Mooring to Floats and Piers
We had a boat get loose last night and one of the many reasons this happened was because of this cleat. The harbor is constantly talking to boaters that try to install their own cleats. Our newer floats avoid using them as much as possible.To work properly, a cleat needs to be bolted clear through a main structural member of the finger float. A couple of small lag bolts won't protect your boat in a big wind.
Mooring to floats depends on using adequate lines and fenders. Extra lines are inexpensive and can save your boat in bad weather. I've posted an article at Suite101 that goes into more detail. Hold on to your hat!
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Labels: Boating Safety, Harbors, Marinas
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posted by Harbormaster at 14:20
8 Comments:
It is amazing, sometimes, how much faith people put into little screws and bolts.
I rant into it frequently when I was a firefighter, people spending a lot of money on a lock for thier burglar-barred back door, but the bars themselves are held into place by tiny little screws.
I think it's just something that isn't thought about.
Huh! I always wondered what cleats were. It seems every second novel has people who sail and they talk about cleats and other stuff I don't know about.
Now I can pretend to be knowledgeable - good safety tip
Little things count. My region learned that when we were hit by bushfires not too long ago. The fact that our administration people worry about things as small as cleats meant that only four people died in the worst bushfires to hit the region since white settlement. I respect people who respect cleats and other safety minutiae :).
D.T. and Gillian,
It's the details that can kill you. Guess if I'm going to have faith in something that I will walk away from, its going to be oversized, overcapacity and redundant! I was a forest firefighter for ten years and know what your saying.
Talia,
You're an expert on cleats now and don't need to pretend! If you ensure the cleat is well fastened to the float and run several lines to moor your boat up, you're successfully in the game and performing better than many boat owners do! Thanks for the comment.
To work properly, a cleat needs to be bolted clear through a main structural member of the finger float.
Is this at all like hanging heavy items on a wall -- how you want to hang from a stud, not just the drywall?
It seems like common sense, but for those who don't spend a lot of time at the ocean or on the lake may simply not understand. And wind is tricky.
My husband and I were planning to build a barn and I suggested an open, 4-pole structure with a roof because something simple like that would have worked wonderfully in the area where I grew up. My husband explained that where we live (in a valley), the wind is so powerful that it'd just rip a structure that's not enclosed off the ground and carry it away.
Yep, wind is a tricky thing to plan around (for those who don't take it into account--like the people who lost their boat!).
I say we all head up to Alaska and go out on Alan's boat. Alan, what do ya say ... you up for an eclectic group of companions one of these days?
My father is in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and it is amazing how much we've all learned about boating through him. I'm sure your friends/family members have learned just as much through you. Good job.
I didn't know what cleats were until I read your post. I've learnt something new today!!
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