where is it legal to tie up your boat?

If you’re new to boating, you might be wondering where is it legal to tie up your boat when it’s not at the dock? The answer to this question is a mooring buoy. Mooring buoys float on the water and are attached to the bottom using chains, these are the only buoys you can legally tie up to.

What color is a mooring buoy and how do you identify one from other types of buoys? Mooring buoys are white with a blue horizontal band. They usually are placed in or near marinas and other areas where boats are allowed to anchor. Mooring buoys are where to tie up a boat when you’re not at the dock.

HOW ?!

Follow these steps when tying your boat up to a mooring buoy:

1. Steer the boat from a helm position that allows you to see the buoy during the entire process of hook up.
2. Approach slowly and carefully from downwind or down current, so that the pick-up line is closest to you. Keep the buoy on the same side as the helm so that you can see the mooring buoy as you approach.
3. Use a boat hook to safely retrieve the pick-up line. Be sure to switch your boat into neutral during this step to avoid getting tangled in the line.
4. Run your boat’s bowline through the loop of the pick-up line, and then cleat both ends of your bowline to the bow of your boat. Do not tie the pick-up line directly to your boat as it can put stress on the mooring anchor. It’s also important to understand where to tie up a boat for safety reasons — do not stern tie to a mooring buoy as this can be dangerous to you and your boat, plus it puts unnecessary strain on the mooring system.
5. Be sure to let out enough line so that the buoy is not pulled underwater and the line stays horizontal. Rough water may require you to use more line.
6. Inspect the buoy your boat is tied to. Once you are tied up, check that the buoy is holding as intended.
7. When you are ready to leave, uncleat your boat’s bowline and pull it through the loop of the pick-up line. Then, be sure to back away from the mooring so you do not get tangled in any of the mooring lines.

Now you don’t have to wonder where is it legal to tie up your boat. You do, however, have to make sure that you have valid boat registration paperwork aboard before you head off to your favorite mooring spot.

How to Tie Up a Boat to a Dock

1. Plan your approach—consider wind direction and currents.
2. Always start by tossing a spring line to someone on the dock.
3. Secure a line from the bow cleat to a dock cleat forward of the boat.
4. Secure the spring line to a dock cleat angled aft.
5. Attach a line from the stern cleat on the side of the boat away from the dock to a dock cleat behind the boat.

Think about how you will secure the boat even before you pull up to a dock or into a slip. Take a look at the direction of the wind and any current (look for flags if you are unsure about wind direction, and look for how water is moving around pilings as an indication of current), and if you are in tidal waters look at water marks on pilings, which will tell you if you are near high or low tide. Before you approach the dock or slip have your dock lines ready, your fenders (soft vinyl “bumpers”) deployed, and give your crew instructions on how to help.

When tying one side of the boat to a dock, such as a fuel dock, you can secure the boat for any situation with three lines.

• Always start by tossing a spring line (attached to the cleat in the middle of the boat) to someone on the dock, who can hold the boat in place.
• Secure a line from the bow cleat to a dock cleat forward of the boat.
• Then secure the spring line to a dock cleat angled aft, toward the back of the boat. These two lines will keep the boat from moving fore and aft.
• Attach a line from the stern cleat on the side of the boat away from the dock to a dock cleat behind the boat.
• Tying each line at an angle, rather than straight to the dock (called a breast line) will allow the boat to move up and down in reaction to waves, wakes or changing tide if the dock is not floating.

Tying a Boat in a Slip

To tie up in a slip, either one flanked by docks or to an end dock and pilings, using four lines is usually the best method.

• If you’ve backed into the slip, attach a line to each stern cleat on the boat and then cross them to the dock cleats.
• Secure bow lines from each side of the boat forward to the dock cleats or pilings. This will secure the boat in each direction and allow enough line for the boat to rise and fall.
• In area with a lot of tide, you may need to adjust the lines if you are tying up at either high or low tide and the dock is not floating.
• If you tie up to a floating dock, of course, it will rise or fall with the tide along with the boat.

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Cleats & Hitches

A cleat is the piece of horn-shaped hardware attached to both your boat and usually to the dock to which you’ll secure the dock lines. Never try to secure a dock line to another part of your boat, like a railing, the windshield frame or a passenger grab handle. Only the cleats are secured through the deck with hardware stout enough to hold the boat.

Most popular boats will have two stern cleats, two cleats in the middle of the boat (sometimes called spring cleats) and two cleats towards the bow. There may also be a cleat at the bow peak. Larger boats may have two cleats between the bow and the stern cleats.

A dock line usually has a loop on one end. This is the end you’ll attach to the boat, by passing the loop through the center of the cleat and then back over the horns of the cleat, working towards the boat. The other end of the line is secured to the cleats on the dock using a cleat hitch. To tie a cleat hitch, pass the line once around the cleat’s base, then make two turns in a figure 8 motion around the horns before making a third turn with the line turned under itself in a half-hitch. This secures the line.