wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't know if this topic has been done to death, but I am interested
in finding out what various boaters use for dock lines. The
information on the internet can be very confusing, and I have seen web
sites that recommend completely different rope sizes for the same size
boats. The rule of thumb is 1/8 inch diameter for every 9 feet of
boat. This is also what West Marine says in their literature. Other
sites say that boats over 25 feet, for instance, should use 1/2 rope.
I have moored my Bayliner 2859 all winter with just 3/8 inch lines, but
it has been in a protected slip.


Use rope heavy enough to throw quite far, into a stiff wind, with good
enough accuracy to land all over the person waiting on the dock, who will
probably be a bystander with an ice cream cone. If your cleats aren't big
enough for this rope, replace them with bigger ones.