conventional slip vs end tie

[magna 6882]

I current am in a conventional 50ft slip with plenty of room between me and the boat next to me. I got a note today from the marina offering me an end tie. The end is a T at the end of the dock so i would think 2 boats on the dock. It seems the end tie would certainly be easy to dock but would also expose the boat to the fairway traffic. I was hoping to get some of your guys thoughts.

 

[mvweebles]

Pluses and minuses as you say. Depending on the marina, having an unobstructed view off one side is nice. Can be a long walk with bags of groceries though, especially if it's raining.

Peter

 

[Bmarler]

I’m on the waiting list for an end tie. Currently a 40 footer in a 30 foot slip. I make it work, but would love the end tie if it ever opens up.

 

[tiltrider1]

End ties pro, easy docking, better view, less chance of conflict with neighbor, more privacy.

End ties con, often more wind, more boat waves, higher risk of a hit and run, longer walk.


A lot depends on the marina. Elliot bay marina, I would opt for the end tie. shilshole marina, I would need to think twice.

 

[O C Diver]

For me, my first question would be how good or bad the boaters are in your marina. I'd hate to have to kill someone because they hit my boat and messed up my summer.

My preference is second slip off the bulkhead.
Shortest walk
Almost zero chance of anyone hitting your boat.
Highest voltage in the summer when all the air conditioners are running.
Highest water pressure.
Often less current and wind.
Usually the calmest water in the marina.

Only requirement is that you better be good at docking.

My charter boat was the second slip off the stone shore for 20 years. You get good at docking real quick!

Ted

 

[BruceK]

In Australia the "head" or "T" berth is usually reserved for larger boats, is often in demand, and can even cost more. Some marinas it`s left vacant as somewhere to tie temporarily if conditions for docking are bad but usually, the desire for the dollar trumps providing that little luxury.
We just missed out switching to the first berth after the "T", would have been a snack to reverse into, the distance between our arms is tight and we share with have a long sailboat.
Unless your marina is very exposed, I`d say grab it.

 

[Comodave]

One thing to think about is on an end tie you have only one side to tie off to so your boat tends to sit on the fenders all the time. It can scuff the gel coat where the fenders rub. We are on a side tie at our home dock. But I have mooring whips to hold the boat off the fenders so they don’t scuff the hull.

 

[magna 6882]

End ties pro, easy docking, better view, less chance of conflict with neighbor, more privacy.

End ties con, often more wind, more boat waves, higher risk of a hit and run, longer walk.


A lot depends on the marina. Elliot bay marina, I would opt for the end tie. shilshole marina, I would need to think twice.

We actually left Elliot bay and are now in Desmoines marina. Been there since the first of the year. Were 4 boats from the end of the dock . I do need to confirm they are talking about moving us to the end of our current dock. One plus is our dock is in permit for complete replacement with new utility's and a complete modernization. should happen next year.

 

[klee wyck]

Different strokes I suppose...
A couple of years ago I was in a 54-foot slip with a slip neighbor which is the most common configuration in the PNW. I was offered an 80' end tie for twice the price by the marina, and it took me less than a second to say yes.
For me, end ties=prime real estate. Opens up options.
I suppose the fact that I own a power catamaran in Mexico that will likely come home to the PNW someday had an impact on my view of this.

 

[ranger58sb]

We had an end tie when we first brought this boat to this marina. Nice views of the creek. We were often bouncing off the piles, from wind and from current as other boats passed by. (And other boats passed by a lot, since we're just next to the Travel Lift fairway.)

We moved to an inside slip, 3rd from bulkhead, first chance we got. Less wind, shorter walk, view changed from trees and wildlife to boat yard activity, Travel Lift work, etc.

Our current neighbor on one side -- about half of last year, and said to be until November of this year -- is a really wide catamaran, no room between boats to bring our dinghy past them when we're stern-to. We recently turned to bow-in because of that, so we can launch/use the dink... and of course that meant we needed a 75' shorepower cord as an extension. Luckily we have full-length finger piers to allow that. Now we seem to have a bit more privacy, at the expense of occasional dock-neighbor interaction.

-Chris

 

[rslifkin]

To me, the ideal end tie would be one on a floating dock with no outer pilings. And the prevailing wind blowing the boat off the dock so it's not typically being crunched against the fenders (plus I prefer docking and departing from an upwind dock instead of downwind in most cases).

The biggest thing a slip offers is, depending on layout, the possibility of pulling the boat away from the dock so the fenders aren't normally touching.

 

[Cigatoo]

I current am in a conventional 50ft slip with plenty of room between me and the boat next to me. I got a note today from the marina offering me an end tie. The end is a T at the end of the dock so i would think 2 boats on the dock. It seems the end tie would certainly be easy to dock but would also expose the boat to the fairway traffic. I was hoping to get some of your guys thoughts.

Our boat has an end tie. We got hit last year by the boat yard while they were moving another boat. Extremely apologetic and they made good for any damage but still a PITA. I would stay where you are. My 2 cents.

 

[Mac2]

End tie all day long, especially if your a liveaboard. The extra privacy is well worth it. My wife initially fought me with moving to an end tie (carrying groceries etc.) but she absolutely loves it now (by the way the only time I have ever been right-according to her).

 

[hmason]

Although not a T head we did have a side tie along the fairway for a couple of years. My boat was hit twice while tied up there. Once was minor damage the second time was major damage taking my boat out of service for over a year. That was with my previous boat not my current boat.

With our current Boat, we are in a slip. It is slip number five and a short walk to the main dock. We've been here a couple of years now and I no longer worry about being hit by another boat. I would never again have a side tie or be on a T head but that's me not necessarily you.

 

[Choices]

I want a slip with finger piers on both sides so I can hide from idiots. Recently watched a guy hit five boats in a row drunk. Tore bow railings clean off. Best to hide.

 

[psneeld]

As usual...it all depends..... good points by many above.

For some it may be the best fishing lane....

 

[magna 6882]

I looked at the slip and decided to stay where i am. The boat seems more protected. The slip they were offering ,while convenient for docking ,seemed to be the closest to the breakwater. Also it was on a different dock at the far south end of the marina. They are having an otter problem and the animals are really tearing up all the boats on the dock. I should have taken some pictures. I have never seen anything like it. There was poop and debris all through the boats that were not covered tight. We are at the north end of the marina and don't see much poop.

 

[Bmarler]

I looked at the slip and decided to stay where i am. The boat seems more protected. The slip they were offering ,while convenient for docking ,seemed to be the closest to the breakwater. Also it was on a different dock at the far south end of the marina. They are having an otter problem and the animals are really tearing up all the boats on the dock. I should have taken some pictures. I have never seen anything like it. There was poop and debris all through the boats that were not covered tight. We are at the north end of the marina and don't see much poop.

Sounds like the right decision. All things considered, the end tie isn’t worth the otter problem.

 

[tiltrider1]

One of the benefits of liveaboards, fewer sea life issues on the dock.

 

[Bellakins]

For a permanent slip, I'd probably go for a regular slip instead of a T-head. You can position the boat better for storms. It's also probably safer from other boats. While we love the T-head when we're traveling due to the easy dockage in marinas we're not used to, we got hit 2 years ago while tied up on a T-head (where the dock manager had tied us up) by a sailboat coming into its slip and misjudging distance. Had to replace our bow pulpit, which the sailboat caught in its lifelines. It was probably a blessing in disguise, because it turned out the wood inside the bow pulpit had rot, but still, it was a pain in the neck to have fixed and we couldn't use the boat for weeks while it was being rebuilt.

 

[RickyD]

Well I jumped at the chance for an end tie for multiple reasons. Easy in and out on my 60 footer. The best entry is docking to port. When docked to port I can swing my dinghy off the bow with my stbd fixed crane. Plus my sun deck view is of the beautiful Queen Mary.

 

[bowball]

Well I jumped at the chance for an end tie for multiple reasons. Easy in and out on my 60 footer. The best entry is docking to port. When docked to port I can swing my dinghy off the bow with my stbd fixed crane. Plus my sun deck view is of the beautiful Queen Mary.

Oh, dropping the tender off the boat deck is a great point! I hadn't thought of that. Assuming one wants to use the tender.

 

[Markedtree1942]

I current am in a conventional 50ft slip with plenty of room between me and the boat next to me. I got a note today from the marina offering me an end tie. The end is a T at the end of the dock so i would think 2 boats on the dock. It seems the end tie would certainly be easy to dock but would also expose the boat to the fairway traffic. I was hoping to get some of your guys thoughts.

If you are at the of the dock less foot traffic to be walking around the boat