Spring Lines

Spring Lines
Many people tie their boats to the dock, pier, or float with the system shown above.  With one bow line and one stern line.  This is alright; but in stormy conditions or when there is a current the boat can saw back and forth causing extraordinary ware on the dock-lines and on the fenders.  The addition of spring lines stabilizes the boat.  This reduces ware; AND makes sleeping comfortably through the night a much more likely scenario.

Conventional thinking is to anchor the spring lines the cleats that are already being used for the bow line and the stern line.  The two spring lines are identified by the direction they take from cleat to a cleat near the mid-point of the boat's side.

Another, less conventional method, is to secure the spring lines to the dock near the about half-way along the boat; and secure the other end to cleats (one at the bow and the other near the stern.  On Snickerdoodle, I use this second method while in our slip; and the previous method when securing the boat at another dock.

It is amazing how much better Snickerdoodle sits at the dock with the spring lines attached fore and aft.  Try it, I think you'll like it too.