Legal to padlock vessel to public landing

[Capt. Steve1]

this dock isn’t a real dock or ramp it’s basically a tourist observation platform (I believe there aren’t cleats at dock) there’s always someone fishing there.
Edit: vessel is a 23’ pocket cruiser not a giant sail boat + it would be off to the side not obstructing complete dock.

It’s jealous land fisherman (boat haters) I’m concerned w/ they like to be destructive to any boat.
Examples 1. at the jetties never get to close to or they will cast larger weights at the vessel attempting to ruin what ever they cast at.

2. same situation w/ beach fisherman.

I like an appreciate excellent advice especially the angle anchor.
I’ll have to remind myself w/ a written note on the helm.

Do you Guy’s tie up dinghy’s w/ the rope under the dock directly to pylon?

What made me overly cautious was the comment the new owners of the playground
Hotel made.
This hotel has a negative star rating (unbelievable this place isn’t condemned) not suitable for a dog.

I was attempting to negotiate a deal let me beach then park my conversion van, tow vehicle down next to water, I’ll pay you for a room that I won’t stay in you can rent it twice , the Guy said if a boat ever beached on this property the lines would be cut.

Guy’s if there’s a no parking sign =s illegal then the police write a ticket, then I’ll move east a tad. I think there’s a spot inbetween the water front restaurant and city park. I’ve sean people loading vessels w/ equipment and people embark/disembark there however
These folks could be condo owners.

Anyway I miss the good old days where waterfront hotels on the bayside existed.
There are no waterfront hotels in my cruising area Fort Morgan Alabama- Destin, FL
This is the main reason for a weekender vessel I love staying on board but would like the option of a hotel w/ a dock or at minimum a dock close to food stores.

The ICW in this area is completely populated like the lake if you beach you’re in someones backyard.
Thanks Steve.

[David Mathis]

A few years ago I retired as a judge. One of the more interesting cases involved a boat, dock lines, and a local juvenile delinquent. A defendant came before me accused of untying a boat on the Hudson River and pushing it away from the dock into the stronger current. The owners awoke several hours later, just before the sun peeked over the hills. They had no idea as to their location as the mist on the water prevented them from seeing the shoreline. It wasn’t hard for the police to catch the culprit as he had argued with the owners then was seen walking toward their dock well after dark.

[JMaav]

Originally Posted by Capt. Steve1

USA fort walton bch. FL Legal to padlock (w/ thick bike lock cable) vessel to public landing... I would like to dock then lock up my 23’vessel cruiser to the public dock...T

Recommend you not. Best option is to loop a line thru some opening at dock (between floor boards, hole at center of dock cleat, etc.) which then is hard fastened at both ends to boat cleat. Like you might do with bow/stern spring-line.

Padlocks are for dingys, outboards, deck gear, etc. oh, and sissys... ��

[captivacapt]

Never heard of this. DON'T LOCK YOUR BOAT TO ANYTHING.

[smbdyiam2]

signs in parking lots of grocery stores here . "Lock cars before leaving. DO NOT LEAVE CARS UNLOCKED." Posted by local sheriff's office. "Lockers" for kids in school. Notice in news " Lock homes before leaving." Bicycle racks signs "lock bikes." Locks on bath room doors. Even my computer locks up

leave a $xxx $ boat unlocked while you run into grocery ,out of sight of boat.?

I even lock up our pit bull. I know nobody would mess with her, but.

Place sign up " Trespassers welcome to leave after 3 mile limit"

[jspla1]

Originally Posted by rhubstuff

In 60 years of boating I've NEVER heard of anyone just randomly untying boats. I have seen fires aboard boats and watched people untying nearby boats so they done burn up. If yours is locked to the dock, then what?

Untying boats is the boaters equivalent of cow tipping in rural areas!

[smbdyiam2]

So does it have odds like getting struck by lightning?

Or more like me winning the lottery since I stopped playing?

I would bet on lightning.

[sveowyn]

If you're talking about the city park by the bridge, I have docked there several times with my 37ft ketch waiting for the water to go down so I could pass through the 39ft bridge. I was away from my boat many times for hours and never had a problem. A thief does not w ant your boat...probably wouldn't know how to sail it and I never heard of a kid untying one, but I guess anything is possible.A thief wants something he can sell like an anchor or GPS. In my 25 years of cruising, some in 3rd world countries, I agree with Montanan...it is dinghys that are more likely to be stolen for the outboard. The dinghy is usually destroyed.

[Craig_B]

Just felt like adding my two cents here.
Legal or not I have an extreme paranoia of having my boat stolen.
Almost every boat I have owned has been stolen or was attempted to be stolen.
First stolen was an outboard off my aluminum boat when I was a kid. Replaced the motor and locked it to the boat. So they stole the whole boat next time.
Then was without a boat until I purchased a 1965 Starcraft Chieftan. I was having issues with it so I had the distributer out of the engine. I had marked its position for easy re-installation. Went back to the boat and someone had tried to start it. I know because the marks no longer lined up.
Same boat has also been untied a few times and left to smash against the rocks. Good thing those Starcrafts are tough.
So I have panic attack when I dont lock my boat to the dock.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by jspla1

Untying boats is the boaters equivalent of cow tipping in rural areas!

Cow tipping, so I am told, is actually extraordinarily difficult. Practically impossible for just one or two guys. It is said that the cow simply steps to the side when pushed, and leans into the push, and the wannabe tipper ends up in sort of a ridiculous dance with the cow as she tries to walk or run away from the idiots harassing her, which I would imagine would be quite hilarious to an intoxicated tipper but exasperating to Bossie. Apparently many have tried to consumate the act of tipping, and failed. At least that is my understanding of it. Also, it is said that the cow begins to become annoyed after many attempts. I would imagine that having a 1500lb animal with hard hooves and sometimes horns irritated at you or scared of you would be a potentially bad thing. Or so I think.

[Brian Renwick]

Originally Posted by Larry T.

I seem to remember quite some years back that boaters were warned to chain there boats to the docks in Silverdale Wa. due to kids untying boats at night while the crew was asleep and letting them drift off. Don't know if it was legal or not at that time.

I'm pretty sure it's illegal for someone to set your boat adrift without your permission

[AlanT]

I know this is drifting off topic..... but anyway.

Coincidentally we had two neighbors report outboard engines stolen off their boats last night. The said boats were on trailers in front of their houses. (We live in a boat-ramp waterfront community).

Outboards are easily traded and easily removed if not adequately locked. Most thieves don't want the hassle of a traceable boat, they just want that anonymous outboard.

When we lived aboard overseas we scuffed up our outboard and removed all the manufacturers decals, we later put our own decals on it to distinguish it. Basically we uglied it up! We still kept it locked on shore, and raised boatside.

I would always lock a dinghy to the dock, never thought of locking any of my motherships to a dock, for all the good reasons mentioned.

[Svsumurun]

Originally Posted by TackSeason

??? The Great Lakes aren’t a bathtub! I’ve seen several boats bigger than hers just last year. The Devos family is from Michigan, they have a few big boats. If you don’t believe it happened, just google it, you will see the news stories.

Seeing as I've lived on the lakes my whole life, other than a time in the Carib, I'm well aware that there are bigger boats than that out there. My current home port has a regular stream of them , but , respect local knowledge and all that .... no doubt it was reported ( and I'm the farthest guy from the fake news kind of guy there is) , but if they were tied there , more than likely it just came loose. That boat could not fit inside the Huron boat basin , so they would have been tied to the river wall ( without real cleats, FYI) and that's also considered the west turning basin right there for the REAL big boats to turn around. A poor tie, a freighter with its thrusters going full bore in the river , lots of stuff can happen.
I woke up one night in a similar place thinking the boat was going to the bottom ( it was a small sailboat) due to the wash that was coming off a salt boat coming in- in a yacht the size of theirs, would you notice ?

That was my only point , that the location and the boat didn't match . The articles about it also made a big point that Betsy was in Toledo - that's a long way from Huron and there is far better locations for that boat that are a whole lot closer to Toledo .

Hope that clears that up .. to the OP .. come up to the Lakes for the summer ( well maybe not this year) .. no reason to lock your boat to a dock anywhere that I've seen!

[Chotu]

It’s more a question of etiquette than anything else. This is just really bad form to defend against an imaginary threat.

[smbdyiam2]

Why not just call your or any insurance company and ask if you and any other boat near would be insured , Comprehensive . liability, and medical?