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I always mention how much beer we were drinking real loud as the water pours out at the launch ramp.

The thing I run into a LOT in Los Angeles and Long Beach are all the big boats on the docks. They tie up to the cleats wrong and leave ONE CLEAT between them instead of doing it the right way and leaving TWO like most people do everywhere else (only in LA do they do this):



This is the dock near the place we stop for beer in Los Alamitos - the wind blows hard all day long and there are always lots of BIG BOATS.

So I gotta get hooked on one cleat to get my beer.

If I try to nose in the wind will blow me in before I can run to the front to secure a line and I don't want to crash my nose on the dock either:



Trying to gauge the speed just right to not hit the boat in front of me and still drift back to the dock until I can reach a line to the cleat is hard to do:


And this can also result in ramming the dock with the front of the boat - I don't want to scratch the boat.

I usually find that I need to come in aft first and toss a line around the cleat and tie it off at the stanchion the boat can drift to the dock without me hitting anyone - the only way I can get thaat line on is from the back of the boat so I have to go backwards:

Beer!

BOAT,

Did you draw that to scale? If so, impressive.

That rip rap is too ordered.

Catigale wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 3:50 am That rip rap is too ordered.

I’m sorry; if this is some sort of code, it’s beyond me

NiceAft wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 3:58 am

Catigale wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 3:50 am That rip rap is too ordered.

I’m sorry; if this is some sort of code, it’s beyond me

Just looked up Rip Rap: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riprap

I don’t see any Rip Rap at all in BOAT’s drawing.

NiceAft wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 4:06 am I don’t see any Rip Rap at all in BOAT’s drawing.

Downwind of the pier.

According to this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riprap
If there was Rip Rap, how could any boat get close to a dock? Don’t think it’s applicable for a dock. A coastline, yes.

The colorful bits to the leeward side of the pier.

I spent too much time looking at this, and forgot about the larger picture

NiceAft wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 6:05 am According to this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riprap
If there was Rip Rap, how could any boat get close to a dock? Don’t think it’s applicable for a dock. A coastline, yes.

The launch ramp I use in the Erie Canal. Can't dock with both rudders down or I'll have one rudder. The CB has to be mostly up, too.


Drained for the winter


Normal water level

Not a lot of room between the water surface and the start of the riprap.

Yikes! We typically see it on the land side such that it has a bit more cover. That's sort of the mad max docking challenge you've got there...

It's a Mad Max loading challenge to get it onto the trailer, too. The current, which is normally relatively sedate, can move right along when the locks are bypassing a lot of water, and especially when they drain down locking a boat through. And the trailer is almost completely beyond the docks, with the wheels down that steep ramp bit (the inland part actually has quite a shallow slope).

Nobody can help with lines since the goal posts are soooo far out into the canal, so I have to line up and drive it on with some speed or I can't steer well enough to get the bow into the roller and bunk. But I'm used to it, so it's all good.

It's become habit to raise the land side rudder when docking, no matter what dock I'm at.

I just discovered how to post pics so, if you will pardon the interruption on the discussion, I'll show you the line I keep on my dock that I deploy if I think I'll be returning to an offsetting wind. The fenders keep it largely afloat so either my wife and/or myself can grab it at a place where a fender will keep our boat hooks from slipping too far along the line. If not needed, it stays taught and secured on the dock edge.

NiceAft wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 4:06 am

NiceAft wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 3:58 am

Catigale wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 3:50 am That rip rap is too ordered.

I’m sorry; if this is some sort of code, it’s beyond me

Just looked up Rip Rap: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riprap

I don’t see any Rip Rap at all in BOAT’s drawing.

Rocks are EVERYWHERE here - Southern California has almost NO natural harbors or bays beyond San Diego. Everything here is man made and excavated so that means tons of ROCKS! They are everywhere because every waters edge is made of them so every dock near a waters edge is next to ROCKS. Usually I can park in the shallow water between the dock and the rip rap and often do in Oceanside for lunch at the Jolly roger. But THIS place barely had room for a dingy to get between the dock and the rock:

So I am stuck trying to fight the big boats for a spot on the other side. What I do is drive backwards towards my destination making sure I am well upwind of the cleat i am hoping to catch so as I go backwards the wind also blows me to the side and I end up right on the cleat:

BOAT,

I followed up with this.

NiceAft wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 6:42 am I spent too much time looking at this, and forgot about the larger picture

So again,