Charles,
I got to thinking some more…(my earlier reply just went
only to you, didn’t it…this list works differently than what
I’m used too). Here’s my more complete answer:
If the bow turns INTO the dock, then
a. the spring is attached too far forward AND/OR
b. the spring is too long, allowing it to make too
shallow of an angle with the centerline of the boat.
If the bow turns AWAY from the dock, then
a. the spring is attached too far aft AND/OR
b. the spring is too short, forming too great of an
angle with the centerline of the boat.
Ideally, the spring should be pretty short (nearly a midships breast line)
so that in the case of an off-dock wind the boat can’t drift away after
it’s approach momentum has been stopped. For that to happen, the
attachment point has to be matched. If it’s too far aft, the spring line
needs to be longer for the boat to swing into the dock parallel.
Some stretch is of course a good thing for shock absorbtion, so if the line
is very short it might make for excessively harsh landings if coming in a bit
fast…(another reason for 3-strand nylon instead of low-stretch braided).
I would think Sam Morse has the attachment figured out well, so it seems
likely to be a matter of adjusting the spring line length (and possibly re-locating
a cleat on the dock in the case of a slip).
Tod Mills