Course How To

Wind & Waves cause Houseboat to Rock & Roll.

by Mike
(Branson, MO)

Boat waves or wake common at dock, marina, or at anchor

Boat waves or wake common at dock, marina, or at anchor

I have a 1995, 16x70 sumerset houseboat, and I am on an end slip. The problem is that I catch a lot of wind and my houseboat rocks violently in storms and when big cruisers drive by. Is there a way to stop the houseboat to rock and roll? Please help.

Thanks for any help, Mike.



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Reply - Answer
Mike, that's an excellent question, and it's a popular one amongst houseboats. The solutions that I can recommend are simple:

1) If there's an opportunity to install a "No Wake" sign, that would reduce the waves from cruisers nearby.

2) You can try and tie up the houseboat using the spring line method, since this will soften the movement from wind and waves.

3) One of my last recommendations is a 2 part answer.

  • You can use Dock Snubbers on your dock lines. I use them myself and have greatly eliminated the rocking associated with wind and waves. The mooring snubbers reduce the stress on dock lines, and the violent swinging.



  • You can also use Rocker Stoppers on the sides of your houseboat. It reduces the sideways rocking motion. They use this technique also on large fishing boats to reduce the constant rocking back & forth.




    • I hope this all helps, and possibly some of our readers will post comments or pictures showing how
    they have reduced the rocking and rolling houseboat problem.

    IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com


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    Comments for Wind & Waves cause Houseboat to Rock & Roll.

    Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

    Click here to add your own comments

    Rating
    starstarstarstarstar     		Stop rocking
    by: Anonymous

    I have a 75 x 16 Sumerset and a neighbor with a 100 foot Sumerset. We are both on end ties. My neighbor says he installed two 100 pound anchors which he dropped down to 30 feet on the lake side of the boat. This seemed to work.

    I'm considering making some 100 pound concrete weights to try the same. Does anyone know if this will work?
    Rating
    starstarstarstarstar     		Great info to help stop the rocking and rolling.
    by: Thank you

    Thank you so much, all of your ideas to stop the rocking and rolling have worked. I started with spring lines with snubbers, and what a difference, then I bought magma rock-n-roll boat stabilizers (flopper stoppers) and the rocking has nearly stopped!!!!!!!!

    I have not been back to my house for 30+ days!!
    Rating
    starstarstarstarstar     		Flopper Stopper and Rocker Stoppers
    by: Anonymous

    This is not an unusual problem for any boat. There is at least one commercial "flopper stopper" type unit available and it is not all that difficult to make your own.

    The basic idea is to outrigger two containers that sit below the surface that allow water in but restrict the outflow when the container is being raised. Being tied to a dock will have have some limits on where to place these items.

    Reply - Answer
    Thank for sharing a great comment, since I have used these Rocker Stoppers myself and they work very well.

    The Rocker Stoppers are useful to stop the rocking and rolling found at anchor or marinas.

    Rocker Stopper

    Hope this all helps...
    IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com

    Click here to add your own comments

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