New Boat Supplies

[daytrader]

OK, I need a shopping list for my new I guess you call it a power boat.

It is to have full new electronics. Radar, sounders, UHF/VHF and some other stuff I have no clue about.

WHAT DO I NEED FOR DOCKING? What is the standars wares? I have a 70 foot slip for a 41 foot boat.

I have no clue about the rigging situations. I know I will need somthing. I am sure I will need some bumpers. How many? What type and size? Ropes? What size and length?

ANYTHING ELSE.

Please add anything else you think I will need to look into. I am really wanting to know.

If you were getting a new boat what would you get?

I want to add a plug for a product I have used many times and think boat folks will find very handy. That is for Mountain house foods. Do a search. It dose tast as good as it sounds.

[Auzzee]

Hi Daytrader,

All boats are different...all are stored differently. Are you tied to a floating dock, or do you need to allow for the tide? Where are the cleats on your boat and on the dockside? Can you steer direct into the dock, or is a degree of manoevering required? Do you tie up fore and aft on one side only, on both sides fore and aft, or both sides forward and one side aft? Do you set up 2 spring lines or 4.....?

The major problem here is not what you need to buy to tie up your boat, as any competent chandler will assess the gear you need in just a few minutes and provide it in short order including splicing lines etc.

Each person will eventually work out their own docking set up. So, the thing to do initially is to work out what is the minimum you need, to enable you to do the basic job. Then add components as you develop the procedure.

The most important thing is to learn what to do, so that you can utilise the hardware correctly and efficiently. As with every other aquisition, you need first to understand it, to then understand the environment in which it will be used, then how to use it safely in that environment.

You need someone 'on-the-spot' to give you good advice. As for tying up the boat initially, I would insist that the vendor delivers it to your slip and makes it safe. Presumably the vendor will have some idea. That in turn will assist you as you start what is a complex process to become skilled at operating a larger vessel.

Best wishes

David.

[daytrader]

Yes, you are right. I DO NOT KNOW. where the tie spots are. I have not even seen the slip I have rented yet. Its been rented for 2 months, but have yet to get there to inspect it.

The vendor is going to help deliver the boat. I also hired a guy to help me out for two days.

I just want to make sure I have some stuff to tie this thing down. I have to have something to start with. Also, what else other then tie down supplies.

Am I missing something else? Also, how do I not get taken to the bank for tie down equipment?

See one problem, I am in a very valnurable spot. I need stuff but do not know what I need. That is never good.

Turn me loose with a guy that talks like he knows what is going on and my wife will be mad once she sees the check book. I admit. I really have no idea what I should know. I need to know a little something.

I am pretty good at holding things to the ground, but have no experiance holding things down in water.

[Auzzee]

Hi again,

The boat should have the appropriate docking lines on board. Ask the vendor. If they aren't available, see a chandler and ask him what he recommends. As a basic guide and not knowing the layout of the boat, I would start with 4 x 12mm white, poly, floating rope with a soft eye spliced into one end of each. Each rope should be about the length of the boat plus 20%.

It isn't ideal, but it will keep you out of strife in the interim. You will need at least three fenders to hang between the boat and the dock...again a chandler will be the best person to advise you on the size and shape of these depending on the dock.

Keep asking questions....even if they sound a little basic to some of our members, they will all be valid. You will need direct assistance, but I feel sure you can rely on our members to provide you with solid answers to even the 'silly' questions. We'll make a sailor of you yet!

Cheers

David.

[atavist]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

Keep asking questions....even if they sound a little basic to some of our members, they will all be valid. You will need direct assistance, but I feel sure you can rely on our members to provide you with solid answers to even the 'silly' questions. We'll make a sailor of you yet!

Cheers

David.

So true, so true... I keep asking silly questions and they keep getting answered... you guys are great

[Lynx]

I would say that you should go with 75 foot dock lines with chaft protection. Big fenders, depends on the dock what type.

Most cruising books give a list of things that thay use. My list is over 600 items, some I will never get. I went through every book that I had and made the list.

"Sail Away" by the Shards is one of the best so is "Why Didn't I Think of That" The list goes on and one. In the end it really depends on you and where you will be cruising to. Start with a short list of safety and barest things and work your way up from there. Make a list of what is on board. It upsets me when I buy something and then have to replace it latter.

[imagine2frolic]

That is such a big commitment with so little knowledge. I would buy books, and read everything. Hire a Captain to take you out to practice docking. This is not like driving on a roadway. There are many skills involved just getting away from the dock on a calm day. Never be afraid to ask questions, and take a DEEP BREATH!

[Sammy]

Welcome aboard. Docking is just one aspect of boating. You may want to consider taking a boating course or crewed charter on a similar sized vessel. Before heading out into the great unknown it would be good to have an understanding of the basic rules of the road and how to read a chart for starters. You will also want to understand how your engine works as far as fuel supply and cooling. Being able to pick someone up who has fallen overboard is also helpful.

When they say it is not like driving a car they are right, operating a boat in a safe and responsible manner is much more difficult.

[JeanneP]

FIRST. Go to the slip you are renting. Walk around to look at what all the other boats are doing. Stand there and watch a boat come in and tie up.

The configuration of your slip will determine what you will need.

If you come in through pilings and there's no side dock, you need permanent lines tied to the piles that you can just lift off as you enter the slip and secure the stern. Then you will need two bow lines. That's four lines. And you will need two lines for spring lines. That's six lines. And you will need two extra stern lines for when you are traveling to other marinas.

We used bow lines that can then be run back to serve as forward spring lines, so the lines have to be 1-1/2 times the length of your boat.

However, before you go out and buy any of this stuff, look at what is being used in the marina where you will tie up your boat.

Get double braid dock lines. They are far superior for handling and cleating than heavy 3-strand.

Fenders. You will need at least six, get 8. Two should be round and larger than the others to go under the flare of your bow. The rest should be cylindrical, and depending on the hull configuration, you might want two that are larger in diameter than the others.

Friends say you can't have too many fenders. Peter disagrees, but when we have too many, we still wind up using them all in some circumstances.

Forget fancy stuff. Don't buy fender clips, fender racks, or anything else until you are comfortable with your boat and have used it. Get bare basics and add "nice to have" things later. it will be easier on your checkbook, and the stuff you do get will all be used, not sitting there to remind you of the things you didn't need to buy.

1/2" is fine. Don't get anything too big or it won't fit on your cleats. If the boat does not have mid-ship cleats, have them installed.

Some places, especially for power boats, the stern is tied criss-cross - i.e., the line on the port side is run across the bow and tied to the stern side of the dock, and vice-versa.

The first two days, with the extra help, practice, practice, practice coming in, going out of your slip.

Where are you? In the US? If so, where?

FWIW, when we first owned SV Watermelon we kept her on a mooring, and I had precious little experience docking the boat. I would resist going into a marina and navigating into a slip every time. It took me many tries before I felt comfortable going into a slip.

Enjoy your boat, keep asking questions. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Jeanne

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by daytrader

The vendor is going to help deliver the boat. I also hired a guy to help me out for two days.

If I remember you are going to St Pete or Clearwater Right?

The vendor and the hired guy will take care of it for you.

The lines are already on the boat I am sure and if not price should not bother you much since you are jumping off the deep end into a 41 foot hole in the water.

I would have offered real help with the move but I am just too busy working........sorry.

How much is the hired guy getting for two days? I should'a thought about that!

[daytrader]

Originally Posted by Therapy

If I remember you are going to St Pete or Clearwater Right?

The vendor and the hired guy will take care of it for you.

The lines are already on the boat I am sure and if not price should not bother you much since you are jumping off the deep end into a 41 foot hole in the water.

I would have offered real help with the move but I am just too busy working........sorry.

How much is the hired guy getting for two days? I should'a thought about that!

We are in clear water beach. Our slip is right next to the yatch club. Been here about 2 months now. So far so good. Had one little problem, but it was fixed. I rounded off a prop on a bar in the gulf.

The captain didn't charge me anything. He was hired by the agent I purchased the boat from. The hand I hired for 2 days was paid 500 bucks.

He was alot of fun and WELL WORTH IT. He showed me some great fishing areas and was very enjoyable. He was very keen to this area. Seems to be known by many and a heck of a great guy.

He gave me some local hook ups for maint and such. Also told me some folks to avoid.