dock line sizing

[erice]

i've got a 36' sabreline trawler, 25,000 lb. loaded. what size dock lines & fenders do you think are needed?

[jleonard]

5/8 dock lines and I prefer twisted nylon because they have some stretch to them.
10 inch dia fenderswould be my first choice, however 8 inch should also suffice.

[bccanucker]

When we bought this boat last spring we knew we were putting it into a slip that was going to be subjected to strong winds in the winter. I was advised to buy 3/4" nylon for our mooring.
We did complete with snubbers, chafe gusrds, connecting to the dock hardware with shackles and thimbles. 3/4" turned out to be too big for the cleats on the boat, especially when 2 lines met at the same cleat. Doing it again I would go no bigger than 5/8".
We bought 5/8" Top Knot braided lines for everyday use and they fit fine.

[brookesmith]

My arthritis says use 1/2" lines. And if at a slip you use really tight LONG spring lines there is little tug by the bow and stern lines. I use 6 lines in slips. I also don't like excessively long lines. The extra slop can be frustrating pulling through chocks or a loop around a tall pilling. I have found 25' for the 2 bow and 2 stern lines to be perfect. I have 2 35' spring lines that USUALLY work out fine. Sometimes extremely long transient slips need one longer than 35' spring. To me springs are the key to a nice tie up. They keep your boat from moving fore and aft. Fenders stay in the correct place; your bow lines just keep the bow from swinging too far to each side and the same for the stern lines.