide. I'd be willing to bet that they are still available. The commonest mistake people make when just starting to use a grapple is not to have enough free line to throw the grapple as far as needed. It's true that the more 'free' line you have, the bigger the scramble to get the slack out when you've thrown it. Experience teaches the happy medium. Another subject: Coming to rest against another vessel. With enough fenders, there should be no problem and as one reply said, it's pretty common in the San Juans and Canadian Gulf Islands. But the operative word is "fenders" never, NEVER "boat hook". Finally: We are considering an "E-Z Docker". This is a special weighted hook which is designed to grab and hold onto a 4x4, 2x4, etc. I've seen them at boat shows, and believe they are superior to the grapple. I found an add in "Yachting" and their info address is There's a website about it at http://www.boatshowproducts.com/EZDocker.htm It's pretty pricey, though - so we're still considering. |
#27
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Do I need a grapple?
I've been reading messages so far and hope I can add something. We actually
have a grapple, and have used it when docking at those piers where the only tie-up is a 4"x4" wood. We use it from the midship cleat of our 34' trawler. We bend a turn around the cleat which can be tightened immediately. The grapple is tossed onto the dock well behind the rail. In our experience it always has caught against the rail. After that point it is necessary to keep tension on the grapple, thus the need to be able to take up the slack quickly. To picture this, one has to recall that the reason you used the grapple in the first place was that you were being set off the pier. Therefore, once you have taken the slack out of the line, that setting force should maintain tension for you, and since the middle of your boat is tethered, the pointy and blunt ends aren't going too far. There is time to do things deliberately. Now if you are too far from the dock to get other lines across, you can try something cautiously: Use the grapple line as a spring line. You put your boat in gear and go forward. If you turn toward the dock, the bow will come in. If you turn away from the dock, the stern will come in. Of the two, we have found that getting a stern line over and secured is better, because then we can use *that* as a spring to bring the boat alongside. We bought the grapple from a store that sells supplies to commercial fishermen. It's little and light, about 14" long and 8-10" wide. I'd be willing to bet that they are still available. The commonest mistake people make when just starting to use a grapple is not to have enough free line to throw the grapple as far as needed. It's true that the more 'free' line you have, the bigger the scramble to get the slack out when you've thrown it. Experience teaches the happy medium. Another subject: Coming to rest against another vessel. With enough fenders, there should be no problem and as one reply said, it's pretty common in the San Juans and Canadian Gulf Islands. But the operative word is "fenders" never, NEVER "boat hook". Finally: We are considering an "E-Z Docker". This is a special weighted hook which is designed to grab and hold onto a 4x4, 2x4, etc. I've seen them at boat shows, and believe they are superior to the grapple. I found an add in "Yachting" and their info address is There's a website about it at http://www.boatshowproducts.com/EZDocker.htm It's pretty pricey, though - so we're still considering. |
#28
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Do I need a grapple?
Dave wrote:
On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 20:21:18 GMT, Chuck Bollinger said: We are considering an "E-Z Docker". Hmm. Interesting product, but how much confidence can you have in somebody who doesn't know what a "bollard" is? Yeah - That got me, too. I wasn't able to download the movie to see what terminology they used in it. Gotta say, though, I've seen this at a boat show where the customer is allowed to try it, and it was pretty awesome. Very heavy. Don't know that I can come up with that much money for it, but we rarely have cleats in the Pacific NW remoter areas. |
#29
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Do I need a grapple?
Dave wrote:
On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 20:21:18 GMT, Chuck Bollinger said: We are considering an "E-Z Docker". Hmm. Interesting product, but how much confidence can you have in somebody who doesn't know what a "bollard" is? Yeah - That got me, too. I wasn't able to download the movie to see what terminology they used in it. Gotta say, though, I've seen this at a boat show where the customer is allowed to try it, and it was pretty awesome. Very heavy. Don't know that I can come up with that much money for it, but we rarely have cleats in the Pacific NW remoter areas. |
#30
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Do I need a grapple?
On 7 Feb 2004 17:12:13 -0600, Dave wrote:
On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 20:21:18 GMT, Chuck Bollinger said: We are considering an "E-Z Docker". Hmm. Interesting product, but how much confidence can you have in somebody who doesn't know what a "bollard" is? I found E-Z Docker on the web. IMHO, a 20 foot rope tied to a hook for $118, or a 35 foot rope tied to a hook for $226, is not realistic. I also found a real live Mil-Spec folding grappling hook for ~$100, and some "Ninja" grapples for $20. Norm |
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