The weirs docks

[chriscraft208]

i docked sunday at the weirs town docks over the holiday weekend on the second finger from the left R/H/S. The water was choppy came back to my boat after walking around. A tie up next to me said my boat took some hits against the dock . The right side was missing a pylon and the bolts were exposed and cut into the side of my boat . Has anyone else been damaged at this tieup. I came across a photo showing the same pylon missing in 08. The town fixed the tracks and stairs and landscape and even some missing wood from the crossover bench but the docks don't look like they were touched.

[jrc]

It looks like they forgot about the docks during their goverment funded fix up. There are lots of broken poles and exposed bolts. Use fenders in there, especially considering the wakes. Finally be careful on depth, the sand seems to be building up and its pretty shallow.

If you're ever there when the Mount makes her pivot you can see where the sand comes from. I'm guessing that in the past more usage of the docks get them cleaned of sand and now with less boats it builds up.

[upthesaukee]

Unfortunately, we have two different problems here. The washout of the railroad tracks and boardwalk were one event, and monies for the reconstruction of those areas came from one source.

Your damage is caused by maintenance, or perhaps lack of maintenance, of the docks themselves. Sorry for your damage to your boat, but I must ask: Did you have bumpers out?

I think I saw bumpers on Shipshape TV on Comcast Sports, the old Foxsports, that were inflatable and thus could be blown up for use, and then deflated for storage. The segment stated that many of us use bumpers that are too small or don't use any at all simply because it is difficult to store bumpers of the the proper size. By being deflated for storage, it is easier to store the bumpers when not in use. Inflation only takes a few seconds.

And no, I never bought any.

[jrc]

Come on, learn to talk salty like a real boater

The ones hanging from your boat are fenders, the ones screwed to the side of the dock are bumpers.

Don't even get me started on rope versus line and docks vs piers vs slips vs wharves...

[hancoveguy]

Originally Posted by jrc

Come on, learn to talk salty like a real boater

The ones hanging from your boat are fenders, the ones screwed to the side of the dock are bumpers.

Don't even get me started on rope versus line and docks vs piers vs slips vs wharves...

Maybe this should be a new post but...I really wanna get you started on this.lol. I would love to know all the little nuances associated with boating lingo. Seriously, feel free to expound or start a new post.

HCG

[NoRegrets]

Sorry that you may have just had an expensive lesson (I am a class valedictorian and lifelong student of The School of Hard Knocks). There are going to be more public docks that will be damaged throughout the season with broken pilings or damaging hardware. You may even tie up to one and return to your boat and a part of the dock failed due to waves or natural conditions.

Fenders are a must and you need to protect your equipment. I believe all the towns take the position that you (reasonably) use the docks at your own risk.

I will also ask my wife to pass the rope to get her going!

[jrc]

Originally Posted by hancoveguy

Maybe this should be a new post but...I really wanna get you started on this.lol. I would love to know all the little nuances associated with boating lingo. Seriously, feel free to expound or start a new post.

HCG

I'm no expert and it would not be lake related. I was just having a little fun.

Some of the boating forums that I have visited, take this stuff really seriously and will bash you if you mis-use the terms. Some of obvious ones are fenders, lines, port/starboard, head, galley, berth, cockpit, and saloon. They you can get into really esoteric stuff like knot vs bend.

[NoBozo]

Actually, Fenders are meant to protect the boat and dock from damage while tied up.

Bumpers are those little rubber thingys that are intended to be dangled over the side of the boat, swinging merrily to and fro while the boat is underway, and serves to give the boat a more nautical look. How you look is very important in todays world.

BTW: Underway.. is another nautical term meaning.. the boat is no longer tied up to the dock and this is when the FUN starts... OR.. it starts to get really Scarey. NB

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by NoRegrets

I will also ask my wife to pass the rope to get her going!

Not the bitter end I hope ?

[Capt. Quint]

Break it up will ya chief! Daylight's wastin'! Front, bow, back, stern.
You don't get it right, squirt, I throw your ass out the little round window
on the side!

Come on chief, this isn't no boy scout picnic! I see you got
your rubbers! If you see a shark Hooper, swalla! Ha ha ha!

[Belmont Resident]

There has been a need for a NWZ like the one in Meredith forever now.
But that makes way to much sense, so it will probably never happen.
I respect my boat way too much to tie up at the Weirs docks.
Between the boats coming & going from the channel and the bozos who do not know how to drive around the docks it’s a mess.
There are days when no amount of bumpers or fenders will have much effect.

[Misty Blue]

Who(m) ever designed the docks (and yes they are actually piers) at the Weirs could not have been a boater. There are too many finger piers.

In an attempt (I supoose) to fit more boats into a defined space of shore line they squeezed in as many finger piers as possible. It looks good on paper but they are so close that with two boats tied side by side no other boats can fit between. So what happens...

People want to tie up to the docks but do not want to be stranded by two boats lake side of them side by side. So he ties up at the end of an empty finger pier. His neighbor has the same idea and you have two boats blocking 80' of useful dock space on both sides!

In Meredith and Wolfeboro the finger piers are seperated enough to allow boats to pass even though two boats are tied up side to side. This allows the entire pier to be used. Good planning.

BTW. For the nautical language folks on this thread a "dock" is the space taken up by the boat. ie. Dry dock. Not tied up to anything, just sitting there.

The pier is what you tie up to and walk on.

Misty Blue.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Misty Blue,
You are 100 percent correct. It is odd that in the pursuit of docking more boats they have reduced the potential quite dramatically while increasing the cost. Sometimes less is more or is it more is less?

[jrc]

OK four years ago I posted this.

Originally Posted by jrc

Being a bored engineer and a geek, (is that redundant). I thought of two cheap ways to increase the non-blocking docking capacity at the Weirs.

The first way is free. In each U-shaped area, make one side no docking. Right now each U gets two boats before any blocking occurs. If you close one side, the other side will support three or more boats and they can use the closed side to get in and out. Right now the last U with the drop-off dock on one side works this way. You could even squeeze one more boat on inner most spot of the closed side or the bottom of the U. And perhaps you could allow jetskis on the closed side.

The second way requires de-construction. Simply remove every other finger. Today each group of two U's supports four boats before blocking. If you remove the center finger pier, the two U's become one larger U. The larger U can support three boats on each side and one or two along the back. It would be like the Meredith docks.

[chipj29]

Is it legal to beach a boat there?

[jrc]

Not during Bike week, they have the area behind the docks roped off.

Any other time, I don't think there is a law? Obviously you can't do it near the public beach and the swim lines, but behind the docks, why not?

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Guy

Sometimes less is more or is it more is less?

More or less

[BroadHopper]

The pier was built in the the 30's and 40's when boats were narrow. Then it was not a problem docking on both sides of the pier mates!

Back in the 60's one could navigate under the foot bridge and dock along the broadwalk. Today the area needs to be dredge out. Building the berm out along the Weirs Channel pass the Endicott Rock cause the sand to build up at the pier.

The pier needs to be 'reengineered' to today's watercrafts. Like the Meredith Docks and to some extent the Wolfeboro Docks.

My opinion. The fingers at the Meredith Pier are spread a bit to thin. The Wolfeboro Pier should be a bit wider. An architect should take them into consideration before redesigning the Weirs Pier.

Another thought. Have PWCs dock along the broadwalk side of the pier. They have a very low draft. Move the 'drop off docking only' from the South side of the pier to the North side of the pier. The North finger is just the right size for dropping off and more protected from waves for easier launching. Allow more boats to dock at the pier.

Any thoughts from the forum members? I am a Laconia residence and I would like to present the ideas to the selectmen and the Chamber of Commerce.

[jrc]

BH, I guess it depends if they want to spend money or not. These are the issues to deal with:

1. Depth, it getting really shallow in all the docks except for the last couple on the north. The entire street facing side is almost useless.

2. Wakes, there is always a lot of traffic in that bay, you get a lot of general chop from them. Plus a lot of people run very close to the docks. There needs to be a 150' no wake marker at least. A larger NWZ could be considered.

3. Repairs, as mentioned in the beginning of the topic, broken poles and exposed bolts. This seems a no-brainer, someone will sooner or later get hurt and sue.

4. Blocking, most of the dock areas are too narrow to dock two boats and allow a third to pass. There are several solutions up to rebuilding.

5. Attractions, growing up Wiers was the place to go, the last few years it's lacked strong attraction for me. Lately there is some upswing but there is no sense spending big bucks on the docks if no one uses them.

[Capt. Quint]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

More or less

SIKSUKR I think you would have liked my old bunk mate Les Izmore.

[chriscraft208]

I would like to reply to several posts while I was away then try to get back to my original question.
To: upthesaukee . Yes i had 3 boat fenders out . not dock bumpers
To: no regrets At your own risk only applies if what is made available is in good working order. I was planing on taking the damage hit until as mentioned in original post found photo showing pylon broken over 2 years ago. That shows disregard to the dock user .
To: belmont res. I Love my boat two but I was hosting family from florida that wanted to go to the weirs and as a good host I complied. Knowing what I know now that was my 1st last and only tieup at the weirs docks
I would like to try and get post back on track has anyone had their boat damaged at a weirs dock tieup or do you know anybody ? I need help to follow up with my complaint to Laconia .

[Cobalt 25]

How much of a complaint will you have if you tied up in a place that could result in damage to your boat? Is it possible you didn't notice the missing/damaged piling? Could you have tied up someplace else?

I don't know if you are seeking financial restitution, but in my opinion it is incumbent upon all of us to carefully consider where we tie up. Notifying the appropriate authorities of a potential hazard is helpful, but it is our responsibility to avoid situations that could damage our boats. It can be an expensive lesson.

Peter

[Dave M]

I have a 20' boat. I used to use fenders but I found they rolled around alot and slide up over the rubber strip on the side of the boat. For the last 10 years or so I've been using the cushions. I buy cushions that are stiff(dense form). I make sure they have long loops on them. I tie one side of the cushion in a knot to decrease the loop size. When arrving at docks I put these on the vertical poles and I can adjust the height depending on which side I use on the cushions or use both loops at once or add one on top of each other. I always dock on the sections that have thinner poles. I haven't had an issue since I started using this method. I do have bumpers as backup but have hardly ever used them. I also have cushions for safely as well.

Enjoy.

Dave M

[VtSteve]

I've generally found that having cleats with no posts works better than having posts. This type generally allows your fenders to do their job better, without the hindrance of rubbing against flat posts. A little easier for spring lines as well.

Way back in the 70's, my dad's boat suffered some dock rash at the Weirs. He had a 20' boat, and even then, the docking areas were too narrow for all but the smallest boats. I would imagine having the Mount there limits redesign choices.

[Grady223]

Originally Posted by VtSteve

I've generally found that having cleats with no posts works better than having posts. This type generally allows your fenders to do their job better, without the hindrance of rubbing against flat posts. A little easier for spring lines as well.

Way back in the 70's, my dad's boat suffered some dock rash at the Weirs. He had a 20' boat, and even then, the docking areas were too narrow for all but the smallest boats. I would imagine having the Mount there limits redesign choices.

I have 2 large fenders with a line that attachs to both ends; I slip them over the posts whenever I dock in town. That configuration has the fender sitting perpendicular on the post, completely protecting the boat. Cleats are OK, as long as they are properly secured to the dock.

Regardless, whenever and wherever you dock it is your responsibility to protect your boat.