Wolfeboro Dock Crew
 

Headed over to Nolan’s today for our daughters birthday. Learned about the Wolfeboro Dock crew. What a great service to remove some
Of the prior chaos to pulling in. Hope all that experience their assistance share their appreciation.

Dock Crew is Great!
 

The Dock crew is a great help on the nice Wolfboro docks. My only complaint about those docks is the lack of cleats or anything to snag a boat hook on. The tall pilings, that are almost 12 inches in diameter make it very difficult to snag the dock in a hurry when there is a crosswind blowing you away from the dock. A cleat on each piling to grab with a boat hook would be a welcome addition.

Liability...
 

My dock has no cleats because my toes have a way of finding them! :eek:

Dock users might find large eye-bolts a better choice, but it's really up to Wolfeboro as to what they want to use in our entitled, litigious, society.

Put the cleats on the posts, not on the deck. This works unless you have a pipe dock

Or, you could get a boat hook with a loop.

https://www.amazon.com/Boat-Loop-Med...ps%2C85&sr=8-5

Wolfeboro Dock Crew
 

There are plenty of dock piles and dock posts, so make some docking lines with a good-sized loop at the dock end to go over either the pile or the post, then take up the slack the way you want it and secure the lines to the cleats on your own boat.

???
 

What is “The Wolfeboro Dock Crew”?? I assume they assist in docking?? What else do they do??

Dan

Wolfeboro Dock Crew
 

Dan - I would respectfully refer you to the Wolfeboro Department of Parks and Recreation, or the Wolfeboro Town Manager, for the Job Description of a Dock Crew employee. I am not trying to be snippy with you, I just don't know the answer to your question.

In my ideal world, they would wave you in when it is your turn, and push you off if you cut in line.

I think I read that they are doing it as an experiment and then might consider hiring full time people in the future. I'm not sure how I feel about this as it is another expense for the town. Has it changed so much that people aren't capable of docking any more? Probably a stupid question.

Tis, pretty much this….

We stopped going to Wolfeboro on weekends because of the free for all behavior at the docks. It just wasn’t fun anymore…

Dan

Yeah. We had cleats many years ago and removed them as a tripping hazard. On the other hand in tidal waters where there are no posts, cleats are pretty common.
Elsewhere, Steve on Mark is offering boating lessons. You won't need a cleat or a boat hook after passing his class.

Sad, isn't it. It reminds me of why I quit downhill skiing years ago when someone ran right over the front of my skis.

No less than two black toes is all it took for me to remove the cleats from my dock.

That's why I go by car!

"Get By" with Only Two Knots...
 

I own a stainless steel "pop-up" cleat, but haven't rationalized a good reason to spend a couple of hours to fashion its complex installation--on a post.

(And which post? :confused: )

But even a standard cleat poses a threat to those wearing rings or jewelry. Guess what gives way first? :eek:

Horrible injuries have occurred with post-mounted cleats. I recall a woman who slipped moving from dock to boat at night. The cleat caught her eye socket and she was held above the boat for several minutes before her screams were answered. As I recall, she suffered no skull or eyesight damage.

At Wolfeboro, there should be one post with a cleat provided, and mark it "Handicapped Post". ;)

Use a "Clove Hitch" on a post and be happy. :)


Learn the Bowline...

The town experimented with dockhands last year and made it permanent this year. The crew is made up of existing town employees, mostly from the electric department, who I believe earn overtime while on dock duty.

The goal of the crew is to minimize empty space between docked boats so the maximum number of boats can dock.

It is too bad more docks cannot be added in the major towns on the lake.

I am sure the state would object citing wetlands regulations. However, fewer boats idling in circles burning fuel while waiting for dock space would be a benefit to the lake. An added benefit to the state would be the taxes on the additional money spent when the occupants of the boats get off and dine in those communities. I know there are many times we do not go to places like Wolfeboro or Meredith because of the long wait to get a place to dock.

While many of the wetlands rules make sense, some of the rules should be allowed a common sense waiver.

Don't laugh, but a lot of people are discovering that they don't need boat hooks after all. I think most Islanders could teach what I teach, but I needed a way to make money up here, and that's one of the things I came up with... there's only so many bodily fluids I can sell![emoji6] By the way, I have never had the need for a boat hook, but I still use cleats!

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Thank you, I didn't know if it became permanent.

If I understand correctly the town is paying time and a half to town employees to assist with docking. $50 per hour per employee!


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Thanks!
 

Thanks for the explanation!...just curious, do they also keep track on busy days on who is next in line for docking or is that still left up to each individual boat captain??

Dan

Wolfeboro had a plan to extend the existing docks but funding for it was defeated in the 2021(?) election. I believe voters didn’t want to incur an expense that primarily benefited businesses located near the docks.

Or, with everyone thinking wait times are going to be shorter, more people would come, bringing wait times back to their current levels. As both you and Dan imply...

From my perspective - They do a great job! I've seen many 'inexperienced' boaters trying to pull in to dock or get out and they've aided and helped several do just that safely and without 'dinging' up other boats. I can tell you, there would be MUCH more boat damage had they not assisted. As someone else called out up above, they also help make sure dock space is maximized.

Tips are appreciated as one might assume - I personally even tip them when I didn't need assistance which is just about every time. They are out there for several hours baking in the sun on hot, humid days. I guess I'm just hoping any extra tip will only aid them in keeping an extra eye on someone potentially banging into my boat. My goal is to just get in, get out, and enjoy the day without my boat getting damaged or being thrown any additional curve balls to throw off the day. Why we escape to the lake every weekend in the first place :D

Very interesting news. Seems like a great segue towards overnight transient docking for a fee. I now boat on the ocean out of Hampton and we typically do some sort of overnight (or longer) trip somewhere every week. While I'm out cruising, my marina slip is available for transients to use (and their slip is available somewhere else, and so on) so the addition of a few temporary transient slips can open up slips in multiple other places. I find it astonishing that with all the cabin cruisers on the lake, none of the town docks on Winni allow overnights stays.

FWIW, I have been anchoring, using transient slips, lock walls, town docks, and moorings for overnight stays extensively all over the north east US and south east Canada for years and I have never experienced any noise issues from fellow boaters at night. Noise has not been an issue even in known party hubs like Provincetown, Alexandria Bay, Dow's Lake and Oak Bluffs.

Revisiting Cleats...
 

I never had any cleats, but just discovered I'd installed one to secure a boat on the dock. It's shielded from producing injury from every direction.

As to toes, a friend argued that you should always wear shoes around boats. That's debatable, because some fussbudgets won't let you on their boats while wearing shoes.

And then, there are grandchildren running and swimming off docks. :rolleye2::

It's not debatable if your objective is get as good a grip as you can on a potentially slippery surface. Passengers in bare feet always make me nervous; always wear sneakers or boat shoes.

No disrespect, but I thought you were a sailor? Aren't bare feet slick on the smooth parts your cockpit and deck?

I still would like to know whether this “dock crew” keeps track of who arrives first during busy boating days and docks them accordingly….

Dan

I would think they would be watching the times when people come in. If I am not mistaken I believe there is a two hour limit on the street as well as the docks.....

Thanks but I’m not talking about keeping track of time at the dock, I’m talking about who arrives at the dock first. On a busy weekend day when multiple boats are waiting for dock space, it becomes a joke as rude arrogant boaters cut other boats off who have been waiting patiently . I have seen numerous shouting matches and near fist to cuffs over who was there first. Like I said in a previous post, I stopped going during busy times as it just wasn’t worth the hassle. I would rethink this if the dock crew was helping with this issue…

Dan

I often wonder if Wolfeboro could put in a mooring field and the run a shuttle (supported by downtown businesses) to alleviate some of the congestion.


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Had a great lunch at Wolfeboro Dockside today. But man, what a zoo on the water! My friend counted 50 vessels circling/waiting at one point. I don't quite understand why anyone would subject themselves to that, and I don't think more dock space or moorings could have made a difference, especially if the additional berths would attract a greater crowd overall. Best solution? Visit on a day likely to have less traffic

Dock reservations and berthing fees coming to Lake Winnipesaukee?

Yup………..

Dan

Or by car.

Dock Wait List App
 

Some type of wait list app could work. When you arrive you log in, with size and description of boat. Dock crew places you on list and as doc space is opening, for your size boat, they call you. Everyone can see the list so wait time can be estimated. When you pull up to dock, crew member verifies it’s you and helps you into “your” space.

Tips?
 

Did somebody post earlier that the dock crew are municipal employees and they take tips? Where I come from, municipal employees taking tips or other gratuities is grounds for discharge. I recall some years ago when there was a big "hoorah" in a southern NH town when somebody gave T-shirts to everybody in the fire dept. after they saved his house. They had to return the shirts.

I did. But, few if any picked up on the issue.


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Count me in as someone who usually stays away from Wolfeboro. Just too much angst. Got a nice dent in a side panel there last year. And by car, well not even worth it as it is a long ride from Paugus on the weekend just to get stuck in traffic over there.

Now that Laconia gave away the back side of what minimal docking we had there to duck/swan boats, well, I've only docked there 2x this season and I live near there.

Merideth and Alton are still doable if you get there early or during the week.

Dock crews and more slips are a godsend.

Look at Naswa, those guys rock at maintaining dock decorum. Even Center Harbor does better than most of the towns on the water.

Big thanks to Wolfboro for adding dock crews!

Feet vs Cleats...
 

Most videos I've seen of Pacific Ocean cruisers are barefoot as crews.

Others don't want wet shoes, but I own the specialized shoes (Topsiders) for cruising-class sailboat competition, and don't recall prohibitions--shoes or barefoot.

It's the ocean-racers who don't want shoes to mark their freshly "detailed" surfaces. :rolleye2:

When I was invited to view the start of the Whitbread race out of Fort Lauderdale, we sailed on a big trimaran (a Farrier 32, which reached 19mph with a mostly-Jamaican female "crew" of 11). We were asked not to wear shoes, because it was a new rental, and the lessee was concerned for the trampolines in rough waters. Conditions were rough, and the Whitbread fleet set spinnakers and ran away from us! :o

Upon returning to Miami, a wave tossed me into the air, but it was gravity that put my folded knee through the new trampoline. :eek2: Assured that insurance would take care of it, I felt better about the 1-foot gash in my calf. :rolleye2:

Most of my personal five catamarans, including Tornado :eek2: had trampolines, so wet shoes didn't work for me. When "on the wire", a tough and long abrasive surface helped to keep footing on the deck; however, the crew was exposed to more injury-inflicting objects (than the skipper) and usually did wear shoes.

I do need to get back to a forum where another member who thinks the US can easily support a population of five billion people. :eek: In opposition, should I mention Wolfeboro docks? ;)

With children swimming off our dock, I feel really good about having NO cleats.

Wolfeboro has chosen well. :)