One dock line configuration is an “A” another is a “W” then an “X”. Tying your boat up with lines that keep the boat from moving back and forth is the idea behind these boat tie-up configurations. When using whips, this method keeps the whips perpendicular to the edge of the dock so they don’t bend the wrongdirection and break. The whips are made to bend in one direction to do the job of holding the boat away from the dock.
I find this boat tie-up method works in other situations as well. To improve my mooring whip set up and get ready for a tropical storm, I got in
The buoyancy helps to pull the boat back from the dock edge. The floatation keeps the lines where I can grab them with my boat hook and run them to the cleat at the opposite end of my boat. I have a pre-tied loop that I just attach to the cleats on the boat in the X configuration.
the water and screwed helix anchors away from the side of my boat. I then ran lines from those to the boat in an X configuration.
It worked swell! The storm hit while I was helping a neighboring restaurant take down an outside “circus” tent in the middle of what seemed like a microburst. We got the tent down just in time and no one was hurt. I then remembered to check on the boat and all was fine. Neighboring boats had broken loose and some boats sank.
To configure anchoring lines like this to hold your boat away from the dock, it helps to have a half submerged boat bumper or foam buoy that the line runs through.
I keep lines to the dock so I can get on and off the boat. The anchor lines are just tight enough that the boat cannot touch the dock. All my dock lines are set to the proper length with a loop for each cleat connection.
Another helpful trick for this boat tie-up configuration is the mooring snubbers that add elasticity to your dock lines. These can be used on all dock lines to keep them snug, but allow stretching when under high tension. This flexibility in the dock line causes less strain on the dock and boat cleats.
The crossed dock lines from the anchors have worked on my dock for another boat that didn’t have the mooring whips. I screwed in 4 anchors around the boat and tied the boat the same way, but on both sides and then I tied lines to the dock so I could pull the boat close without it touching the dock. The dock lines allow me to get on and release the anchor lines and toss them in the water. Once we are done boating, I may tie the boat up to the dock but before I leave the boat for the night, I attach the anchor lines that keep the boat secure away from the dock edge and I am prepared for nasty weather.
This method has been great for holding boats away from other boats when tied in shared boat slips. The buoys float to top center opening the space in the boat slip when docking. The boat hook is the best way to reach them for connection to the cleats.
When attaching the boat bumper to your dock line, know that the buoyancy when they sink is going to help pull the boat away from the dock as they try to float. Prepare the submerged bumper with the air valve at the bottom end so the bubble of air doesn’t seep out. I prefer the Taylor Made bumpers as they seem to hold the air best from my experience. The larger the bumper, the harder they are to sink and the harder they will pull the boat away from the dock.
Prepare your anchors in a good spot where the buoy will float toward the safe area where boats are not traveling. I like to have the top of my bumpers visible when they are not tied to the boat. Once the anchor lines are placed on the boat and the boat is pulled tight from the other side, this will sink the bumpers while their buoyancy does the job of pulling the boat away from the dock edge.
The anchors I use are the 4” disc helix anchors but in one deep spot at the end of my dock I had about 1.5’ of silt and plants so I had to use the longer helix with the 6” disc for a solid anchor.
These anchors are screwed in with a bar through the eye. When screwing them in, you may hit a rock or root, I was able to keep turning and get past the underground object and continue into the soil. I know this was a strong anchor because It was hard to remove. Once I was past the obstacle in the soil, it was even more difficult to unscrew the anchor when I removed everything for the winter.
You can leave the anchors in all winter but I took mine out with my dock so that the area in the water was all cleaned up and nothing was left behind to clutter up the water before ice formed.
I hope this boat tie up method comes in handy for you as well.