What is this dockline called and how to use it?

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by sepharad

I have 2 of these and am not sure what they are called and how to use them.
They are about 30 feet long.
Attachment 292418

We see a few in the Caribbean. Used to anchor a dinghy while you swim off a rough surgey beach. Elastic allows the surge to move the boat but bring it back on station. Eliminates excessive loads on the anchor and dinghy. Prevents anchor drag.

[gulfislandfred]

Fire hose can be used for lot's of things aboard (or on the dock). The local fire hall often has old hose togive away.
In the current conversation, a length of fire hose with line inside (the bigger line the better) will make a durable, long fender.

You can cut fire hose open lengthwise, and tack it to your dock with half hanging over the side, to smooth your way in.
The same idea works for the rail of a glass dinghy: cut the hose, and drape it over the rail, with the fastenings on the inside or top.
I mostly have smaller boats and bigger dinghies. I have towed my dinghies all over the Salish Sea, and across the straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca, in all kinds of weather.
I am constantly amazed by how much weather a towed dinghy can take, without shipping much water.
So, it is important for my dinghy to be 'polite' to the mother ship, when it rubs while docking, or at anchor, if I have not had time to secure it along side, or when visiting another boat.

[gregjm]

Are those elastic and stretch out? i am assuming they are. If so, they are used to park a dinghy off the beach after you get out. You attach a small anchor and set it on the way in to the beach. Put a line from the front of the dinghy and push it out whereas the stretch pulls it out. The bow line is used to retrieve the dinghy. They sell them as kits or just pieces...very inexpensive. They usually come in a bag.

[thinwater]

Read the whole thread. See post 11. They are fenders.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Read the whole thread. See post 11. They are fenders.

Beg your pardon, you read 11. They are stretchy anchor lines. Named “bumper lines”. It is absolutely used to anchor your dinghy off a beach. Surge and waves oscillate the dinghy over a large area while the springy line minimizes anchor load. A small anchor becomes sufficient to hold in otherwise impossible situations. Retrieve by swimming out or using a small line from the dinghy to the beach. These things extend many times their relaxed length. Fully extended they become solid as the nylon cover comes tight. This is just a tiny soft version of rubber anchor snubbers many people use on yachts.

One of our physically challenged cruiser couples acquired one for their dinghy last season. I was impressed by how much it improved accessibility. It was completely enabling for them.

[sepharad]

They do not seem stretchy at all. This boat had only an inflatable 8 foot dinghy. Each one is


about as thick around as your calf. They do indeed appear to be Liros Maritime lines. They are listed as being "Very light and easy-to-handle mooring line, land line, or towing line."


Apparently very light is relative. They seem pretty heavy to me. Now I have to figure out if, how and when to use them.


Thank you all!

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Beg your pardon, you read 11. They are stretchy anchor lines. Named “bumper lines”. It is absolutely used to anchor your dinghy off a beach. Surge and waves oscillate the dinghy over a large area while the springy line minimizes anchor load. A small anchor becomes sufficient to hold in otherwise impossible situations. Retrieve by swimming out or using a small line from the dinghy to the beach. These things extend many times their relaxed length. Fully extended they become solid as the nylon cover comes tight. This is just a tiny soft version of rubber anchor snubbers many people use on yachts.

One of our physically challenged cruiser couples acquired one for their dinghy last season. I was impressed by how much it improved accessibility. It was completely enabling for them.

How does your comment square with the manufacturer's description which says:

LIROS BUMPERLINE is a prefabricated moveable wrap-around fender suited to protect the hull in small slips or against pilings. The square-braided fender rope (D = 50 mm) is made from soft, light, floating polypropylene multi-filament fibres.

There are things that look very similar that are basically single braid ropes with a bungee inserted inside for stretch, but these are not that. That's what I thought these were at first, but Post 11 showed me the error of my ways

[sepharad]

Thank you all. In the end these are indeed Liros brand bumper lines. Thank you all for your help in identifying them and their purpose. Apparently they are a Baltic thing and do in fact, guard against pilings. This boat was from Denmark, so makes sense.