Preview: Rock & Dock System
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February 15, 2013
Email this Video to a FriendSee the slick and simple technique Ben Mendlowitz put together to keep his dinghy from chafing on his dock.
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Comments, Thoughts or Suggestions?You can leave a comment or question for OCH and members below. Here are the comments so far…
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9 Responses So Far to “Rock & Dock System”
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Dana Grund says:
A clever answer to a common problem. Here in coastal Nova Scotia I have seen a similar solution when the dock or launch area is right on the beach; the boat is towed out to sea beyond the low tide by a clothes-line type arrangement with the block (pulley) moored out a bit by anything heavy enough, and floated by a bouy. The boat can be quickly pulled in or out from long distances if the beach has a low slope, and even recovered from shore if it has sunk.
It’s true there is an obstacle to other boaters with a line and bouy going out from the beach, but the same could be said of a long dock.
I enjoy seeing how people solve little problems like this. Someone posted that the rock is inelegant, but the simple rock suits me just fine, and it sure beats the look of a bunch of plastic fenders!
Ben Mendlowitz says:
Hi Dana, We have similar systems here in Maine in fact I used one for many years before the dock was built.
Gregory Mactye says:
Very neat, and I especially liked the way you so nonchalantly made fast to that cleat – shows your experience. (I’ve always said you can tell much about a man’s boating expertise just by watching how he handles a line.) But what happens as the tide goes out? Won’t she land on her bottom, which in Maine is mostly rock?
Greg
Ben Mendlowitz says:
Hi Greg,
The video was shot close to low tide and there is still plenty of water to float the peapod. It can be an issue on the lowest minus tides of the season, for those I simply keep her tied in closer to the float.
Gregory Mactye says:
Either way sir – its a neat example of good old fashioned Yankee ingenuity, which sadly, I believe is a dying art form! (But you’ve GOT to get something a little bit more “elegant” than just a rock! After all – style counts for at least a little, and practicality DOES have it’s limits! LOL) Thanks for getting back to me, and I do look forward to receiving that copy of your book which came with last night’s subscription to OffCenterHarbor. I’m very much looking forward to browsing the site for useful videos.
Sincerely yours in boating –
Greg Mactye
Doug Heisler says:
I use an iron barbell weight – with “spoke and rim” – 5 pound costs about $8
Scott Duckworth says:
Brilliant in its simplicity. Very similar to the way we used to moor our small craft on the Providence water front. Between the sea breeze the 2 river currents and the ebb and flow of tide anything short of a trolley line setup would leave the boats ever confused and chaffing against dock or sea wall.
Al Everett says:
How about building a small punt to pull behind a bigger boat.
Walter Allan says:
Slick