What's the best way to tie a Prindle 16 off to a dock? I'm launching from a boat ramp into shallow water and will walk the boat to piling or dock, then tie it off while I put the trailer away and raise sails.

I just bought a 1984 Prindle 16 and really like the ride. I sail on Galveston Bay in Texas. Expect to solo some but bought it as a family boat to sail with wife and 2 kids (maybe not all at once).

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John Fricker
Prindle 16
Seabrook, Texas
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Haven't done but I hope to find out. The closest place to me sail has the same requirements I just have not launched there before.

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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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Usually you'll have docks on either side of the ramp. Tie off on the windward dock so that hull blows away from dock (after raising jib). Then stand in the shallow water as hull vanes head to wind & raise mainsail. Lock rudders down, put tiller ext. on windward side, manuever boat away from dock & jump on. Pete

I remove my cat from a modified seadoo lift, walk it to my dock, tie up,then hoist the rags. I have powerboats on the left side of dock, so i have to tie it on right side, with the left hull against the dock, no matter what the wind. In my case the wind is always either head on, or from the starboard side. Any wind from any other direction is blocked by the houses, hill, & trees.
I leave a couple of soft inflatable fenders hanging from the dogbones, & the edge of the dock (especially the corner) has a strip of material made for protecting boats.
I used to loop a line from the dock around the left bridle wire, and another around the end of the rear beam, lots of room to run it between the beam & tramp. I've since made up two permanent docklines, with a stainless steel clip on the end. This makes it very quick to clip onto the bridle wire, & the end tramp lace, or a loop I have fashioned onto the edge of the rear beam. These clips are only rated at around 250 lbs, so use them with care. I think GCAMICK uses the same clip arrangement.
With the wind we get 90* of the time, the boat is pushed against the dock. If the wind was strong, the jib was a royal pain. Roller furling made the jib a non issue. If the wind is right on the beam, it can be a little troublesome to raise the main solo, an extra set of hands helps keep it from fouling the ends of the battens on the shrouds. Also, even with the mainsheet undone, the sail against the shrouds develops some power. You need everything organized, because as soon as you cast off the last line you will be moving forward. Use care pushing off, so you don't ding the corner of the boat or rudder against the metal corner of the dock. If you always have crew, it is easy to walk the boat into the wind, as Pete says, then raise the main.
Coming back in, with strong winds, roller furling has turned a somewhat hairy event into a no brainer.
Even solo, with the jib furled, it is easy to head up, unhook the "S" hook from the clew of the main, jump off, grab the bow so you can hold it head to the wind, then walk it back to the dock, reclip the two lines, then leisurely drop the main & de rig or whatever you need to do. Of course my method would need modification if the water at the dock is more than chest deep.


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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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I normally launch my Prindle from a dock. The water is too deep (and gross) to walk it. So I launch with the jib up and the sheets wrapped around the jib to keep it from flapping. I then move the boat next to the dock that is pointing into the wind and use my bow line from the tramp, forward of the shrouds, tie off to the dock then run the line aft, through the dock railing and then tie to the back part of the tramp. I then lower my rudders, raise my main and go. Its the best way I have found to do it. Warning, do not let your boat get powered up in the dock area, air on the side of caution. I have gotten into a stick situation with a boat that is ready to fly and not enough area to turn around quickly.

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Alex

Prindle 16 "Shake & Bake"
Portland, Oregon
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Thanks, guys. My situation requires tying off to a piling or a dock in rough chop (Galveston Bay, typically onshore breeze), so I don't want to be along side of it. I need to be on a bow line. Is there a good spot to tie a bow line to on the P16? I don't want to load up the dolphin striker or the bridles in ways they were never meant to see. Plus, I don't want the boat tracking back and forth while I get things ready. My wife has held the bridle, but that's touch and go as she get lifted off her feet in the waves. Beach wheels would help, then I could rig onshore, but would still need to tie off the boat while chucking the beach wheels back onshore.

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John Fricker
Prindle 16
Seabrook, Texas
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I need to be on a bow line. Is there a good spot to tie a bow line to on the P16?

I agree i wouldn't tie anything to my DS. this is an area i am very protective of.

90% of the guys i sail with tie our anchor lines to our bridal wire attachment points A few tie to their spinnaker pole end, i dont want my pole bending downward that much in waves, so i don't (plus someones spin tang was ripped off due to this)

we anchor in waves every weekend, we have boat chop everywhere we park and i have yet to see anyones cat injured in any way from this practice.

Just aft of my mast is a grommet in the tramp. My P16 came with a bowline that is fed through that grommet and tied to the DS. I don't think that there is much stress on the DS this way since the bowline is fed through the tramp.

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Alex

Prindle 16 "Shake & Bake"
Portland, Oregon
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MN3 - That's great info, so I feel comfortable doing that. Do you tie off to one bridle eyelet (on one hull) or both at the same time (on each hull)? Do you have an anchoring bridle, then a line to the anchor?

Al - That's how my righting line is hooked up. I don't know if the tramp can handle the loads through that grommet.

Thanks.

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John Fricker
Prindle 16
Seabrook, Texas
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